A wetsuit and neoprene accessories are a great investment and can last many years, but only if you look after it and maintain the condition as much as you can.

Here are our top tips and advice for maintaining your wetsuit.

17 Nov

How To Clean and Maintain Your Wetsuit | Poole Harbour Watersports

How to Clean and Maintain your Wetsuit?

A wetsuit and your wetsuit accessories are a great investment and can last many years, but only if you look after and maintain the condition as much as you can.

Washing your Wetsuit

The most important tip to maintain your wetsuit may be the most obvious. After each session in the water, whether in salt or freshwater, rinse your wetsuit in either a bucket of cold water or with a hose. Rinse all sand, salt and muck off your wetsuit both inside and out, especially on the zips and collars. Our top tip is to hang your wetsuit inside out first to drip dry in a cool, dry area. Do not dry it in the sun as the UV rays can damage the neoprene stretch and warming properties.

If you find that, naturally, your wetsuit is starting to smell or not feel as fresh, then some wetsuit shampoo should easily do the trick! Wetsuit shampoos will clean it, get rid of any unpleasant smells (for example sweating and urinating in your wetsuit) and remove all the substances that might be slowly deteriorating the neoprene panels and rubber patches. Washing with the shampoo is best in a tub full of cold/ freshwater, do not ever wash your wetsuit in a washing machine or with any other detergent as it will damage your wetsuit and the neoprene's properties.

We recommend the Revivex Wetsuit Shampoo or the Odor Eliminator

Washing Your Wetsuit - Poole Harbour Watersports

Drying Your Wetsuit

Allow your wetsuit to drip dry on the inside completely before turning inside out to continue drying the other side. As wetsuits have a variety of thicknesses, especially with thicker winter suits, you need to make sure it is dry all the way through to avoid any damp smelling or discomfort when you go to put your wetsuit on for your next session!

We also recommend not using your standard clothes hanger to dry your wetsuit, as it can increase drying time with the way it will hang, but also as it can mis-shape the wetsuit in certain areas (specifically the shoulders).

Wetsuit hangers can be either included when you purchase your wetsuit from in the shop with us, or you can buy wetsuit drying hangers that allow you to fold the wetsuit to dry more efficiently, as well as holding all your wetsuit accessories too.

Check out the c monsta hanger or the mystic one.

Storing your Wetsuit

When not using your wetsuit, try not to roll it up or leave it in any damp or humid places for an extensive period of time. Keep it out of direct UV sunlight.

Also hanging the wetsuit in half on a plastic hanger is best, as leaving it hanging from the shoulders for an extensive period of time can mis-shape the wetsuit.

Maintaining the Zip

As the salt and sand can build up and block the zip, it is imperative to rinse your wetsuit clean after every session. We would recommend once every year, to grease up your zip to ensure maximum longevity.

We recommend Zip Tech as a zipper lubricant.

Putting your wetsuit on and off

As with most products, if you are inconsiderate with your general care, the product is likely to get damaged. The rubber, single skin part of wetsuits (normally on the chest or all over in swimming/triathlon wetsuits) is more fragile than standard neoprene. Taking care with fingernails and sharper objects around you when putting it on and wearing the wetsuit is crucial to avoid tears or holes.

With standard neoprene, although more robust, care should also be taken as to not overstretch or increase strain on the seams when getting into and out of the wetsuit. When putting it on, ensure that the sections of the wetsuit are in place before going further. Ie, when putting your legs in, ensure your knee pads are in place before pulling up any further; or ensuring the wetsuit is positioned on your shoulders comfortably prior to doing the zip up. Similarly, when taking the wetsuit off, try not to stand on the wetsuit and yank the material off with too much overstretching as to preserve the elasticity and original shape.

Our Top DO NOT’s

DO NOT urinate in your wetsuit, it does not make you warmer, and all that happens is that those substances can corrode the wetsuit. If you do need to urinate, be sure to clean it with wetsuit shampoo!
DO NOT put it in any hot water or washing machines
DO NOT use with any detergents, apart from those specifically for wetsuits
DO NOT leave in direct UV sunlight
DO NOT leave in a humid room, and definitely not on or near a radiator
DO NOT hang for a long time from the shoulders on a weak hanger. Use strong, plastic ones or if you can wetsuit specific ones.