How to Wash Swimsuits & Other Swimwear Care Tips
Now that summer has arrived, it's time to put away your winter clothing. Take care of your swimsuits first, though, before storing your warm-weather attire. Then, adhere to these straightforward advice to keep them fresh all year long.
This blog post is ideal if you're looking for instructions on how to wash swimsuits and other forms of swimwear. It offers advice on suit maintenance to help them last longer.
Although it may look easy, wearing a bikini is actually pretty difficult. Many people destroy their swimsuits because they don't know how to wash or care for them correctly. You will be wearing your bathing suit in the pool, which is a germ-filled environment, therefore it is necessary to take proper care of it.
Some people are unclear of the necessary maintenance procedures for their bathing suits or the best approach to clean them. This article will provide you with some useful tips on how to get rid of bacteria, keep them at bay, and how frequently you should wash them.
How do I wash my swimsuit? is the most often asked question, so we'll start there. We'll also offer advice on how frequently one should complete this task in order to prevent bacteria!
How frequently do you don your swimwear? You should wash your swimsuit every time you wear it if you wear it more frequently than once a week. Here are some suggestions to make sure your suits last longer in good shape!
How many of you still have a swimsuit from last summer that is buried in a back drawer? Do you need assistance cleaning and storing your worn-out suit for next year, or is it time to get rid of it altogether?
This article will provide you with all the knowledge you need to keep your suits clean and ready for use, whether or not you decide to purchase a new one.
Sand and salt might adhere to your swimsuit while you're in the water. This not only makes it smell bad, but it also makes it less able to absorb water. Use these cleaning instructions for your one-piece or bikini if you don't want to buy a new one every season!
This blog post is intended for suit-wearing individuals. There is no need to worry about wash day if they are only used infrequently. The advice in this article will help you take good care of your suits so they last until the following season.
The Importance Of Cleaning Your Swimsuit
If you think about swimwear, you might picture yourself sunning on a beach, swimming in the ocean, or relaxing by your backyard pool.
You most likely don't consider washing your swimwear. However, if you want to ensure that your flawless swimsuit continues to appear vivid and properly tailored, then follow our instructions!
Once you know the proper procedures, washing a swimsuit is not a difficult job (and what to avoid).
Our top ten suggestions for cleaning bathing suits without ageing them and preserving the colour and fabric, whether they are one-piece or bikinis, have been put into a thorough guide to assist you in learning the best way to wash a swimsuit.
Please continue reading to learn how to properly hand-wash and dry a swimsuit without affecting its fit.
The fabric and colour of your swimming suit must be preserved by cleaning it correctly and after each use.
Your swimsuit is subjected to a variety of settings, chemicals, substances, and situations with each wear, just like any other article of clothing.
The same standard of cleanliness should be applied to your swimsuit as it would to any other article of clothing that you might wear outside of the house.
You can take additional easy actions to ensure that your swimwear lasts for many seasons in addition to appropriate cleaning. Here are a few simple suggestions you may use to keep your swimwear looking good and fitting well all year.
Tips For Preserving Your Swimsuit
- Sit on smooth surfaces instead. The delicate fibres in your swimsuit can be snagged and harmed by rough surfaces like concrete and wood. Always lay down a towel before sitting or lying down to prevent your swimsuit from being harmed by rough surfaces.
- Before your first beach day, prepare your new swimsuit. Some experts advise you to use this technique before your first beach day to help protect your new swimsuit and stop the colour from bleeding.
Swimwear should be soaked in a solution of one tablespoon of white vinegar per quart of cool, fresh water for thirty minutes in a sink or basin.
The mixture of vinegar and water will stop the colour from leaking. (Note: Please let us know if you think this works; we haven't tried it yet.)
- After taking it off, don't wrap your swimsuit in the beach towel. We already talked about how many everyday items, like sunscreen, can harm the fabric of your swimsuit.
You're continuing to expose your swimsuit to possibly harmful components if you wrap it in a beach towel that was previously exposed to those materials.
- Rotate your swimsuits. At least twenty-four hours are required for the swimsuit material's highly elastic fibres to tighten and assume their original shape. In order to give the fibres time to tighten back up, rotate swimsuits if you wear your swimsuit regularly.
