How to look after your wetsuit
How to look after your wetsuit – follow our simple wetsuit care tips and make your wetsuit last longer.
Depending on how often you use your wetsuit, a little wetsuit TLC could be the difference of a wetsuit lasting one season or a good couple of years.
8 Tips How to look after your wetsuit
1. HOT WATER RUINS RUBBER!
It goes without saying that you should be washing your wetsuit after every surf (if you aren’t doing it – start now!). We recommend rinsing and soaking your wetsuit in a large bucket of cold/cool tap water to get the salt off the wetsuit.
Do not use hot or boiling water, as this will cause the neoprene rubber to lose its flexibility. And don’t even think about washing your wetsuit in a washing machine!
And if you like to get changed in your shower after a cold water session (and who doesn’t!?), take your wetsuit off first!
2. KEEP YOUR WETSUIT OUT OF THE SUN
After you have washed/rinsed your wetsuit in freshwater, do not leave it to dry in the sun.
Dry your wetsuit in the shadow if you can. as sunshine causes the neoprene to age faster and breakdown.
If you remember one thing from our simple wetsuit care tips, this should be it. Do not leave your wetsuit on the sun! Sun is the neoprene’s worst enemy.
Once dry, store your wetsuit in the dark place if you are not using it for a longer time.
BONUS PRO TIP: Dry your wetsuit inside out. If your wetsuit hasn’t had long enough to completely dry – you will still be getting in on the drier side.
3. USE A WIDE HANGER
Why surfers spend hundreds of pounds on a wetsuit, only to use a cheap and thin hanger, is beyond us! Wetsuits are heavy when wet, and using a thin hanger only stresses the material in the shoulders.
We recommend hanging your wetsuit by folding it in half over a thick hanger, instead of by the shoulders.
At Bodyline Wetsuits we recommend (and use) the purposely designed Dritek wetsuit hanger to hang your wetsuit. But if you don’t have one, you can always make your own (and save yourself a few £££ in the process)
4. CLEAN AND DRY YOUR WETSUIT QUICKLY
After you have been for a surf, don’t leave your wetsuit screwed up in the bottom of your bag! Get it washed and dried as soon as you can. Leaving your wetsuit wet and sandy only encourages bacteria and mould, and that funky smell!
5. THE MESSY DRESSING RULE
A wet wetsuit full of sand and mud is a riot to put on (not really). So when taking it off, stand on grass, on a rock, pavement, telephone booth, wetsuit changing mat, hotel carpet… just not in the middle of the sandy beach (or wash it out in the sea after you change).
6. IRONING? YOU ARE KIDDING, RIGHT?
Ironing your wetsuit? Are you joking?!
7. DOES YOUR WETSUIT STINK?
Does your wetsuit smell like something has crawled up and died in it? The reason your wetsuit smells is because sweat and body oils build up. hese are breeding ground for the bacteria!
Peeing in your wetsuit (you dirty individual!) is the other reason for your wetsuit smelling bad! Try not to pee (as much) in your suit, because pee also deteriorates the neoprene, as well as leaving a funky smell.
To get rid of that funky smell, we recommend washing your wetsuit in a dedicated wetsuit shampoo (such as Rip Curl’s P@ss Off!). P@ss Off helps clean your wetsuit and removing odour. You should never use bleach or strong washing powder on your wetsuit!
We recommend washing your wetsuit in fresh cool water and some wetsuit detergent every few weeks (of course depending on how much you use it) to keep your wetsuit smelling freshing and extending the life on the rubber.
8. LENDING YOUR WETSUIT
Never lend your wetsuit to your friend! Even if they promise to take care of your wetsuit (they won’t BTW!), they’re unlikely to be the same size as you, which will mean the seams and material and going to be stressed more than they would by you.
About Bodyline Wetsuits
With over 40 years of experience in wetsuit manufacturing and repair, Bodyline Wetsuits is the Europe’s leading wetsuit repair centre. Bodyline Wetsuits works directly with the leading wetsuit manufacturers and is the authorised warranty repair centre for Billabong, C-Skins, Quiksilver, Matuse, Mystic, Patagonia and Rip Curl, in UK, Ireland and Europe.
