- August 19 2025
Date
August 19 2025
If you're wondering how to wash swimsuits, you're not alone.
There’s nothing like the feeling of showing off your new swimsuit, is there? That brand-spanking new, fresh-off-the-rack look, paired with your favorite shades and a cute beach tote? Forget about it! In the right swimsuit, any girl feels like a million bucks.
Unfortunately, chlorine, saltwater, sun damage, stretching, and constant temperature changes can be hard on fabric. One thing you don’t want to be doing is adding wear and tear during the wash cycle.
Read our Ultimate Guide on How to Remove Sunscreen From Your Suit
So how do you keep your swimsuit looking off-the-rack cute after a season or even several years of use?
Read on for top tips on how to wash swimsuits to keep them looking cute year after year.
How Often Should You Wash Your Swimsuit?
The answer to this question depends on how often you use your suit and what you do in it.
If you wear your suit for high-energy activities like swimming, surfing, or beach volleyball, you should wash it after every use. Swimsuits contain spandex and other synthetic fabrics that can start to break down when exposed to perspiration, sunscreen, and chlorinated water.
If you wear your suit for sunbathing and the occasional quick dip to cool off, you can get away with just a quick clean water rinse after use. Rinsing with cold water is important, whether you’ve been dipping in salt water or pool water. Salt and pool chemicals are corrosive and can break down fabric if left for too long.
Quick Post-Care Use Tips
Experts agree that reducing the amount of time your swimsuit is exposed to corrosives like salt or chlorine is key. Rinsing with fresh, cool water as soon as you can (even before you get home) will go a long way in extending the life and bright colors of your suit.
On-the-go Rinse Tips
- Carry a water bottle so you can rinse with cold water as soon as you take off the suit.
- Use the beach showers before you jump in the car (bonus: you'll save your car from getting full of sand!)
- If it will be a long time before your suit gets washed, consider carrying a gentle detergent like dish soap in your swim bag and doing a quick rinse and squeeze at the pool.
How to Wash Swimsuits by Hand
We recommend washing and drying your suit by hand. It sounds like more work, but it’s a very quick and easy process. If you must use a machine, put the suit into a mesh laundry bag as you would use for your other delicates, and use the delicate cycle.
1. Rinse Your Suit
This is the most important step in the wash process, and depending on your activity level, it might be the only thing you need to do. It’s a good idea to try and do this after every time you wear your suit.
When it comes to water temperature, always use cool tap water. Gently massage the suit to loosen dirt, sand, salt, and body oils. If you have time, fill a sink or bucket and allow the suit to soak for up to 30 minutes. Don’t scrunch or twist the suit too hard—doing so can over-stretch the fabric.
2. Spot Treat Stubborn Stains
Stain removal is important - a sunscreen stain isn't just unsightly. It can also lead to breakdown of your suit's delicate fabric.
You can use a mild detergent or even a gentle stain remover like Spray and Wash or Tide to spot-treat stains before you wash.
3. Wash With Mild Detergent or Baking Soda
Once you’ve rinsed and spot-treated, fill a sink or bucket about halfway with cool, fresh water, and add 1tsp or less of a mild liquid detergent. We recommend Arm & Hammer Sensitive-Skin Dye-Free Laundry Detergent.
If you previously filled the sink to soak the suit, drain and refresh the water for this step.
Gently massage the suit again to lather the detergent and remove additional dirt, etc. Dunk it a few times and swish it around to make sure everything comes out. Avoid bleaching your swimsuit.
3. Rinse Again
Rinse under running fresh water until every trace of detergent has rinsed out of the suit. It’s important to get all the detergent out, as some people’s skin is sensitive to detergent.
Once you’ve thoroughly rinsed, gently squeeze out excess water. Again, don’t wring or scrunch the suit.
Common Washing Mistakes
Okay, so we know what to do, but how about what not to do? Avoid these commonly-made swimsuit care mistakes.
- Don’t wash in hot water
- Don’t use fabric softeners
- Don’t bleach
- Don’t use wringers or towel-drying that involves wringing
- Don't use a washing machine (if you can avoid it!)
Can I Machine Wash Swimsuits?
While you can machine wash a swimsuit, most experts recommend you don't.
But we get it! If you're in a rush or just feeling lazy, it's not the end of the world to put your swimsuit in the washing machine.
Here are some quick tips to avoid damage when machine washing your swimsuits:
- Use a mesh laundry bag for delicate garments
- Wash on cold (not even warm water or lukewarm water!)
