Swimwear care: chlorine, salt, sand and sun cream explained
Rinsing, washing, drying, chlorine, salt and sun cream: the simple swimwear care habits that keep a swimsuit looking good for several summers.
By atelier culotté4 min read
Swimwear care comes down to one habit: rinsing your swimsuit in clean water after every swim. The rest follows: a gentle wash, drying flat in the shade, and a little attention to chlorine, salt, sand and sun cream. Here is how, with the instructions printed on the product pages of atelier culotté swimwear.
What a swimsuit is made of
Swim fabric almost always combines a strong synthetic fibre (polyamide or polyester) with a share of elastane, which provides stretch and support. The atelier culotté product pages give the details:
- 94% polyamide and 6% elastane for the RHUM COCO collection;
- 87% polyamide, 8% elastane and 5% polyester for SOLEIL BLEU;
- 80% polyester and 20% elastane for SUNSET;
- 49% polyester, 42% polyamide and 9% elastane for BICHOCO.
Elastane is what needs protecting: it is the fibre that suffers from chlorine, heat and sun cream residue. A swimsuit that sags or loosens has often lost part of its stretch.
The care instructions on the product pages
For the one-pieces, triangles, Brazilian briefs, high-waisted briefs and tangas of the RHUM COCO, SOLEIL BLEU, SUNSET and BICHOCO collections, the product pages state:
- Wash at 40°C maximum
- Do not bleach
- Iron at low temperature
- Do not dry clean
- Do not tumble dry
- Rinse in clean water after each swim
The last line is the most important of all, and the one most often forgotten.
Rinse after every swim
As soon as you come out of the water, or at the latest when you get home, run your swimsuit under clean, cold water. This rinse removes what damages it when left to dry on the fabric: salt, chlorine, sand and traces of sun cream.
- Salt dries out the fibres and can leave white marks as it dries.
- Pool chlorine attacks elastane and dulls colours: it is a swimsuit’s number one enemy.
- Sand acts as an abrasive, especially when it stays trapped in a lining or a seam.
A swimsuit rolled up wet at the bottom of a beach bag for hours ages faster. If you cannot rinse it straight away, at least hang it out in the air.
Washing your swimsuit gently
Rinsing does not replace a proper wash from time to time. The gentlest option is washing by hand:
- A basin of cold or lukewarm water, no warmer than 40°C.
- A small amount of gentle detergent, well diluted.
- A few gentle squeezes, without rubbing or wringing the fabric.
- A thorough rinse in clean water.
- Press out the water in a rolled-up towel, never by wringing the swimsuit.
In the machine, put it in a mesh laundry bag and choose a delicate cycle with a gentle spin. The product pages forbid bleach.
The finishing touches need a careful eye: the stainless steel jewel on the RHUM COCO one-piece, the mother-of-pearl beads on the BICHOCO tanga or the floral jewellery of the SUNSET collection. Washed by hand, these pieces keep their ornaments intact for longer.
Drying your swimsuit in the shade
Every product page rules out the tumble dryer. Lay your swimsuit flat on a towel or a drying rack, in the shade and somewhere airy. Direct sun dries quickly, but it also fades colours: a sky blue textured fabric with a lurex effect, like that of the SOLEIL BLEU Brazilian briefs, or a textured white like RHUM COCO deserves this care.
Fully lined swimsuits take a little longer to dry: give them the time they need before putting them away, to avoid trapping moisture.
Sun cream and friction: small precautions
- Apply sun cream before putting on your swimsuit, and let it sink in. The greasy residue of some creams can mark light fabrics.
- Watch out for rough surfaces: a pool edge or a rock catches the fabric and can make it pill.
- Alternate your swimsuits if you swim every day: a swimsuit that has time to dry completely between swims holds its shape better.
For winter, storage matters too: everything is explained in How to store lingerie. The instructions for every piece from the workshop are gathered in Caring for your lingerie and swimwear, and all the swim designs in the swimwear section.
Frequently asked questions
How do you care for a swimsuit after the pool?
Rinse it in clean, cold water as soon as you leave the pool, to remove the chlorine before it dries into the fibres. Then wash it by hand with a gentle detergent and dry it flat, in the shade.
Can you machine wash a swimsuit?
Yes, in a mesh laundry bag, on a delicate cycle, at 40°C maximum and with a gentle spin. Washing by hand is gentler, especially for a swimsuit decorated with beads or jewels.
How do you get sand out of a swimsuit?
Let the swimsuit dry, shake it to remove most of the sand, then rinse it in clean water, paying attention to the lining and the seams. Avoid rubbing the fabric to loosen it: sand acts as an abrasive.
Why does a swimsuit lose its shape?
Most often because its elastane has worn out: chlorine left unrinsed, drying in full sun or in a tumble dryer, wringing. Rinsing every time and drying flat are enough to make it last longer. For a question about a specific piece, write to the designer via the Contact page.
