How to Care for Your Swimsuit...
... and why it matters?
by the Wai-Lā Team
A swimsuit gets a harder time than most things you own. Salt water, chlorine, sunscreen, heat, UV — often all in the same afternoon. The fabric holds up well, but only if you give it a bit of help.
Here's what actually makes a difference.
Rinse it straight away
This is the one that matters most. Rinse in cold fresh water immediately after you come out of the sea or pool — don't wait until you get home. Salt and chlorine both break down elastane over time, and the damage accelerates the longer they sit in the fabric.
According to textile scientists, chlorine exposure can reduce the strength of swimwear fabric by up to 65% after the equivalent of around 35 days of summer wear. Rinsing right away dramatically slows that process. Even a quick rinse under a beach shower counts.
Hand wash, cold water, gentle detergent
Machine washing on a delicate cycle is better than nothing, but hand washing is kinder to the fabric. Use cold water and a mild, pH-neutral detergent — something designed for
delicates. Avoid anything with bleach or optical brighteners, and skip fabric softener entirely. Softener leaves a residue that clogs the fabric fibers, traps bacteria, and actually degrades the elastane faster.
Don't wring it out either. Press the water out gently, or roll the suit in a clean towel to remove the excess water.
Sunscreen is harder on your swimsuit than you'd think
Chemical sunscreens — particularly those containing avobenzone — react with synthetic fibers like nylon and elastane. Left to dry into the fabric between wears, they cause yellowing, orange-brown staining, and gradual breakdown of the stretch. This is one of the less obvious reasons swimsuits lose their shape over time.
The simplest fix: apply sunscreen to your skin before putting on your suit, and give it a few minutes to absorb before you dress. That alone reduces how much transfers directly onto the fabric.
Mineral sunscreens (zinc oxide or titanium dioxide) are significantly kinder to swimwear fabric than chemical ones — and better for the reef, which is worth knowing if you're swimming somewhere with coral.
Dry in the shade
UV rays keep degrading elastane even after you've finished swimming. Drying in direct sunlight fades colour and weakens the stretch fibres, so find a shaded spot instead. Lay it flat rather than hanging it — hanging a wet swimsuit on a line can pull the fabric out of shape as it dries.
Keep it away from tumble dryers entirely. The heat permanently damages elastane — there's no coming back from that.
Rotate if you swim regularly
Elastane needs time to recover between wears. If you're in the water most days, alternating between two suits rather than wearing the same one every day makes both last significantly longer. It's a small thing that adds up over a season.
Store it dry
Don't leave a wet swimsuit bundled in a bag for hours — it encourages mildew and weakens the fibres. Get it rinsed and drying as soon as you can after a swim, and store it dry and flat when it's not in use.
ECONYL® is one of our answers. It won’t be the last.
Explore our swimwear collection at wailaswimwear.com — pieces designed for the coast, made with care for what lies beneath it.
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