How to Take Care of Your Swim Gear

Gear Advice | August 24, 2015

You’ve made the investment in swim gear, so how can you protect it? To extend the lifespan of your swim equipment here are a few tips to keep them in tip top shape. Not every piece of your equipment needs pampering, but a little extra care will go a long way.

Suits/Swim Shirts/Etc:

Rinse them with water after each use and dry them thoroughly. Resist the urge to wrap them in your towel, stuff them in your bag, and forget about them. I do this all the time. The consequences are a bad smell, loss of elasticity, and color fade. Some people do a rinse with a vinegar and water solution before swimming in lycra suits. 1 part vinegar to 3 parts water and soak for a few hours is rumored to help color fastness. There are also products such as Suit Solutions that help with expanding the life of fabrics that are exposed to chlorine.

Caps:

Always dry your swim caps to get the most use from them. Dusting them with baby powder in-between uses is also helpful in preventing early tears and helping them slide on your head more easily.

Goggles:

Some people might prefer to keep goggles in a pouch or box to prevent scratching of the lens, but other than a basic pat dry, goggles are pretty low maintenance.

Fins/Boards/Paddles/Buoys/Snorkels:

Whether you have fins, b oards, p addles, b uoys or s norkels, just toss them in your gear bag and they will be just fine. No babying needed here.

Water weights:

Take care to let your water weights with neoprene casing dry thoroughly. Neoprene is typically pretty hardy, but to avoid mildew and a bad smell let them air out in between uses. Don’t let them sit and stink up your bag.

Water Shoes/Socks:

For goodness sake don’t leave them in your gym bag wet. They will get musty and contaminate the whole thing! Let your water shoes and socks air dry between uses, and rinse them with fresh water after getting out of the pool. Rinsing and drying is your fail safe. If you are concerned about chlorine damage for any of your gear follow the rinse and dry rule. It is important to get the harsh chemical off your stuff, just more important for some over others. Start with your fabrics and worry less about your hard plastics or foam pieces. Have fun out there and keep swimming!