Caring for Swimwear

As the summer winds down, you may notice that your swimwear doesn’t look as good as it did when you bought it a few months ago. Most likely, this is a result of excessive exposure to chlorine or improperly washing your items. So how can you keep your swimwear in swimmable condition and looking fresh all summer long?

Most swimwear is made of spandex, a synthetic rubber with a terrific ability to stretch and relax back to its original dimensions. Although spandex has good resistance to sunlight damage, mold and mildew, it can easily be damaged by the chlorine that is found in swimming pools, spas, and hot tubs.

How to properly care for your swimwear

Chlorine can cause both fiber damage and color loss. Here are some tips on caring for your swimwear properly:

• Rinse the chlorine from swimwear directly after swimming. You can always take your swimwear with you in the shower to easily rinse off the chlorine, sand or any dirt that may be on it.
• Do not assume that towels will protect upholstery from swimwear. Upholstery can experience color loss simply by coming into contact with absorbed pool water.
• Do not lay towels wet with pool water on other textile items, such as beds, carpets, or upholstery, in order to avoid color loss.
• Launder or thoroughly rinse items that are regularly wet by pool water. This includes outdoor furniture, towels, clothing, and swimwear. These items may not be dirty, but the damage caused by residual chlorine can make it expensive to replace them.
• Line drying or laying the garment flat to dry are typically recommended, as high drying temperatures can damage swimwear.

It is easy to end up with sunscreen or food and drink stains on your swimwear. Don’t worry! The following are easy ways to properly treat any swimwear stain:

• Treat the stain as soon as you can to avoid it setting into the swimwear fabric.
• Take a clean, dry towel and some dish soap, and apply pressure to the stain to soak it up as much as you can.
• Pour baking soda on the stain and let it sit for an hour. Then, wash your swimwear in cool water.

To get the most out of your swimwear and to even save it for the following season, follow these tips to preserve them:

• Hand wash each swimwear item with gentle and fragrance-free baby soap immediately after each use.
• Hang your swimwear up to dry to keep its shape.
• When you are finished wearing your swimwear for the season, purchase a garment bag to store your swimwear in. This will protect your items from moisture.

We hope these tips will help you look your best as you enjoy the sun and warm water that Boston beaches have to offer in summer!

Utopia Cleaners is dedicated to helping our customers care for their clothing and look their best all the time. For laundry and dry cleaning services in Boston and Cambridge, please visit our local stores or call our Boston laundry pickup services.