There’s nothing quite like kicking off the morning with a sweaty workout and heading to work feeling energised and ready for the day. But there’s nothing worse than arriving in the office wearing a crumpled shirt that completely takes away from your fresh face and well-earned liveliness. Don’t worry – we’ve got some great tips for keeping your clothes fresh in your gym bag, so you get the benefit of working out and will still look good when you arrive at work with your workout to work outfits.

How to keep your clothes fresh in your gym bag

1. Roll your clothes in your bag

It may sound a bit counter-intuitive, but rolling your clothes will actually keep them straighter. Laying them flat on your bag, and gravity will eventually take its toll and leave them with deep creases. Roll your clothes into tight tubes and stack them next to each other.

2. Make a workout to work clothes parcel

Just like rolling your clothes, making a ‘clothes parcel’ will protect your clothes from creases they may get when they’re packed for too long. Simply lay all your clothes flat and place them layered on top of each other. Make sure you put a stronger item in the middle to act as a core, such as socks wrapped in a t-shirt.

3. Wrap your shoes in plastic bags

In order to protect your workout to work clothes from the dirt of your shoes, keep a plastic or recyclable bag in your gym bag and put your shoes in it. This way, you can make the most out of gym bag space without compromising on cleanliness.

4. Put your socks inside the shoes

Another great idea to maximise space (and minimise the chance of your shoes becoming squished) is to stuff your shoes with your socks. This will also make finding your socks in your bag much easier.

5. Put your belt inside your shirt’s collar

A very clever idea to look after your work shirt is to put your belt inside the collar. This will save the collar from collapsing and becoming squashed. It’ll also works as a reminder to not forget your belt at home.

6. Keep silica gel packs and scented sachets in your bag

You know those little white silica gel packets that come in the box with your brand new shoes? Silica gel packets are used to absorb moisture and keep things dry – making them a perfect item to keep inside your gym bag at all times. Silica gel packs will help absorb any excessive moisture that your sweaty activewear may expel, keeping your clean clothes dry.

Always keep one (if not a few) of scented sachets in your gym bag. This will ensure your clean workout to work clothes will smell nice and fresh even if they’ve been packed for a while. Scented sachets also make for a fun DIY project!

7. Keep emergency garments at work

Needless to say, we all forget to pack some essential garments sometimes, and we all become victims of unfortunate accidents like coffee or water spills. As a precaution, always keep some backup items at work, such as socks, a clean shirt, or underwear.

8. Keep a fabric cleaner or freshener at work

We’ve all been there – your protein shake or your shampoo bottle spills in your bag, and suddenly your planned work outfit is not looking as good as it did when you tried it on last night. Keep an on-the-go stain remover or spot cleaner at work for just such a scenario – it’ll go a long way towards fighting small stains.

Workout to work transition

There’s more to getting work-ready than simply having clean, pressed clothes. Here are some work out to work transition tips.

1. Before and after your workout to work change: Take a shower

Clean clothes are important, but dressing sharp is pointless if you smell like freshly-chopped Spanish onions. Keeping your body odour to a minimum is basic manners. Showering after getting out of bed will get rid of any dry sweat or body oils you may have expelled at night time (especially in summer). This will mean your sweat at the gym will be ‘cleaner’ and less strong. After your workout, you should also take a shower to get rid of the workout session’s sweat.

2. Separate your gym clothes

You don’t want everything else in your bag to end up smelling like sweaty gym clothes. Keep a plastic or reusable bag handy to put your gym clothes in when you’re done.

3. Keep personal hygiene items at work

It may be a good idea to keep some basic hygiene items at work to always smell and look good, such as deodorant, dry shampoo, or perfume.

Workout to Work – Stay active and look good

There’s no need to compromise on looking good in the office just to make it to the gym in the morning. Stay active and look great with these simple workout to work tips.

For more workout to work tips visit LOOKSMART

All LOOKSMART stores across Australia and New Zealand provide expert tailoring, garment care advice, and repairs. Most stores provide dry cleaning with selected stores providing embroidery, dressmaking, and styling services.