A swimsuit is one of the few garments people expect to replace every year, and most of the time that is not because it was worn out. It is because of what happened in the hour after swimming, and in the months it spent stuffed in a drawer. Sacramento summers are long, pools get used hard from June through September, and a good suit is not cheap. Here is what actually destroys swimwear and how to get several seasons out of one instead of one.
What Actually Wears a Swimsuit Out
Almost every swimsuit is a blend of nylon or polyester with elastane, the stretch fiber that makes it hold its shape. The elastane is the weak link, and four things attack it:
- Chlorine, which breaks elastane down chemically. The damage happens while the suit is still wet and the chlorine is still sitting in the fabric, not while you are in the water
- Heat, from a dryer, a hot car, or a sunny dashboard, which destroys stretch faster than anything else on this list
- Sunscreen and self-tanner, which stain, and whose oils sit in the fibers the same way body oil does in activewear
- Friction, from pool edges, rough concrete, and hot tub jets, which pills and thins the fabric at the seat
Saltwater is gentler than chlorine but not harmless, and it leaves salt crystals behind that abrade the fibers as the suit dries.
The One Habit That Matters Most
Rinse the suit in cool water as soon as you are out of the pool. Not that evening. Not when you get home.
This single habit does more for the life of a swimsuit than everything else combined, because it stops the chlorine from continuing to work on the elastane while the suit sits damp in a bag. A pool shower, a hose, a hotel sink, anything works. Thirty seconds of rinsing buys you months.
If you cannot rinse right away, at least get the suit out of the bag and let it breathe rather than leaving it balled up and wet.
How to Wash It
Swimwear is a hand-wash garment, whatever the tag optimistically says:
- Hand wash in cool water with a small amount of mild detergent, or a dedicated swimwear wash
- Soak for no more than thirty minutes, and do not let it sit longer thinking it will get cleaner
- Never wring it out. Twisting is what breaks elastane fibers and leaves a suit permanently baggy. Press the water out gently, or roll the suit in a towel and press
- Dry flat in the shade. Hanging a wet suit stretches it out under its own weight, and direct sun fades color and degrades the fabric
- Never put a swimsuit in the dryer, on any setting
If you must machine wash, use a mesh bag on the most delicate cycle in cold water, and accept that it will shorten the suit’s life.
Sunscreen, Self-Tanner, and the Rust-Colored Stains
Sunscreen is the most common swimwear stain, and the most misunderstood. Two different things happen.
The first is simple oil staining, which behaves like any other oil-based stain and is best treated early with a gentle detergent worked into the spot before washing.
The second catches people out. Some chemical sunscreens react with the minerals in pool water, particularly iron, and leave rust-colored or orange marks on light-colored fabric. That is a chemical reaction in the fibers rather than dirt sitting on top of them, and scrubbing does not remove it. It also tends to appear a day or two later, so the connection is not obvious.
Self-tanner is its own problem, since it is designed to bind to whatever it touches. Let it dry fully before putting a suit on, and treat any transfer quickly rather than letting it set.
An honest word on all three: sunscreen and mineral stains on white and pastel swimwear are among the harder stains to fully lift, and some do not come out completely. Early treatment gives the best chance.
Two Suits Beat One
If you swim regularly, rotating two suits will roughly double the life of both. Elastane needs about twenty-four hours to recover its shape after a soak, and a suit worn wet two days running never gets that. It is a small thing that makes an obvious difference by August.
While you are at it, sit on a towel rather than straight onto pool decking or a hot tub bench, since that seat friction is what thins and pills fabric first.
Storing It for Winter
At the end of the season, the rules are the same as for anything else you put away:
- Wash the suit before storing it, since sunscreen oils, chlorine residue, and body oils all set into stains over the winter and quietly weaken the fabric
- Make sure it is completely dry, because a damp suit in a drawer for six months will mildew, and mildew odor in swimwear is difficult to remove
- Store it flat or loosely folded somewhere cool and dark, not in a sealed plastic bag
- Do not store it wrapped in a towel, which holds moisture against the fabric
When to Let Us Handle It
Most swimwear care is home care, and we would rather tell you that than pretend otherwise. Where it is worth bringing something to us is when a suit is expensive, when a sunscreen or mineral stain has set into a light fabric and resisted your best attempt, or when a suit has come out of storage with a mildew smell. At Vogue Cleaners we will look at the fabric and the stain and tell you honestly what we think can be lifted and what has set for good, before we start rather than after.
A swimsuit does not usually die in the pool. It dies in the bag on the drive home.
Ready to give your clothes the care they deserve? Schedule a pickup or sign up for Vogue Valet today and enjoy expertly cared-for clothes without the hassle.
