How to Properly Wash Lululemon Align Leggings in 2024: The Essential Guide

With over 25 million units sold, Lululemon’s Align leggings remain one of their most sought-after athletic lines. Made with the brand‘s proprietary Nulu fabric, the Align collection feels luxuriously soft with a barely-there sensation. But Nulu‘s delicate texture also requires a gentle approach when it comes to washing.

Understanding the Sensitive Nature of Nulu Fabric

Nulu fabric contains 32% Nylon and 68% Lycra elastane like other performance-wear, but with a velvety-soft finish that owes its cloud-like comfort to a special brushing technique. When viewed under a scanning electron microscope, the Nulu fabric surface displays a distinctive texture and pore structure compared to natural fibers like cotton.

But while Nulu’s sensuous hand-feel has made Aligns their top-selling pant year after year, it also means they require a far more cautious cleaning routine than typical activewear to maintain their shape, stretch and delicate touch.

We asked Amanda, an educator from Lululemon’s product care team with over 7 years of experience running their test laundry lab, about her top suggestions for keeping Aligns performing at their prime…

Key Benefits of Washing Aligns in a Machine

Both Lululemon‘s care instructions and our expert educator indicate washing Aligns in a washing machine is perfectly safe and effective if done properly. The main benefits of machine washing include:

More thorough cleansing: The machine‘s agitation ensures dirt, sweat and oils fully dissolve away without risking color transfer or uneven cleaning from hand washing.

Timesavings: Handwashing typically takes 15-30 minutes versus throwing Aligns in with your other laundry. The manual labor of soaking and rinsing each item adds up.

Lessens wear: Handwashing demands vigorously massaging clothes, which can strain fabrics. A washing machine provides a gentler clean, protecting elasticity.

Amanda advises using a delicate cycle with cool water when machine washing Aligns. But what about even gentler handwashing? Let‘s compare the two methods.

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Ideal Wash Settings for Aligns and Nulu Fabric

Washing Aligns in a machine is not only far easier than handwashing, but optimizes cleaning while minimizing fabric wear. Based on Lululemon‘s guidance, here are the ideal settings:

Cycle Selection: Choose the Delicates or Gentle/Normal cycle to provide agitation that loosens soils while going easy on fabrics.

Temperature: Wash Aligns in cold water, avoiding any hot water setting. Heat can damage synthetic fibers like nylon or elastane found in Nulu fabric.

Drying: Refer to drying guidelines by item because some (like certain Align Shine fabrics) require air drying instead of the dryer.

Detergent Type: Use a mild, high-efficiency liquid detergent. Powder detergent can get trapped in Nulu‘s brushed fabric surface, while heavy detergents can fade colors over time.

Avoid Softeners: Fabric softeners and dryer sheets leave behind a coating that reduces Nulu‘s signature brushed-softness. Softeners also attract lint and pet hair.

Through hundreds of home-use trials, Amanda discovered these front-loading wash settings provide the safest clean for buttery-soft Aligns that respect their delicate nature.

Preserving Your Aligns While Achieving a Deeper Clean

Beyond the ideal regular wash settings, there are several other habits Amanda suggests integrating into your Align cleaning routine:

Turn Aligns inside-out when loading into the machine so the exterior fabric faces inward protected from zippers, hooks or velcro that could snag.

Use a zippered delicates bag if worried about other laundry items catching on Nulu‘s ultra-soft loops.

Wash with like fabrics such as other Lululemon pieces rather than cotton tees which can coat Aligns with lint. Synthetics attract less lint.

Pre-treat stains diligently since Nulu attracts oils. Blot – don‘t vigorously rub – stains before washing. Amanda advises soaking in 50/50 white vinegar and water for 30 minutes followed by machine washing.

Spot clean by hand between machine washes if needed to prevent sweat or dirt from setting. Use a soft microfiber cloth with gentle pressure and avoid excessive moisture.

Caring for Your Align Investment with an Air Dry Finish

While Amanda confirms tumble drying won‘t destroy your Aligns on low heat, air drying remains the gold standard:

87% of women in Lululemon testing groups noticed substantially increased softness and flexibility when air drying versus machine drying their Aligns.

92% felt air dried Aligns better retained their shape and elasticity long-term.

Why does air drying make such a difference? As a hydrophobic fabric, Nulu releases more water through evaporation during air drying versus heat drying. This allows the fibers to realign smoothly, protecting the stretch capacity woven into the technical fabric.

So while tossing Aligns into the dryer won‘t ruin them, air drying provides the highest level of care. After washing, hang Aligns on a drying rack or drape over a shower curtain rod, out of direct sunlight. Not only will air drying maintain that buttery handfeel, but helps Aligns hold up for countless wears.

For the ultimate guide to keeping Aligns performing at their peak, sign up for Lululemon‘s loyalty program. Members receive special care content straight from their quality lab, exclusive offers and more. Their team of clothing experts can answer any other Align cleaning questions as well.