- Use the delicate cycle
- Use a gentle detergent
Drying Your Swimsuit
We recommend air-drying your swimsuit rather than using a dryer. If you must use a dryer, use a cool setting to avoid shrinkage, and don’t put the suit in for too long.
Lay the swimsuit flat in a well-ventilated area out of direct sunlight. Your bathing suit gets enough exposure to UV rays when you’re wearing it, so you want to minimize UV exposure whenever you can. Don’t hang the suit to dry—doing so can stretch the fabric.
To speed up drying time, point a fan at the suit, or turn on a ceiling fan overhead. Never use a hair dryer or space heater to dry your suit.
Drying Racks or Lines
Hanging your suit on a rack or draping it over a line is a great (and often faster) way to air-dry. We just recommend not using clothespins to pin the suit, as these can dent or stretch the fabric.
Towels
Another great method for drying is to wrap the suit in a dry towel, which will absorb the moisture. Just make sure you don't forget about it, as leaving the suit wrapped like this can lead to mold growth or mildew.
Tips to Maximize Your Swimsuit’s Lifespan
Now that we’ve talked about how to wash swimsuits, let’s take a look at some ways to maximize your suit’s lifespan. You can get years of use out of a swimsuit by following a few simple tips.
1. Rinse with fresh water after every use
Salt and chlorine are the two major swimsuit killers. Sunscreen, sweat, and body oils are close runners-up. Whether you’re hanging poolside or at the beach, a quick cool water rinse at the end of the day will go a long way in keeping your suit looking new.
2. Apply sunscreen at least 15 minutes before putting on your suit
Give your sunscreen a chance to soak in before you put on your swimsuit. Sunscreen grease is tough to rinse out and can break down fibers. This is particularly important if you have a white or light-colored suit—yellow sunscreen streaks are not cute!
3. Don’t wear a new suit in the hot tub
Hot tubs are super tough on swimsuits. The extremely high heat, combined with a cocktail of chemicals (not to mention other people’s sweat and body oils) will fade your suit very quickly. We recommend having a backup suit for the tub.
4. Store your suit properly
When it comes time to put your suit away, wash it first and make sure it’s 100% dry before you store it. Don’t hang it up—hanging can stretch out the material. Instead, we recommend keeping it in a mesh bag in a drawer with your other delicates.
Pro Tip: Check out our in-depth guide on properly storing swimsuits
Never store your suit in a plastic bag. If the suit isn’t completely dry when it goes away, wrapping it in plastic creates a breeding ground for mildew and bacteria. Keep your suit somewhere well-ventilated, out of direct sunlight.
5. Minimize UV exposure
This isn’t just good advice for your suit—it’s good advice for your skin too! We’re sure we don’t have to tell you the dangers of prolonged sun exposure. Even with sunscreen on, damage from UV rays can lead to skin problems down the road. UV rays also break down swimsuit fibers and exacerbate the effects of chlorine and salt damage.
Take breaks from the sun as often as you can. Bring along a beach umbrella, or choose a poolside spot with a cabana. Cover up with a t-shirt or a cute wrap for part of the day.
6. Rotate Suits
Give your favorite suit a break! Rotating between suits helps spandex and elastics recover and maintain their shape.
Swimwear Care Toolkit
Here are some of our favorite products to keep your suit spic-and-span.
pH-Neutral Detergents
When hand-washing small items like swimsuits, alkaline detergents can wear down fabric. Some of our favorite pH-neutral options include:
Some online spaces say you can wash a suit in white vinegar, or combine white vinegar with detergent to balance the pH. We don't recommend this, especially if you're only using a small amount of water (like washing it in the sink.)
Swim-Specific Detergents
Other great options include mild detergents made specifically for swimsuits and active wear, like The Laundress Delicates, or Molly's Suds SWIM.
Mesh Garment Bags
Keep your suit protected if you must machine wash it. We love Simple Ecology's Organic Cotton Mesh Laundry Bag, and Coyuchi's Organic Cotton Mesh Laundry Bag which are both eco-friendly and ship in minimal packaging.
Ready to Toss Your Swimsuit?
At some point, that well-loved swimsuit has seen its final days (no matter how well you have washed it or taken care of it). Maybe you are ready to update your swim wardrobe, or maybe the suit is just a bit worn out.
Either way, consider recycling or donating your swimsuit to help do your part in supporting mother earth (and maybe helping someone else land the swimsuit of their dreams).