Why Do Bathing Suits Lose Elasticity?

Elasticity may have different definition but when we say a piece of clothes has lost its elasticity, what it means is that the piece of wear has lost its original form so when we say that a bathing suits has lost its elasticity, it, therefore, means that that suit is no longer in shape and has finally lost its original pattern.

So Why Do Bathing Suits Lose Elasticity?

Your swimwears may lose elasticity due to the following;

1. Time/Usage
2. Materials Used
3. Washing machine.
4. Dryer.
5. Ironing,
6. Scrubbing too hard during washing
7. Squeezing
8. Hanging

Reason Bathing Suits Lose its Elasticity

Having listed them out, let’s look into each of them critically.

1. Time/Usage

No matter how hard you try to keep the shape of your bathing suits intact, the truth is, they’re bound to retire someday. Swimsuits do retire overtime being that they’re made of elastic and as you may already guess, they are bound to lose elasticity after you must have worn them for a very long time.

Simply put, the more you wear them, the more they’ll start losing their elasticity due to continuous stretching of the stretchy bits (Lycra)

2. Materials Used

If a swimsuit loses elasticity too often, it may mean that the fabrics used are of the lowest degradation.
Also, Some of the materials used in most suits are not made to last longer but rather, they’re designed in such a way to last for a short duration.

3. Washing Machine

I know how quick you may want to throw those suits inside the washing machine but here’s something no one is telling you.

Putting your swimsuits inside the washing machine is another way you can ruin the elasticity of your swimsuits. The tumbling effects coupled with the detergents used may invariably cause your swimwear to loosened overtime.

4. Dryer

There’s no doubt that dryers indeed quicken or hasten the drying process but here’s something you may be missing out. The heat inside the dryer may destroy every bit of the elasticity materials and causes them to shrink.

Note: Using dryer on swimsuits or putting your suits inside the washing machine may not cause your swimsuits to lose its elasticity immediately, but will help reduce their life expectancy over time.

5. Ironing

Just like using dryers, ironing your bathing suits may break the elasticity of your suits and cause them to lose their original shape due to its high temperature.

In most cases, ironing your bathing suits may even burn them due to the fact that most of the materials are made of Nylon which has a relatively low melting point.

6. Scrubbing Too Hard

I agree with you that the best way to wash your swimsuits is by hand washing them but do you also know that scrubbing your bathing suits too hard can as well cause them to lose shape? Well, now you know.

7. Squeezing

Squeezing is another thing that is likely going to ruin the elasticity of your suits. Often times, we find ourself guilty of this crime simply because we want them to dry very quickly without realizing the enormous damage we are putting them through.

8. Hanging

Hanging your swimwears either on the hanger or on a rope is another way for your swimsuits to lose elasticity. Doing this can cause the fabrics (especially when gravity acts on those heavily soaked hung suits) to stretch out (either at the strap or the entire suits)

That being said, let’s now look out ways you can adopt to keep your swimwear from losing elasticity before the next summer.

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How To Prevent Your Bathing Suit From Losing Its Elasticity

One of the hardest things to do for some people is having to care for bathing suits. Its either they’re hanging them the wrong way or leaving them in the sun to dry.

But if you want your swimsuits to see the next summer then you must make a cautious effort to care for them. Below are expert ways you can adopt to keep your swimwear in topmost condition.

1. Avoid Washing Your Bathing Suits In Hot Water

The easiest way to ruin your swimwears is to constantly wash them in hot water. Even if there are tiny bits of stains in them (in the case of white suits) its best that you soak them in cold water using mild detergents before washing. Washing them in hot water can cause the Lycra material to be weakened which may invariably damage them in the long run.

2. Avoid Sun Drying Them

Unlike your regular wears, swimsuits materials are made from delicate materials and as such, do not require direct sunlight. So to avoid ruining your entire suits, it’s best that you air dry them under the shade rather than hanging them out on the sun to dry.

So what’s now the best way to dry your swimsuits? By laying them flat either on a towel or something of this nature.

You can check the price of the above swimsuit dryer here

You can also dry them using this (picture below) as well. You can check the price out HERE

Just be sure that there’s no heat or direct sunlight in whichever place you wish to dry yours.