Apparently, Some Really Gross Stuff Can Happen If You Don't Wash Your Swimsuit
Having a laid-back attitude is definitely appropriate during the summer, when obligations are lighter, timetables are more flexible, and the days are longer.
The ability to finally unwind is delightfully delectable, but it may be all too tempting to utilise the summer to put off tasks that, let's be honest, truly need to be completed.
Exemplary case? not cleaning your swimsuit. I understand that you are on vacation, that you wore it today, and that you plan to wear it again tomorrow. So it's simple to think that nothing really matters. What transpires, though, if your bathing suit isn't washed? Let's investigate.
Even if you didn't dip a toe in the water, there are still plenty of reasons to wash your swimsuit after use. The journal noted that the components in sunscreens can deteriorate and harm swimsuit fabric, and some of them may eventually turn it yellow or stain it.
Because chlorine is worse for swimsuit fabrics than lake or ocean waters and can fade colours more quickly, swimming in a pool is an additional incentive to suds up your suit. Additionally, it hurts to throw away a swimsuit that ought to have lasted twice as long, especially when the cost of swimwear seems to be going up every year.
This rule applies to your kids' suits, too — even the boys'. Pediatrician Dr. Daniel Ganjian of Santa Monica claims that mould can grow on swimming suits in addition to potential harm from chlorine or sunscreen. Think about that. Mold in the crotch of you or your child. Thank you for the difficult pass.
However, how you clean your suit is almost as important as whether you wash it at all. Since automatic washing machines have been known to cause damage to delicate or stretchy fabrics, hand washing is frequently recommended as the best option for cleaning swimsuits.
Men's and boys' swim trunks are an exception to this rule because they have less spandex than women's versions and may thus be machine-washed.
According to rumours, the easiest way to hand wash your swimsuit is to rinse it first to remove any remaining body oils, then soak it in a neutral, widely used detergent like plain Ivory soap. After gently rubbing the cloth to suds it up, make sure to rinse out all of the soap before laying the suit flat to dry.
If you can't wash it by hand, place the suit inside a mesh laundry bag (the kind you use for your bras and designer underwear) and wash it on the gentle cycle in the washing machine. The fabric won't be allowed to stretch out or become twisted and tangled, which might potentially impair the fit.
What about drying it now that it has been washed? The dryer should never be used to dry a swimsuit because the heat and spinning motion are too harsh on the fragile fabric.
The bright, lively colours can substantially fade if you place your suit in the sun; therefore, it is recommended to lay it flat on a towel to dry. Although it will take a little longer in a shaded area, the swimming suit will be much more protected.
Even in the dog days of summer, there are responsibilities to be met, and practising sanitary habits that make sense seems like a good place to start.
If you feel yourself tempted to break the rules, pause and give that mouldy crotch thing further thought. I predict that it won't take you long to find the sink. Even if it makes you feel like Ma Ingalls, wash something by hand.
Keep Swimsuits Looking Spectacular All Summer
How to keep them looking new longer
Summer, ah. Without relaxing on the beach with a nice book while soaking up some rays, perhaps cooling down in the lake, ocean, or pool, it just wouldn't be the same. If you're fortunate, you'll utilise this chance more than a few times. But can your swimming gear keep up?
Chlorine and other colour killers
Swimwear's sworn enemy is chlorine, which is frequently present in swimming pools to keep them free of hazardous microorganisms. Particularly with synthetic and polyester fabrics, it eats away at the fabric and causes colours to fade. Furthermore, chlorine can harm the elasticity of the spandex or Lycra® found in the majority of women's bathing suits.
Other major culprits for swimsuit deterioration include sweat, body oils, deodorant, sunscreen, and even the sun and sand. But when properly cleaned, your suits may retain their shape and vibrant colours, ensuring that you look your best at the pool all summer long.
Steps for keeping bathing suits beautiful
Swimwear maintenance is simple, but there are a few techniques to getting it right.
