Looking After Your Swimwear - Bikini Care Tips

So you’ve found a perfect piece of swimwear or a bikini and you’ve purchased it. Every things going great, you’re wearing it on the beach and looking fabulous and it performs great when you’re swimming in the pool.

However after a couple of weeks the colours start to fade and the materials start to sag. Where did it all go wrong and when did your reasonably new bikini start looking like an ancient one? How can you make your swimwear double or even triple its life expectancy?

The main causes of swimwear premature aging are salt water, chlorine, suntan lotions, hot tubs, Jacuzzis and heat. Lycra, the material that allows the great stretch and comfort in your suit, is a fragile material. Chlorine and chemicals easily wear it down, and abrasive surfaces tear the fabric. Hot water permanently stretches the elastic, and dryer sheets, detergent and washing machines will finish it. Most of these elements you can not avoid, but some care will help prolong the life expectancy.

Only hand wash the fabric with a gentle and hang it to dry. Never use a tumble dryer or an iron.
Heat will kill your bikini - if your suit is wet, the heat from the sun will fade the colors and loosen the elasticity. Don’t wear brand new swimwear into a hot tub unless you’re prepared for the consequences.

Each time you swim either in an sea, swimming pool or hot tub – salt and chlorine will start killing your material. Rinsing yourself with cool or lukewarm tap water will wash away a lot of the harmful chemicals. Dry your swimwear with the suit still on, lay in a shaded area. Otherwise, hang it to dry in the shade.

Your towel will contain all the chemicals you tried rinsing off your suit – so don’t wrap it in one when you’ve finished wearing it. It will also keep it warm which is not brilliant.

Wear another swimsuit or bikini the next day and leave your old one to form back into its original shape. If you wear it the next day will prevent the fabric from doing this. Try to sit on a towel when possible as not to scuff the fabric.

Try to get your sunbathing done before you get your bikini wet.

Some swimwear and bikinis today claim to be chemical or chlorine proof and much more hard wearing.

However beware before buying such swimsuits they are usually made out of much stronger but much less elasticised materials. Meaning you can lose some comfort.