Bathing Suit Care

[jsgeneroso]

Hi.

I wash my suit after using with soap and water go remove the chlorine.

[NJBikeGal]

Speedo has come out recently with a new material for practice suits - they have a polyester and a blend. Check out www.DJSports.com great site, quick service. (Look at the Speedo Polyester Training Suit or Flipturns suit - same blend, FUN COLORS!!!) The only warning is that the material does not stretch like typical lyrca, so you may want to get a larger size than you would normally wear (I would go up one size), or squeeze into your typical size and put up with a tight suit (which I do because as a swimmer, I'm used to it!).

As far as after-swimming care. Soak the suit in warm water for 15 minutes or so and then wring it out and let it dry. The Poly suits should hold up better than lyrca, but it all depends on the pool. In college, we called our pool the Acid Bath because it would eat your suit in a few weeks. My friend had short dark brown hair and the hair that stuck out the bottom of her cap actually turned BLEACH BLOND during our swim season...YUCK!

[NJBikeGal]

One more thing...don't buy any of the chemicals that they sell to get the chlorine out of your suit. They don't work any better than good old fashioned warm water!

[susanm8048]

I really don't have any clue, but I found that I could still smell the chlorine after I had rinsed the bathers in water.

So I use a little bit of liquid pure soap in lukewarm water and soak them for a few minutes before thoroughly rinsing them in cold water. I'm not sure that it makes a lot of difference, but it doesn't smell like the pool any more.

I agree that the quality of the bathers in the first place makes the most difference. That is what I have found with my kids bathers anyway, and they have been through TONS!

[Tri Girl]

When I swam competitively in hs/college I used to wear (and wear out) Speedos pretty quickly. Granted, that was 5 swim practices a week, and now I'm only doing 3.
Since I've started doing tris, I've been wearing a TYR tri swimsuit (has tri padding in it so I can jump right on the bike and ride- yeah right). It's lasted since January, and is still in perfect condition. I should be able to get another 1-2 seasons out of it. I bought it on e-bay for $10. The material is much thicker than a regular swimsuit, as it's made to wear during a tri. Don't know if that helps or not.

[triflor]

I agree with what the ladies have said about polyester suits. They last a lot longer, and you can often find them on sale.

I used to work at a swimwear shop, and we recommended Zero, cold water, hand wash detergent. I just use a mild soap (or a body wash), rinse, and hang dry. Avoid stretching bathing suits. If you can lay it flat to dry it may help. And if you hang it to dry be careful of clothespins, they often cause the fabric to pile, and the elastic will wear out much faster.

Sitting on the edge of a pool is a sure fire way to destroy the butt of a bathing suit.

I've heard some people say that a Speedo of Lyrca will only last 2 months if you use it 5 days a week.

[susanm8048]

I used to work at a swimwear shop, and we recommended Zero, cold water, hand wash detergent. I just use a mild soap (or a body wash), rinse, and hang dry. .

Triflor, What is Zero?