Mixed Martial Arts training is a sweaty business. It doesn’t take long on the mat for the sweat to start pouring and your gear to get wet.
This is why keeping your MMA shorts clean is extremely important.
Fortunately, you’ve come to the right place, as we’re going to take a closer look at how to clean MMA shorts. We’ll break down everything you need to know to keep your shorts clean and longer lasting.
Let’s get to it.
Importance of Keeping Your Shorts Clean
Not only does cleaning your shorts keep them from building up any unwanted smell, but it’s also essential to keeping yourself hygienic when training.
Given your close proximity to others when training, and in a hot and sweaty environment, hygiene is extremely important. Infections such as staph and ringworm can easily occur in MMA and BJJ gyms, so keeping both yourself and your gear clean is incredibly important.
Plus, if you’re not washing your shorts on a regular basis, it won’t be long until they’re sticking the place out, and you’ll be struggling to find a partner to train with.
How to Clean MMA Shorts
First things first, ALWAYS check the care instructions on your shorts.
As you can see from the image above, it clearly states on my shorts to wash them cold, not to bleach them, and not to tumble dry them. Every pair of MMA shorts should have these instructions on there, so be sure to follow what they say.
Washing them on too high heat could shrink them, and your lovely hybrid MMA shorts could be compression shorts the next time you put them on.
Ok, but seriously there are two main ways to wash your shorts:
- Washing machine
- Hand wash
Washing Machine
This is how I wash my shorts every time. One because I’m lazy and two, because it seems to work best. I do somewhat ignore my own advice here regarding checking the care label, and I wash my shorts on 30-degree delicates/ synthetics every time.
I’ve never had my shorts shrink on me, and it’s just the quickest and easiest way to clean MMA shorts. That said, if you want to machine wash your shorts as safely as possible, definitely follow the care instructions.
Hand Wash
This is by far the safer way to clean your MMA shorts, as there’s virtually no chance of them shrinking or sustaining any other damage. All you need to do is fill the sink with warm/ hot water, add some washing powder, and let your shorts soak. You can swirl the shorts around in the water to make sure the detergent is getting everywhere.
Rinse the shorts out in warm water and they should be clean and ready to dry.
Drying Your Shorts
This is important. Do not put your shorts in the dryer. If you put MMA shorts in the dryer there is a good chance that they will shrink and be unwearable in the future.
Put them on a washing line, or in an airy place and let them dry naturally. This can be annoying, especially as it can take some time to dry and you may need them for training, but it’s better than ruining them in the dryer.
Other Care Considerations
Ok, now that we’ve taken a look at how to wash MMA shorts, let’s quickly discuss some other steps you can take to keep your shorts fresher, and longer lasting.
Don’t Use Bleach
Using bleach on your MMA gear is a big no, no. It’ll remove the ink from the gear, and could cause other damage.
Don’t Leave Them in Your Gym Bag
This is true of all of your MMA gear. I know getting back from training is tiring, and the last thing on your mind is to get a clothes wash on.
That said, it’s important to at least remove your sweaty gear from your bag when you get home. This is true of your shorts, gloves, rash guard, and everything thing else you’ve used. Not only will it help to prevent the inside of your gym bag from smelling, but it will stop your gear from building up a ton of bacteria and nasty smells.
Have Multiple Pairs
This only applies if you’re training multiple times a week, but I find having multiple pairs of shorts to be a big help. That way, I can rotate between my clean shorts, and don’t need to worry about making sure my shorts are washed and dried by the next day.
I’ll then wash my MMA gear twice a week, and I’m never out of clean gear to wear to training.
Obviously, there is a bit of a cost to this, but if you’re training 3 or more times a week, having a few pairs of MMA shorts is a must. If you’re looking to get a new pair, we’ve got a full article on the best MMA shorts that you can check out for some more information.
Final Thoughts
Well, there we have it. Hopefully, you’ve got a better idea of how to clean MMA shorts.
Keeping your gear clean and fresh will not only help them to last longer but help to ensure a good level of hygiene on the mat, and in your gym.
In terms of washing your MMA shorts, as long as you’re not washing them on a hot setting, or putting them in the dryer, the chances are they’ll be fine.
If you’ve got any questions at all or any tips on cleaning MMA shorts, please feel free to get in touch via the comment section below.
