You have just finished a muddy ride or race and it went awesome, but now there’s the matter of cleanup. Since getting dirty is part of almost every style of riding, every cyclist should aim to become as good at laundry and bike washing as they are at bike skills and threshold intervals.
Muddy rides don’t mean your kit is trashed if you follow these methods for awesome laundry results.
ACT FAST
If you’re really muddy, put your clothes in a bucket to soak while you clean up. Sometimes I clean my bike and kit before getting into the shower, since getting clothes and bikes clean often means getting wet and dirty.
If you have to drive home from the trailhead or race and there is no way to get the clothes cleaned quickly, Jon Barnes, an accomplished mountain biker, father and coach with the Durham Shredders youth program recommends, “sealing the wet clothes in a plastic bag, so that the kit doesn’t dry on the drive home. Fresh stains are easier to deal with than set-in ones.”
USE AN INITIAL RINSE
Instead of dropping your muddy kit right into the machine, give it a spray down while you wash your bike with the garden hose, spraying as intensely as possible. If you are at a race, and it seems appropriate, you can get a friend to spray you down at the bike wash, while you are in the kit, and then do your bike. Hosing down your kit gets the major mud chunks out and helps avoid permanent stains, while also keeping your washing machine clean and under less stress. Barnes warns that letting a muddy kit dry is a big reason kits end up permanently stained.
APPLY STAIN STICK ASAP
After spraying with water, look at where you still have stains on your kit and hit it with stain stick or spray. If you do not have one around, try a degreasing product, like Simple Green, diluted into a bucket of water or spray bottle to help get out tricky mud stains out during the initial soak. It will get washed away when you hose down your kit and finish the cleaning process in your machine.
KEEP IT COOL
It’s tempting to hit the hot water because that seems cleaner, but hot water sets in lingering stains. Instead, use cool water for the first round of washing. Barnes adds, “don’t overfill the washer, but use the large load setting and an extra rinse to help maximize the cleaning.”
DEODORIZE
Adding a few ounces of white vinegar in with your detergent helps get the worst smells out. And if you find yourself with ongoing smells or stains, Barnes suggests trying a ‘booster’ like Cheer or OxiClean.
PLAN FOR THE WORST
Designate a kit with a stain or small hole to wear on those muddy adventures. Also, come prepared to clean yourself up. Have a post-ride cleanup strategy set up before you ride — one complete with a bucket or jug of water, a bag to store soiled gear and towels to wipe yourself down. This makes a huge difference in how easily you transition from saddle-time to recovery-time.
