How to wash tights: by hand, in the machine and what the label means
By hand or in the machine, bag, temperature, detergent and drying: what Wolford, Falke, Calzedonia, Swedish Stockings, Hēdoïne and Sheertex actually say, with the label symbols explained.
The short answer: wash tights by hand in cold water, or in the machine on a delicate cycle, cold or at 30°C, inside a mesh bag; no fabric softener, and let them dry in the air, not in the tumble dryer. That is what almost every maker writes in its care instructions. Below, brand by brand, what they say, how to read the label, how to treat lace, fishnet, wool and cashmere, and the one brand that breaks the rules.
How often to wash them
Less often than you think. Swedish Stockings, in its care guide, says "a full wash is only recommended every 5-6 wears, so in between washes, spot cleaning is a viable option", with "a mild detergent" on the small stain. Falke, on its Cult of Care page, written for its socks and legwear, notes that "often airing is enough – washing less preserves fibres". Fewer washes mean less stress on the elastane, the fibre that gives tights their stretch (more in what tights are made of).
By hand, step by step
Hand washing is the gentlest option, and the one Swedish Stockings puts first: "We recommend hand-washing your tights in cold water".
- Fill a basin with cold or barely lukewarm water. The hand-in-the-tub symbol on a label means, according to GINETEX, the international association for textile care labelling, "hand wash at a water ambient temperature between around 20 to 30°C".
- Add a little mild detergent, the kind for delicates, and dissolve it before the tights go in.
- Turn them inside out. Falke recommends washing inside out items "with prints or delicate fabrics".
- Squeeze gently in the water for a few minutes, paying attention to the feet and the gusset. Do not rub the fabric against itself.
- Rinse in cold water until no foam is left.
- Do not wring. Press out the water, roll the tights in a towel and press again.
In the machine: bag, delicate cycle, 30°C
Most tights can go in the machine, with three precautions. Swedish Stockings: "wash our tights in a washing machine, on a delicate cycle, at 30 degrees celsius, preferably in a mesh garment bag". Hēdoïne, in its care guide: "Hand wash or wash on 30C in a Guppyfriend bag" and "wash with similar colours". Calzedonia writes "machine wash cold with like colours" on its Floral Lace Tights, and Wolford's care instructions for its Tummy 20 read "machine wash cold, delicate cycle".
The bag that Hēdoïne recommends for its tights. Photo: Hēdoïne, Guppyfriend Washing Bag.
- The bag. "A laundry bag acts as a protective shield", says Falke. Swedish Stockings and Hēdoïne suggest the Guppyfriend bag, which according to Swedish Stockings also helps "keep microplastics out of our rivers and oceans".
- Who shares the drum. "Avoid putting the tights in with anything that they can snag on, such as zippers, hooks, clasps" (Swedish Stockings). Hēdoïne adds sequins to the list. Bras with hooks are the classic culprit.
- The cycle. Delicate, with a low spin.
Detergent and fabric softener
A mild detergent, in a small dose. No fabric softener: Falke writes that it "can impair performance" and Swedish Stockings that softeners "can damage the elastane". No bleach either: Wolford's care instructions say "do not bleach".
Drying: never in the tumble dryer
Here the brands are unanimous, with one exception. Wolford: "do not tumble dry, hang to dry". Hēdoïne: "Do not tumble dry or dry on direct heat – it can cause the yarn to become brittle". Swedish Stockings: tights "best retain their fit and shape through air drying". Hang them or lay them flat, away from radiators. Swedish Stockings adds a step after every wash: pre-stretch them, gently pulling the foot and the waistband apart, before putting them on again.
The exception: Sheertex
Sheertex, the Canadian brand of "rip-resist" tights, writes the opposite on the care tab of its Classic Sheer tights: "No special treatment needed. These tights are built to handle real life, just toss them in with your regular laundry", "machine wash cold", "tumble dry low", "no need for delicate cycles or garment bags". These instructions apply to its own tights, built with a much sturdier yarn: they are not a licence for an 8-denier sheer from another brand.
Sheertex Classic Sheer: cold machine wash and low tumble dry allowed. Photo: Sheertex.
Lace, fishnet, wool and cashmere
Lace. Openwork catches more easily, so the bag is a must. Swedish Stockings, on its Rosa Lace Tights (83% polyamide, 17% elastane): "Hand wash or wash on a delicate cycle and do not tumble dry or iron". For how to wear them, see our lace tights guide.
Rosa Lace Tights: by hand or on a delicate cycle. Photo: Swedish Stockings.
