Even when I’m not working out multiple times per day, I still somehow end up with a lot of dirty workout clothes at the end of the day. And, not to brag, but I would be willing to bet mine are much grosser than the average person. So, in a completely disgusting way, I… win?
Recently, my wife was pulling my running clothes out of the dryer when she uttered the words every runner’s spouse eventually has to say: “You really need to get new detergent for this stuff.”
And thus, our latest laundry experiment was born. Because apparently, regular detergent had officially met its match. Here is Grangers.
What it Is:
Grangers Active Wash is more than just another bottle of laundry detergent. It’s a wash-in cleaner specifically designed for activewear, with the very particular job of dealing with the dirt, sweat and odors that come with actually using your running clothes.
And if you run regularly, you know exactly what we’re talking about. There’s that smell that seems to develop in your favorite running shirts over time — a slightly sour, sweaty, vaguely indescribable funk that somehow survives a normal trip through the washing machine. Your clothes may look clean, but the second you start sweating in them again, that old smell seems to come roaring back.
How it Works:
Active Wash is designed to tackle that problem at the source rather than simply covering it up with perfumes. Grangers says the formula targets the bacteria responsible for lingering sweaty odors while also helping maintain or improve the wicking properties of activewear. It’s suitable for materials commonly found in running gear, including Lycra, polyester, cotton and merino wool, and works at low washing temperatures.
In other words, this isn’t really about making your running clothes smell like laundry detergent. It’s about getting them genuinely clean enough that they don’t immediately remind everyone in the house that you went for a run.
Using Grangers Active Wash is about as complicated as you’d expect laundry detergent to be. Give the bottle a good shake, pour roughly one capful into the detergent drawer, and run your workout clothes through a full wash cycle at 86°F, or whatever temperature the care label on your gear recommends.
So, no special washing machine, no elaborate pre-soaking ritual, and no need to stand over the washer chanting the ancient prayers of the laundry gods. Just add it to the wash and let it do its thing.
The Test:
During my first few loads with Grangers Active Wash, I found my clothes came out clean and, considering the amount of built-in stink some of my running clothes are carrying around, that’s saying something. They smelled about as good as I could reasonably expect them to, and in a few cases, I’d even go so far as to call them funk-free.
I also really appreciated that Active Wash isn’t trying to replace one unpleasant smell with another. I’ve tried some pretty aggressively fragrant laundry products over the years, and while smelling like a walking lilac bush might work for some people, it’s not exactly what I’m looking for after a run. Grangers takes a much more understated approach, which I prefer.
Down Care Kit
Beyond the detergent, Grangers also has a Down Care Kit.
I’ll admit it: washing a down jacket makes me nervous.
You spend a not-insignificant amount of money (sometimes in the multiple hundreds of dollars) on a jacket specifically because it’s warm, lightweight and capable of keeping you comfortable when the weather turns nasty – which is a lot of the time here in Oregon. Then you’re supposed to throw the whole thing into a washing machine and hope it comes out looking like the same jacket? There’s always that little voice in the back of your head saying, “Are we sure this is a good idea?”
But down needs to be cleaned and maintained just like the rest of your outdoor gear. Dirt, oils and general grime can affect the down, which means that jacket you bought to keep you warm may not be doing quite as good a job as it once did.
The kit combines Grangers Wash + Repel Down 2 in 1 with three reusable dryer balls, giving you pretty much everything you need to clean and restore your down gear in one package.
The Wash + Repel Down 2 in 1 cleans your down gear while also restoring its water-repellent properties in the same wash cycle. It’s designed for both natural down and synthetic down, so you can use it on a variety of insulated outdoor pieces without having to buy separate products for cleaning and reproofing.
The three dryer balls (which seem to disappear more than they should due to our Golden Retriever) are designed to help break up clumps and restore the loft of the down as your jacket dries. If you’ve ever washed a down jacket and pulled it out to find the insulation gathered into sad little lumps, you understand why this part matters.
The dryer balls are also reusable for up to 1,000 washes, according to Grangers.
The end result is a kit that takes some of the intimidation out of washing down. Rather than treating your favorite puffy like a fragile museum artifact, you can actually clean it, reproof it and restore its loft — all while giving it a better chance of continuing to do the job you bought it to do.
