Take care -

     How important is it to you for your swim wear to last an entire season, or more?  This is something that you need to consider from the very beginning of your purchase.  If you buy your suit with the coins that you have been throwing in a jar for the past month, care may not be a priority.  On the other hand, if you are spending a weeks pay on your suit, then obviously you will do what ever it takes to ensure longevity of quality and comfort.

     My grand daughters realize that 'where this suit comes from, there are more', so they can treat their bikinis like they do their t-shirts.  They tie off the strings so they don't tangle or pull out,

and toss it in the washer and then the dryer.  I cringe sometimes.  Or maybe they are a bit gentler when they are very new or it is feeling a little special to them and they will hand wash and lay it flat to dry.  Hand wash/flat dry is what Exposure Swimwear recommends. The fact is -  if you are an active person who visits the beach or pool on a regular basis, you don't want to have to spend a whole lot of time messing around with the washing routine.  So - what is the answer to maintaining your suit?  Let's take a step back and look at the options.

     Ask yourself - "How, when and where do I wear my swimsuit?" and your answer is, "Well, when we go on vacation, I sometimes like to lay by the pool and read a good book.", then by all means buy the suit that you feel good in and don't worry about the paying a little extra.  A good suit will most likely last you many seasons.  I would only suggest that you purchase a suit that will not be out of style next season.  We definitely don't want you to be sitting by the pool looking like last years left overs.

     Now - if you are that active person who plays in the pool, chases waves in the ocean or spends a lot of time battling the wake at a lake then you have to look at your water attire differently.   You should consider a durable suit that will hold up to salt, sand, chlorine, your rugged ways.  Straps that are sturdy enough to keep your suit in place (that is a must to avoid embarrassing moments) yet enough stretch to allow you freedom to move.  The body fabric also needs to be thick enough to hold up and a color that won't look faded after a short time.  And more than anything, you should look for a suit that will be forgiving of that occasional toss in the washer.

      A few facts that apply to all suits - 
     1. The drier is your enemy.  That kind of heat will break down all the Lycra and stretch that your suit has in a very short time.
     2. If you buy a suit that has a metallic or glitter design, these accents will fade and wear in many areas faster  than the rest of the suit.
     3. Cool deck tears up the butt of the suit. 

     Below is a fabric care list that I found on Google.  I am no expert but this seems to be a pretty good list.  Keep this list close to refer to later.  Usually, the safest thing to do is follow the care instructions on your individual outfit.

 

Acetate: Dry clean only.

Acrylic: Machine wash warm using warm water,  softener may be added during the final rinse cycle.  Machine dry using low temperature,  remove  promptly when done.

Cotton: Machine wash warm, tumble dry low.  Use cool iron.

Metallic Cotton: Machine wash warm, delicate cycle,  tumble dry low,.  Cool iron may be used.

Fleece: Machine wash warm and remove quickly to avoid matting.  Hang to dry; do not use dryer.

Linen: Dry clean is recommended and retains the original crisp finish to the fabric.  Hand wash in mild soap no chlorine bleach dry by laying flat on
clean non-colored towel. Note: Hand washing softens the feel of the linen which is sometimes preferred.

Lyocell:  Lyocell garments may be either machine washable and dryable or drycleanable. Read the label. Washable lyocell has the strength and ease of care of other easy-care fabrics. Machine wash and dry at low temperature. Remove from dryer as soon as the garment is dry. If ironing is required, use a moderately warm iron.

Lycra: Hand or machine wash in lukewarm water.  Never use chlorine bleach onany fabric containing Lycra.  Either drip dry or machine dry using lowtemperature settings.

Lycra Velvet: Hand or machine wash in lukewarm water.  Never use chlorine bleach on any fabric containing Lycra.  Either drip dry or machine dry using low temperature settings.

Microfibers: Acrylic, nylon and polyester microfibers are machine washable, machine dryable or drycleanable Follow the instructions for washing fabrics consisting of these individual fibers.

Nylon: Most items made from nylon can be machined washed and tumbled dried at low temperatures. Use warm water and add a fabric softener to the final rinse cycle. To minimize static electricity use a dyer sheet when machine drying. Remove articles from the dyer as soon as the tumbling cycle is completed. If ironing is required, use a warm iron.

Polyester: Use warm water add fabric softener to final rinse,  machine dry low and remove promptly from dryer.  If ironing is needed use a moderate warm setting. All polyesters can be dry cleaned.

Polyolefin: Most items can be washed or dry-cleaned. Most stains can be readily be removed by wiping, using lukewarm water and detergent. If fabric is machine washed, it should be line dried or tumbled dried with gentle or no heat. Do not iron.

Rayon: Dry cleaning is recommended.  Although hand wash in lukewarm water is okay.  No chlorine bleach allowed.  Lay flat on a clean non-colored towel to dry.

Silk: Dry cleaning is preferred.   Hand washing is possible if mild soap and lukewarm water is used.  Laying flat on a clean non-colored towel to
dry.

Spandex: Hand or machine wash in lukewarm water.  Never use chlorine bleach on any fabric containing Lycra.  Either drip dry or machine dry using low temperature settings.

Suede: Recommendation is dry cleaning.  Although Machine wash gentile cycle is allowed.

Triacetate: Pleated garments are best hand laundered. Most other garments containing 100% triacetate can be machine washed. If ironing is needed, a high temperature setting may be used. Articles containing triacetate require little care due mainly to the fiber's resistance to high temperature.

Woodblocks: As with all hand-printed fabrics, we suggest you do the following:  prewash by hand with mild detergent and rinse until water runs clear.  Dry flat.  Additional color transfer from dark to lights may occur when sewn and washed together.  We suggest you take this into account when designing your projects.  We hope you enjoy the results when you use this ancient fabric handicraft.

Wool & Suiting: Recommendation is for dry cleaning.  Can be spot cleaned with a damp sponge.