Here’s what direct sunlight does to your swimsuits

Putting your bathing suits out to dry in the sun can somewhat cause them to fade along the line. Fading usually occurs as ultraviolet rays fall on the fabrics causing them to change colours.

Note: If you want to quickly dry your swimsuits, rolled them over a piece of towel (gently) before taking them out to air dry using any of the above drying racks.

Below are some few ways you should never dry your swimsuits

• Avoid drying your suits with a dryer
• Don’t sundry, rather air dry.
• Never you hang them to dry rather, lay them flat on a surface.

3. Don’t Squeeze Them

Squeezing your suits too tight in an attempt to remove moisture from them is another way to ruin them. I know how quickly you want them to dry especially if you have just one pair but the truth is, that tiny little bit of force you’re exerting could permanently cause the stretchy bits to loosened damn fast.

4. Avoid Ironing Them

Except it is specified on your suits ( Of which I know it isn’t) do not be tempted to iron your bathing suits no matter how rough you think they are. Ironing your swimsuits will make them stretch beyond their limit.

Things To Consider Before Buying Bathing Suits To Prevent Them From Losing Elasticity Too Quickly

1. Quality Of The Fabrics

Majority of the swimwears that tend to lose elasticity quite often in a short while can be traced to the quality of the fabrics they’re made of.

So to avoid spending time and resources buying swimwears every now and then, always go for swimsuits made with quality Lycra material.

The lesser the percentage of the Lycra blends, the better it is for your suits. The idea percentage you should be aiming out here should be around 10-20 %

So swimsuits with more of Nylon blends (let’s say about 70-80 %) plus a little bit of the stretchy material (Spandex/Lycra precisely ) should last longer than the one without.

2. The Elasticity

The best suits are those that can stretch and that’s because they’re able to hug the body quite well but before jumping over to make that purchase, there are two key factors you need to consider about elastic here.

They’re the Modulus and the Recovery limit. The modulus is the strength, power or energy, needed to stretch the yarn while the recovery is a function of how quick it is for the stretched yarn to return to its original form or state after being released from its stretched state.

What does this mean to you? It means that good swimsuits made from quality material should be able to have a quick or efficient recovery limit.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do Chlorine Ruin Elastic?

If you’re a regular swimmer, then you should be aware that chlorine can cause a lot of damage to your swimsuits. For example, it can lead to the shedding of fabrics, fading of your bathing suits and may finally damage the elasticity after several uses.

So in other to avoid this ugly occurrence, its best that you shop swimsuits made of Nylon blends and also check to see if the swimwear has a tag that boldly states whether or not it can resist fade or chlorine i.e go for chlorine resistant swimsuits. You can also read our post on how you can get chlorine out of your bathing suit so it won’t lose its elasticity quickly.

Another thing that can ruin swimwears during swimming is salty water. Saltwater, although may not necessary, destroys your suits but it has the same tendency with chlorine which may also lead to fading of your bathing suits.

Here are expert tips you can adopt to prevent your swimsuits from fading

1. Endeavour to rinse your swimsuits immediately you step out of the water. Rinsing your suits with cold water will help remove the chlorine and any salt residues capable of causing damage to your suits.

2. Another way you can adopt to prevent your bathing suits from fading is to first dip them in solution water and then vinegar before using them the first time.

How Do I Retain My Swimsuit Elasticity After It Has Been Stretched?

There may be lots of ways available to keep and prevent your bathing suits from losing elasticity but sadly, there’s hardly anything you can do to retain the elasticity of a suit that has been overstretched beyond its elastic limit rather than to buy another piece.

Wrapping Up – Why Do Bathing Suits Lose Elasticity

To lose elasticity is to be out of shape so when we say a swimsuit has lost its elasticity, it, therefore, means that suits are no longer in its original form. And as you may already guess, usage, washing machine, dryer, scrubbing, squeezing and ironing are some of the ways our swimwears can lose its elasticity.

So before you go ahead to buy swimsuits next time, its advisable that you pay close attention at the tags to see whether or not the swimwear can resist fade and chlorine.

You can also extend the life of your swimsuit by making sure you hand wash them instead of using machines, avoid putting them in the sun and also in the dryer, and don’t hang them using the strap.