1. Women’s swimwear
Women's bathing suits should normally be hand cleaned for optimal results. The most crucial step is quickly rinsing your swimsuit after wearing it and washing it as soon as you come home.
Follow these steps to make your beachwear more attractive:
- Fill a tub or sink with cool water first.
- To stop fading, add mild hand soap rather than laundry detergent.
- After 15 minutes of soaking, carefully massage the swimsuit to remove any chemicals and grime.
- Rinse the swimsuit in clear water after draining the soapy water.
- To get rid of extra water, roll your bathing suit on a towel rather than wringing it out.
- Dry by laying flat. Avoid hanging it since the cloth may permanently stretch due to water collecting in the fabric.
The instructions below should help you wash your swimsuit in a washing machine if handwashing isn't practical:
- To prevent the straps from becoming tangled, place the bathing suit in a mesh laundry bag.
- Use a gentle detergent without bleach.
- To avoid over-agitation, wash in cold water on the gentle or delicate cycle with a few towels or delicates.
- Roll the clothing tightly to remove all the water after washing it, then lay it flat to dry.
2. Men’s swim trunks
Men's swimwear often fits in the washing machine because it lacks the same elastics as women's swimwear.
- Make sure it can be machine washed by looking at the label. Wash it by hand if it isn't.
- Use a detergent devoid of bleach and wash in cold water on the gentle cycle.
- After the swimsuits have finished the wash cycle, roll them up tightly to get rid of any extra water before laying them flat to dry.
Removing sunscreen stains
Allowing the sunscreen to penetrate into your skin before donning your swimsuit is the best defence against sunscreen stains. But if you do develop a stain from sunscreen, baking soda or vinegar could be able to remove it.
- Baking soda method: Give the stain a large sprinkle of baking soda, let set for a couple of hours, and then wash.
- Vinegar method: Three parts water and one part vinegar should be used to soak up the discoloration. White vinegar can also be used directly on the stain. Wash.
Our Tops 10 Tips For Cleaning A Bathing Suit (Without Aging It)
1. Wash It After Every Wear (Even If You Didn’t Go In Water)
In the absence of any guidelines, it can be difficult to determine how frequently to wash your bathing suit. Should it occur every week? every month? Each time you go swimming? Even if you didn't get in the water, washing your swimsuit after each wear is the recommended frequency.
Why do I have to wash my swimsuit so frequently, you might be wondering. Will that not harm it? In fact, washing your swimsuit after each use will help keep it from fading or suffering damage.
The reason for this is all of the many goods and chemicals that your swimming suit may be exposed to on a regular basis.
Body and tanning oils, lotion, sunscreen, chlorine, deodorant, saltwater, and deodorant are just a few examples of typical things that your swimsuit may come into touch with and which can damage and discolour it.
The solution to this is to take the appropriate precautions to reduce the likelihood of swimsuit fabric damage or discoloration rather than forgoing sunscreen and exposing your skin to harm.
The easiest approach to achieve this is to wash your swimsuit immediately after each use in order to remove all oils, chemicals, and other items from the fabric before they can harm, stain, or fade it.
Bonus Tip: Apply sunscreen, body or tanning oils, lotion, and deodorant at least 30 minutes before donning your swimsuit to ensure that they seep into the skin and not the fabric. This will help prevent this kind of damage or discoloration.
2. Find The Right Detergent
When washing your swimsuit, choosing the appropriate detergent can make a big difference. It is crucial to avoid using the same detergent you use for the rest of your laundry because it is probably too harsh for the fabric of swimsuits. Instead, choose a gentle detergent made for delicates or clothes with a lot of spandex.
The delicate materials of the bathing suit can be securely cleaned without causing any harm by using a gentle detergent designed specifically for swimsuits to remove pollutants and oils like chlorine.
Additionally, detergents made specifically for swimsuits frequently include compounds that neutralise the chemicals in pool water to prevent harm to the fabric of the swimsuit.
3. Know Your Substitutes
Because of unforeseen circumstances, you might wear your bathing suit without having access to a mild detergent to wash it. Then what? You can also use white vinegar as an alternative to mild detergent.
