It is getting colder outside, and unless you have a nice, heated, indoor pool, you probably need to pack those beautiful swim suits away and replace them with warm winter coats and boots.
But you don’t want these cool months to be the undoing of your perfect bathing suit! Here are some tips for how to store you summer swimwear during the winter months so they can be in tip-top shape for the following summer:
WASH WELL
Before you store it, you want to wash your women’s swimsuit until it is as clean as when you got it. Throughout the summer, your bathing suit can acquire sand particles, chlorine buildup, and other water residue that can damage the delicate swimwear material. To counteract this, you want to clean your swimsuit on a delicate washing machine setting or by hand in your sink. Don’t use harsh cleaning agents that contain bleaches (especially if you have a colorful red white and blue bikini!), but instead use gentle soaps.
DRY WELL
Once your bathing suit is as clean as it’s going to get, you need to dry it completely. Avoid putting your swimwear in the dryer because that may provide heat that is too strong and damaging for the sensitive fabric. Also, never wring out your bathing suit by scrunching it up and squeezing water from it. If you need to, roll it up neatly but tightly and squeeze water out of it that way. If you’ve got some time, leave it out to dry overnight in a controlled climate (either inside or outside). Be careful not to store it until it is fully dry.
PACK IT UP
Wrap your swimwear in a fabric garment bag instead of a plastic bag because this can help avoid a moisture buildup. If too much moisture gets trapped in the storage bin or bag, it can eat away at the bathing suit fabric and cause mildew. If you can, consider using a vacuum pack to seal your bag even more securely and keep the air and circulating particles out.
STORE IT
Now that it’s all bundled up well, you need someplace to put it. Store the bag in a controlled location. This means, make sure the roof doesn’t leak near it; make sure the boiler doesn’t steam near itcontrol the temperature as well as you can. Avoid stuffy and humid rooms. In many cases, under your bed is better than the storage closet or rarely used attic because your bedroom is more likely to have a more regulated temperature.
In addition, be careful to place the bathing suit in a location where young children won’t tear or destroy it. Many swimwear trends can carry over year after year, so take good care of your swimsuits, and they’ll be sure to last for many years to come. Just remember, when the following summer months come around again, wash (or at least rinse) your bathing suit before you wear it to clean it from the dust that may of accrued.
