How To Properly Wash Your Bathing Suit

Quality bathing suits can often cost a lot of your hard-earned moola, so if you want to make them last until next summer, you should know how to properly care for and maintain them. Consider learning how to wash your bathing suit the right way, instead of just rinsing it off using one of those outdoor showers or throwing it in the wash with all the rest of your clothes.

1. Hand Wash Your Bathing Suit With Mild Detergent

The best way to wash your bathing suit would be with a little mild detergent. Often times, you hear that you only need to rinse your suit off with water, but doing so doesn't remove sweat and chlorine. After coming home from a swim sesh, fill a sink with with cold water, add a teaspoon of detergent, dunk your bathing suit in it, and hand wash it. After wring it out, lay your bathing suit out somewhere indoors to air dry. Pro Tip: Don't lay it out outdoors because the sun will fade out your bathing suit's colors.

2. Alternate Between Bathing Suits

Learning how to wash your bathing suit is only the first step. You want to make sure you keep it in mint condition through careful maintenance. In order to make sure your favorite bathing suit remains pristine, it is best to have multiple bathing suits to alternate with. I know it's hard to resist wearing your favorite swimsuit day in and day out, but if you want it to last until next summer, it's a good idea to give it a break. Although it may be too subtle to notice, your bathing suit deforms and breaks down every time you take a dip in the water. Alternating between two or three bathing suits will allow the spandex fibers to return back to its original shape.

3. Don't Wear Your Bathing Suit In A Hot Tub

Another great tip is to avoid wearing your favorite bathing suit in a hot tub. The chemicals and the heat alone cause various types of damage to your suit. If you and the girls want to go hot tubbing, the best thing to do would be to wear an older bathing suit.

All these tips and maintenance guidelines may sound like a bit much, but being able to hold onto your favorite bathing suit until next summer will make all the maintenance worthwhile.

Images: Aerie/Instagram; Getty (2)