Washing Chlorine Out of Swimsuit

I always have 2 swim suits each season. We were told to just rinse them and let them dry by laying them out on a sweater rack,(made of netting).
I always hung mine up in the shower. Never had a problem.

I threw mine in the tub with me when I showered after swimming, and just rinsed it that way, then hung it on th shower rod to dry.

Weird. What do you mean by "fall apart"? We live in AZ and are in our suits every day in the summer and I don't know of any of ours falling apart. I just wash them in the washer every week. Maybe rinse off after you get out of the pool? I hope you find something that helps. Good luck.

Cold water rinse? Hang to dry?

We don't swim daily but I wash a lot on delicate cold cycle and hang to dry.

If you shower before you leave the pool, rinse your suit as well .

We swim a lot and I have never had a problem with suits falling apart. Heck some of my suits are over 10 years old. All I do is rinse them after I take them off.

Oh yeah, and as One says, don't hang them in the sun. I usually hang mine over the shower.

A friend of mine swims at the YMCA every day and takes her kids to the public pool in the summer. She makes sure everyone--especially the girls since boys pretty much wear shorts--rinses their suit after changing, wraps it in their towel and then hangs it to dry at home. Never put a swimsuit in the dryer. It kills the latex and spandex or whatever else is used for the stretch in the suits.

i'm not sure, because i swim most days during the summer, and don't really encounter this. i buy a new swimsuit (a good one) every 3 or 4 years and have 4 to cycle through because they hold up so well. and i don't do anything for 'em at all. i hang them in shower to dry if i've come in wet, but don't rinse or wash after every use. i usually grab one at the beginning of the week and don't wash it until laundry day.
sorry, i wish i were more help! maybe give a quick cold water rinse in the sink and have a little rack in the bathroom to let it air dry?
khairete
S.

A friend of mine used to complain her suits fell apart and I never understood this. I've passed swimsuits down through my kids and never encountered this. Turns out, she was putting them in the dryer. I think it killed the elasticity.

Now that was a bit funny - I'm guessing you aren't doing anything like that :) But how are you caring for them?

We have a pool (granted salt water) but my kids sometimes do lessons and swim in the public pool regularly too with friends. And all we do is hang to dry. And I have to admit, with all the swimsuits here, I stick them on line. My sister has a bigger family, and a pool with chlorine and they swim, hangs to dry right by the pool in full sun.

So I'm thinking maybe it's how you're washing them? Or your detergent? Hard to say.

My swimsuit is ridiculously old. But it was a good brand. I do know my kids' cheapie extra swimsuits (we get at cheaper places for backups at camp) do not last as long, but they just seem to feel thin and get baggy.

You have to rinse out the chlorine after every swim.
Mild soap/Woolite and cold water.
AND don't dry in the sun after its dry. That's when they fade.
Sun UNTIL it's dry? Fine.

Immediate rinsing in a sink full of cold water (not the washing machine). Rinse, repeat. Roll in a towel to remove excess water, hang to dry either on a drying rack or in the shower. Don't hang it when it's full of water - the weight can stretch the material. Don't dry in the sun. Don't wring it out - just press the water out and then do the towel roll.

How do you handle your suit after you swim? Do you let it dry before rinsing or washing?

We hang ours in the shower (usually still wet unless we just happen to have still been wearing when it dried) and rinse it out before letting it air dry. Mot times, after I wash them (gentle cycle), I let them air dry but not in the sun.

When my ex used to just hang it up, sometimes in the sun, my daughter's suits looked horrible very quickly.

Rinse thoroughly in cool water when you take off the suit. Wash by hand. Hang to dry in the shower (not in the sun).

Part of the problem may be where you are swimming. If you are swimming in private pools (like at home or a friend's) then the chlorine level is probably a lot lower than in ANY public venue. I never like wearing a good suit to a public pool/water park. They have so many patrons they keep the chlorine levels a lot higher-and with good reason.

At home we can keep our chlorine levels on the low end and it makes a difference.

I was a lifeguard and competitive swimmer. I was lucky if a suit (even my expensive competition suits) lasted through more than a couple of months.

Best thing is to get it wet before you get in the pool. Saturate it in the shower. Cold is best. After swimming rinse it in the shower or sink immediately. Cold water is best. I soaped it up with the swimmer shampoo I used and rinsed. I also rinsed it inside out and it seemed to fade less. I never put my suit in the washing machine, never use laundry soap (not even gentle detergent like Woolite), and always hang it to dry. Don't wring it dry. You want to avoid stretching the suit fibers. I usually hang it dripping wet. I also hang mine topside down and not from the straps. It seems not to stretch out as much. At the most I would roll it in a ball or in a towel and gently squeeze it. I also had 2-3 suits that I rotated through. Avoid sitting on the deck. That can snag and destroy the suit as well.

I see a lot of folks recommending that you rinse, and that's a good idea. Another suggestion: Get wet in the shower first. Hair and suit. I've had swimmers recommend saturating your hair with tap water before getting in the pool, because once saturated, your hair cannot soak up any more pool water and this will help protect it from damage. Perhaps saturating your swimwear might have a similar reaction: The fibers would be saturated already. Worth a try.

I lifeguarded and taught swim lessons all summer as a teen. Even with the best care, chlorine will eat your swim wear. Chlorine is an unusable molecule and it will bind to anything to become stable (thats why they put it in the water, so poop and snot and body sweat turn into something else) So chemically speaking, the fibers in your suit are being changed. The only washing out you can do is the washing you do immediately after using your suit. And actually you just need to give the chorine something else to bind to other than the fibers in your swim suit. I rinse my suits after use and add conditioner or soap immediately . I don't worry about rinsing all the soap or conditioner out because its something that the chlorine can attach to. And its true, hand to dry no heat drying.