How to Wash and Care for a Bathing Suit

Whether you use your swimsuit daily or just once in a while when vacationing, the fabric can take a beating from pool chemicals, sand, temperatures, and sunscreen lotions. Bathing suits for women are expensive, so it's worth your while to learn how to keep them looking great all season.

Whether you swim every day or just enjoy sunbathing in the backyard, it's important to clean your bathing suit carefully. You'll also want to follow these tips for keeping your suit looking great.

1. Your swimsuit should be rinsed as soon as possible in cool, tap water after each time you wear it for swimming or sunbathing. If you have time to allow the suit to soak in cool water for 30 minutes, that is even better for the fabric. This will remove most of the chemicals, salt, sand, and body soil that can damage the fabric.
2. Perspiration and body oils react with the elastic fibers causing them to stretch, so removing them as soon as possible is important to help a swimsuit keep its shape. Almost every swimsuit contains spandex or Lycra, so again, prompt cleaning is important. The chlorine in pools and hot tubs can harm a swimsuit's elasticity and cause the fabric to change color. White swimsuits are particularly susceptible to chlorine and will turn yellow because chlorine eats away the white fibers surrounding the inner yellow core of synthetic fibers.
3. After rinsing out the suit, you must hand wash correctly. Plain water does not remove all of the salt or chlorine. Refill the sink with cool water and add just a tablespoon or less of liquid laundry detergent. Don't use powders because they may not dissolve completely or rinse away well—and never use chlorine bleach to whiten or remove stains. If you are in a pinch, you can use just a dab of shampoo to wash your suit but skip any combination products that contain hair conditioners.

These simple tips will help you make the most of your bathing suit investment.

1. Alternate swimsuits. Giving your suit 24 hours of rest between wearings will help the Lycra/spandex yarn regain its memory shape.
2. Find a shower. Before you head home with your swimsuit, find a shower or sink to rinse out the sand, salt, and chlorine from your suit. Keep a large plastic zip-top bag in your beach tote to hold the suit until you get home and can wash it properly.
3. Watch where you sit. Most pool sides and decks are rough so that you won't slip on them when they are wet. Even if the surface doesn't seem too rough, it can damage your bathing suit, so always sit or lie on a towel. Be careful when rising from an inside pool or hot tub bench. Once a swimsuit is snagged it cannot be repaired.
4. Sunbathe first, then swim. If you plan to sunbathe after swimming, change into a dry suit. The combination of chlorine from the pool, body perspiration, and suntanning lotions are the most damaging to the fabric of a swimsuit.
5. Skip the hot tub. Hot tubs offer a double whammy of excessive chemicals and high heat which will fade and stretch a suit out very quickly. If possible, wear an older suit in a hot tub that you won't mind losing. Or, rinse out your suit as quickly as possible. For frequent hot tub use, choose a suit that is 100 percent polyester or chlorine resistant. Cotton and natural fibers will not hold up in the chlorinated water.