Fishnet. The wide mesh snags on everything, including other tights. Calzedonia, on its Liberty Floral Fishnet Tights (92% polyamide, 8% elastane), writes "hand wash cold separately": by hand and on their own.
Liberty Floral Fishnet: hand wash, cold, separately. Photo: Calzedonia.
Wool. Wolford's Merino Tights (49% polyamide, 49% virgin wool, 2% elastane) have the same instructions as a sheer, with one difference: "dry flat" instead of hanging, so the wet weight does not stretch the knit. On the label, a double bar under the tub indicates, according to GINETEX, "a very mild washing cycle (e.g. woollens)".
Cashmere. Swedish Stockings' Alice Cashmere Tights (63% viscose, 26% polyamide, 7% cashmere, 4% elastane) ask for the same care as the lace: "Please wash your stockings with the utmost care. Hand wash or wash on a delicate cycle and do not tumble dry or iron".
Alice Cashmere Tights: utmost care, no dryer, no iron. Photo: Swedish Stockings.
Hold-ups. For stay-ups, Swedish Stockings says to "wash the whole stay ups, including the silicone, thoroughly but carefully".
How to read the label
The symbols come from the GINETEX system, used on labels across Europe, which explains them like this:
| Symbol | What it means |
|---|---|
| Tub with a number | Maximum washing temperature in °C: "must not be exceeded" |
| One bar under the tub | "A milder cycle with reduced mechanical action" |
| Two bars under the tub | "A very mild washing cycle (e.g. woollens)" |
| Hand in the tub | Hand wash, at around 20 to 30°C |
| Triangle | Whether the item may be bleached (crossed out: no) |
| Circle in a square | Tumble drying (crossed out: no) |
| Lines in a square | Natural drying: vertical line hanging, horizontal line flat |
| Iron crossed out | "Do not iron. Irreversible changes must be expected" |
If the label and this guide disagree, the label wins: it is written for that exact pair.
How long do tights last?
No brand promises a number of washes. What they do offer is a guarantee: Swedish Stockings gives a "30 days warranty" on its tights, Sheertex a "90-Day Rip-Resist Guarantee" against unintentional damage. In practice, a pair lasts as long as its weakest loop: the wash helps, but the size, nails and shoes count for just as much, as we explain in the guide on how to stop tights from laddering. The anatomy of tights shows where they wear out first: toe, heel and gusset. And when they are really finished, they can be recycled: that is what Life Re-Tights by Golden Lady and Calzedonia is working on.
In short
- Wash them every few wears; in between, air them or spot clean.
- By hand in cold water, or in the machine on a delicate cycle, cold or at 30°C.
- Always in a mesh bag, with similar colours, away from zips and hooks.
- Mild detergent, no fabric softener, no bleach.
- Air dry, wool flat; never the tumble dryer (except Sheertex).
- Fishnets by hand and on their own; lace and cashmere by hand or on a delicate cycle.
The photos
Opening photo and Guppyfriend bag: Hēdoïne, Guppyfriend Washing Bag product page. Sheertex Classic Sheer: Sheertex, product page. Rosa Lace Tights and Alice Cashmere Tights: Swedish Stockings, product pages. Liberty Floral Fishnet Tights: Calzedonia, product page. The quoted care instructions come from the pages listed in the sources.
Frequently asked questions
Can you put tights in the washing machine?
Yes, almost always: on a delicate cycle, cold or at 30°C, inside a mesh washing bag and away from zips and hooks. Swedish Stockings and Hēdoïne recommend 30°C in a bag; Calzedonia and Wolford write 'machine wash cold' on their product pages. Some fishnets are the exception: Calzedonia's Liberty Floral Fishnet Tights are 'hand wash cold separately'.
What temperature should you wash tights at?
Cold or no higher than 30°C. On the label, the number inside the wash tub is the maximum temperature in degrees Celsius, and the hand in the tub means hand washing, at roughly 20 to 30°C according to GINETEX.
Can you put tights in the tumble dryer?
Most brands say no: Wolford, Swedish Stockings and Hēdoïne all write 'do not tumble dry', and Hēdoïne explains that heat can make the yarn brittle. The exception is Sheertex, which allows 'tumble dry low' on its Classic Sheer tights.
How often should you wash tights?
Swedish Stockings recommends a full wash every 5 to 6 wears, with spot cleaning in between; Falke notes that often airing them is enough.
Should you use fabric softener on tights?
No. Falke says softener can impair the performance of the fabric and Swedish Stockings says it can damage the elastane.
