How to Wash and Care for a Running Belt

A running belt lives against your skin for hours a week and absorbs a remarkable amount of sweat. Salt is what eventually kills elastic, so a two minute wash after hard sessions genuinely doubles the life of the thing. Here is how to do it properly.

The basic wash

1. Empty every pocket. Gel wrappers left in a pouch will fuse to the lining.
2. Close all zips, so the sliders do not catch on the fabric.
3. Fill a sink with cold water and a small amount of mild detergent.
4. Soak for ten minutes, then work the fabric gently with your fingers. Pay attention to the band itself, which holds the most salt.
5. Rinse in clean cold water until no suds come out.
6. Squeeze, do not wring. Wringing is what stretches elastic permanently.
7. Hang in the shade until completely dry.

What to avoid, and why

Hot water

Heat relaxes elastic. A belt washed hot will feel looser every time until it stops holding a setting at all.

The tumble dryer

The single fastest way to destroy a belt. Heat plus tumbling breaks down elastic and can melt reflective trim.

Fabric softener

It coats technical fabric in a film that stops it wicking. It also traps odour rather than removing it.

Bleach

Weakens webbing fibres and will pull colour out of any dyed belt.

Direct sun for hours

Fine for drying, bad as a habit. Australian UV fades dyed webbing quickly, so dry in shade where you can.

Ironing

Never. Most technical fabrics will melt.

Machine washing, if you must

Hand washing is better, but if you are going to machine wash, use a mesh laundry bag, a cold delicate cycle, no softener, and take it out the moment the cycle ends. Never dry it in a machine.

Dealing with smell

Odour comes from bacteria feeding on salt and skin oils, not from the fabric itself. If a belt has gone sour, soak it for thirty minutes in cold water with a splash of white vinegar, then wash as normal. Do this rather than reaching for stronger detergent, which does not solve the cause.

Zip care

Rinse zips with fresh water after coastal or beach runs, since salt crystals in the teeth are what make a zip stiff and eventually split. If a zip is sticking, a wipe with a candle or a dry lubricant along the teeth usually fixes it.

How often

• After every hot or long run: a quick rinse in cold water, no detergent, hang to dry.
• Every five to ten runs: a proper wash as above.
• After any beach, ocean or very muddy run: a proper wash the same day.

How long should a belt last

Cared for like this, a good belt should give you several years of regular running. The parts that go first are usually the elastic, which slowly loses its snap, and the zip, which fails when salt is left in it. Both are almost entirely down to washing habits.

Signs it is time to replace it

• It no longer holds a tightness setting.
• The webbing has visible fraying near the buckle.
• The zip has split or the slider will not close the pouch fully.
• It has started chafing where it never used to, which usually means a seam has worn through.

What TEMPO makes

Every TEMPO belt is built for this kind of life and washes exactly as described above. You can read the full care instructions any time.

If yours has reached the end of its run, the PACE Race Belt starts at $32 in six colourways and the CARRY Storage Belt is $49.