Your swimsuit can be made clean and odor-free by using white vinegar, which also has antibacterial and deodorising characteristics. Rinse your swimsuit in fresh, clean water if you don't have any white vinegar or mild detergent on hand.
When rinsing your swimsuit, try to stay away from hot water as this might cause the colours to run together or fade.
4. Always Get The Sand Out Before Washing
Have you ever gone to the beach and returned home to discover that your favourite bathing suit is completely covered in sand? Please resist the urge to declare it a lost cause! Instead, a few easy precautions can help prevent your swimsuit from suffering a trash can death by sand.
First, make careful to remove your swimsuit outside and shake it off if it becomes sand-filled. Shaking your swimsuit aggressively will remove the majority of the exterior sand that has become embedded in the fabric. After shaking your clothing the first time, turn it inside out and shake it once more.
It's time to wash now. Rinse your suit for 10 minutes in cool water. Rinse the fabric in the places where sand can be seen. After thoroughly rinsing your swimsuit, spread it out to dry (somewhere away from direct sunlight).
You can give your swimsuit another good shake outside to get rid of any last bits of sand if it has dried fully. If, for some reason, there is still some sand, turn on your blow dryer's cool setting and blow the last of it out.
5. Never Use The Washing Machine
You should never wash a swimsuit in the washing machine, despite the fact that it might seem like the most obvious location to do it after each usage.
Swimsuit fabric's fragile fibres are too delicate to withstand the agitation and movement of a washing machine, and as a result, they may stretch, strain, and eventually break down.
Your swimwear may end up being ruined and ill-fitting as a result of this. Always choose a hand wash over a washing machine if you want to wash your swimwear.
6. Hand Wash Only: Handle With Care
Speaking of hand washing, there is a technique to ensure that your swimsuit is always clean and undamaged.
Fill a tub or sink with cold water, add one capful of light detergent, and stir until well dissolved before hand washing your item. Use white vinegar in place of the mild soap or detergent if necessary.
Once your cleaning solution has been successfully created, let your swimsuit soak in the soap solution for up to 30 minutes. Remove your swimsuit from the washing solution after 30 minutes and rinse it in cold water until all of the cleaning solution has been removed.
To remove extra water, wrap your dry swimsuit in a clean, dry towel and gently press the cloth into the swimsuit. To remove extra water, you can alternatively roll your swimsuit in a clean towel and press it. Lay your swimsuit flat to dry after removing all of the extra water.
7. Skip The Dryer
You might be tempted to put your wet swimsuit in the dryer to dry it quickly, but this isn't always a good idea. The dryer can also damage your swimsuit because it can agitate the fragile fibres in the material, resulting in damage, and because the intense heat can reduce the fabric's flexibility. Instead, spread out your swimwear flat to dry.
8. Lay Your Swimsuit Flat To Dry
It may seem like a good idea to hang your swimsuit from a doorknob or a hook to dry, but doing so will actually cause damage and stretch the suit, making it less fitted.
When a bathing suit is hanging to dry, any water that is still inside will collect at the bottom and stretch the fibres. Additionally, hanging it up to dry or draping it over something can cause the swimsuit's shape to change. To keep the shape of your swimsuit, always lay it flat to dry.
9. Never Wring Out Your Bathing Suit
It could be tempting to take your wet bathing suit and wring out the extra water after rinsing it off, but doing so could harm the fabric.
When a bathing suit is wrung out, the fabric's fibres may become looser and lose some of their overall elasticity.
Over time, this loss of elasticity may result in sagging bikini bottoms rather than a swimsuit that fits you ideally. So to keep the shape of your bathing suit for years to come, avoid wringing it out. Instead, use a towel to pat it dry.
10. Don’t Dry Your Swimsuit In Direct Sunlight
Another error people make while cleaning swimwear is to wash it and then hang it to dry in the sun. While this might shorten the drying time, it also has the unintended side effect of making the colour of the swimsuit fabric fade more quickly.
The fading of wet swimsuit fabric occurs more quickly than that of dry swimsuit fabric when sunlight interacts with the wet fabric. Consequently, avoid drying your swimsuit in the sun after washing it to keep the colour.