Swimwear Care

Sunshine, salt water, sand and sunscreen, that’s what summer is made of right!? Add a splash of chlorine, pebbly pools and a dash of fake tan…

And suddenly you’ve got the recipe for a potential swimwear catastrophe!

But never fear, Infamous Swim has got you covered with our top tips for caring for your swimwear, so your favourite swim attire will be looking and feeling its best, and lasting for seasons to come.

The be all and end all...

Rinse! 

• If you’re changing out of your swimsuit before leaving the beach or pool, be sure to give them a good rinse in freshwater (getting as much of the salt and sand or chlorine out), before wrapping your swimmers in a clean dry towel.

• When you get home fill your sink with cold water and a dash of mild detergent (we recommend liquid detergent, not powered, and if you don’t have any, you can use white vinegar as an alternative). Leave your bikini’s to soak for 15 minutes MAX (we don't recommend soaking for too long as our fabrics are delicate, longer soaking time risks damaging your swimwear!), then empty the water out and give your swimwear a good, long rinse under cold water to get all the detergent (or white vinegar) out. 

• If you’ve worn your swimsuit home, the “easy” option is to jump straight into the shower, strip off your swimsuit and give it a good long rinse in the shower (preferably under cool water). 

• Once you’ve given your swimwear a good sink wash or shower wash, pop your swimmers on a clean, dry towel and gently press the towel into the swimsuit to remove excess water, you can also gently roll your swimsuit into the clean towel to help press additional excess water out (don’t wring the suit as this can damage or stretch out the fabric!)

• Lay your swimsuit flat to dry out of direct sunlight, (a great option is to lay it over a few rungs of a clothes airer.)

We highly recommend hand washing your bathers BUT we get it, it’s not always possible, so if you do need to opt for the machine wash there’s a few things to make sure of: pop your swimwear into a protective mesh/underwear bag and into the machine on its own (avoid washing your swimwear with anything else!), set the machine to cold wash on a gentle/delicate cycle and add mild detergent. Make sure you remove from the machine when the cycle is done and lay out flat and out of direct sunlight. 

Secret Remedies

• If your white or lighter coloured swimwear has begun to suffer from yellowing (you can blame chlorine, body oil, deodorant and sweat for that!) dissolve half a cup of baking soda in about 3 litres of cold water, soak your swimsuit for 1 hour, then rinse well and air dry. If you’re still seeing stains, try squeezing lemon juice or white vinegar on the stains then sprinkle with salt, leave that on for 30 minutes before washing as normal. We use beautiful and very delicate fabrics to create your swimwear, so the above secret tricks are a last resort to try and save your swimwear, we can't guarantee they will completely fix your stained swimsuit, and we do recommend avoiding prolonged periods of soaking as a general rule.

• Pilling...you’d be amazed at how much time we spend dragging our butts along the bottom of the pool, scooting after our toddlers. Rough surfaces and swimwear are not good friends, whilst they’re not always avoidable, it’s something to be mindful of, nobody wants a pilly bottom. If you notice you’ve been doing way too much boot scooting, we recommend using a fabric shaver, we are swear by the Philips Fabric Shaver GC026 (available at Target) to gently remove fabric pills and return your swimwear booty to its former glory. Sometimes, unfortunately, all that time on your butt can take its toll on your swimwear and whilst fabric shavers can be very helpful, there's times where your swimwear cannot be saved, our fabrics are soft and delicate, so they need gentle loving care!

We believe swimwear should last for seasons, not just a summer holiday, which is why we use high quality fabrics, but the nature of swim fabrics is that they’re highly elastic (it’s part of what makes them the most flattering fit and gives your all the freedom of movement), on the flip side, this means they do need a little extra loving to make sure they keep flattering your figure for summers to come. 

All of our swim come with care instructions, so always be sure to follow those, and if you have any questions or need additional advice to care for your swimwear, we're always here to help!