My Tips for Caring and Keeping Swimsuits Like New

Summer has officially hit and it is HOT with a capital T. I’ve been wearing swimsuits almost every day for afternoon pool swims and weekend beach days. I wear swimsuits so much in the summer, I make sure to take care of them so they will last me until the next year.

When I was a teen and *had* to have the coolest swimsuit, I always begged my mom to buy me one new Roxy swimsuit for summer. Even though $80 wasn’t exactly cheap, I cannot tell you how well that swimsuit stood up. I used to think it was just about the brand but then I started to see the difference in how I took care of my swimsuits. The worst is when you buy a brightly colored swimsuit and it fades in a few wears. Been there done that and it’s not fun. Of course, if you buy a higher quality swimsuit, the color will last much longer and stay more vibrant. But even some of my more budget friendly swimsuits have lasted just as long and I give all credit to how I take care of them!

Living in Florida, you have you beach swimsuits and your pool swimsuits. At least I do! Most pools have high counts of chlorine and it naturally will bleach your suit making the color fade super quickly. When I retire a swimsuit, I make it my new pool swimsuit. Even though chlorine is damaging, if you don’t rinse the salty water off from the beach or even fresh water like a lake or spring, it can still damage the fabric.

How to Care for Your Swimsuits

1. Hand Wash Them In The Sink (or Shower) After Every Wear

This is my #1 rule! As soon as I am I done wearing my swimsuit, I take it off and rinse it in the shower or sink without fail. No matter if it has pool, ocean, springs or lake water on it, I make sure to rinse it thoroughly. Sometimes I’ll even hop in the shower and rise it off while I am still wearing it!

If you don’t rinse your swimsuit you risk the fabric corroding or disintegrating, especially with harsh chlorine or salt water. Both are equally harsh if left on the fabric. With my experience, chlorine will make the colors fade and salt makes the fabric much stiffer.

You can also scrub with a gentle bar of soap and then soak them for 10-30 minutes in the sink! Personally, I like the shower because it’s the quickest and easiest way.

2. Hang To Dry

I might sound like a broken record but caring for your swimsuits is really about keeping the colors vibrant and the fabric looking like new. Hanging your swimsuits will help them to dry the fastest!

Never, ever throw your swimsuits in the dryer. As soon as you do, the color will be about 1-2 shades lighter in one wash. How do I know it?! Because I’ve for sure made that mistake and vowed to never make it again.

3. Machine Wash Only When Absolutely Necessary

The three times I wash my swimsuits in the wash machine is if it’s *that time of the month*, somehow I got food on them and the stain won’t come out or there’s tiny specks of sand that won’t come out no matter how many times I rinse them. There’s a certain sanitation line I just don’t want to risk ha! When I was researching for this post, I found a really awesome eco-friendly company that sells a gentle detergent. I will probably order some for washing fabrics like spandex, silk, polyester and synthetics like swimsuits.

Personally, I try to only wash my swimsuits if they are really dirty. That might be like every 3-4 months or if I went on a trip and they took on a weird smell. Soaking them for 30 minutes should do the same trick if you are using a gentle detergent. Never ever dry them! Just hang to dry!

4. Avoid Sun In or Beauty Products with Bleach

This will turn any swimsuit from a bright color to pale yellow in 3 seconds flat. In the past I have used sun in to lighten my hair and accidentally spilled some on my swimsuit. It looked so horrible and splotchy! Basically it’s like pouring straight bleach onto your swimsuit! Not a good idea.

5. Don’t Slide Against Rough Surfaces

Like I mentioned above, I have beach swimsuits and pool swimsuits. Most pools have really rough surfaces and decks. The worst is when you slide on a step or the deck and it pulls on the delicate spandex fabric. It will create these small balls called pilling. I usually put down a towel to sit on and don’t scrape my butt across a step if I am sitting. This step alone will really keep your swimsuits looking beautiful!

Lots of Sunshine,

Katie