Spandex knits and elastic bands degrade quickly when left damp in gear bags or exposed to heat. Washing swimsuits requires cold water, mild soap, and flat drying. Here is how we recommend washing and storing ALove and ANFILIA pieces so the waistbands, hems, and inner linings maintain their shape season after season.
Chlorine pool water and ocean salt eat into spandex fibers if left to dry into the weave. Take the swimsuit into the shower or sink immediately after swimming. Run cold tap water through the entire garment for sixty seconds. Squeeze the water through the fabric repeatedly. You want to flush the chemicals out of both the outer skirt fabric and the denser knit of the inner brief. Do not use warm water, because heat loosens the grip of the elastane yarn. A quick cold rinse right after leaving the water stops the chemical breakdown before it starts on the waistband elastic.
A washing machine agitator pulls hard on flat waistbands and hem stitches. Wash your suits by hand in a sink filled with cool water and a teaspoon of mild liquid detergent. Swish the suit gently for two minutes. Skip fabric softeners entirely. Softeners leave a waxy chemical coating on nylon and polyester fibers that clogs the knit pores, ruins the quick drying performance, and degrades the stretch recovery. Rinse with fresh cold water until all suds vanish. If you must use a machine, place the suit in a mesh bag and run a delicate cycle with cold water only.
Twisting and wringing a wet swimsuit snaps the fine internal rubber filaments that give our swim skirts their snap. Take the dripping wet suit and lay it flat across a dry cotton towel. Roll the towel up with the suit inside, like a jelly roll. Press down firmly along the cylinder with your palms to transfer the bulk of the water into the cotton. Unroll the towel and remove the suit. This mechanical press clears most of the moisture out of the waistband without stretching the side seams or pulling the attachment stitches that hold the inner short in place.
Lay the damp swimsuit flat on a drying rack or a dry towel. Keep it out of direct sunlight, because ultraviolet rays bake wet elastane and fade deep dyed fabrics. Do not hang the suit by its waistband or straps on a thin wire hanger. The weight of the wet fabric drags the waist down, stretching the elastic permanently out of true. Keep in mind that the sewn in brief or boy short contains thicker fabric and lining than the outer skirt shell. That inner layer takes longer to release its water, so flip the garment over halfway through drying.
Concrete pool coping and wooden deck planks act like sandpaper on smooth knit swimwear. Sitting directly on rough surfaces abrades the face yarns, causing fuzzing, pills, and broken elastic strands across the seat. Sit on a towel instead. After swimming, do not leave a wet suit balled up inside a plastic bag or dark tote. Dark, wet, airtight environments breed mildew, which permanently stains fabric and rots hidden elastic thread within hours. If you must travel home with a wet suit, wrap it loosely in a dry towel and unpack it the moment you arrive.
Once the suit and its inner brief are completely dry, store the garment flat in a drawer. Do not hang it on a hanger for long periods between seasons. Keep it away from hot attics or damp basements. Stored flat at room temperature, the elastic bands and recovery knits will stay tight and true.
The four with the most notes behind them, one per listing.
We list side seam measurements in inches for every swim skirt we cut. Learning how we measure from the top of the waistband down to the hem edge helps you know where the fabric will hit.
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We cut our swim bottoms across three distinct constructions. A skirt with an attached brief, a skort with an inner short, and a standalone swim short perform differently in water and on dry.
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A tankini top creeps upward when the body panel lacks the vertical length to clear the bust line and anchor over the hip bone.
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