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To keep a swimsuit from fading, rinse it in cool water before and right after you swim, wash it gently by hand in cold water, and dry it flat in the shade. Never put it in the dryer or hang it in direct sun. Chlorine, salt, sunscreen and UV light all work on the fabric, and a short routine after each wear limits how long they can sit in the fibers.
Most swimwear is made from synthetic polymers, mainly nylon or polyester, with elastane blended in for stretch. ACS’s materials science graphic notes that sunlight can damage these fibers and that chlorine can too. It adds that rinsing in cold water and drying in the shade limits the harm.
Textile scientist Carolina Quintero Rodriguez, writing in The Conversation, describes three separate causes:
The same article reports that after about 300 hours of exposure to chlorine and sunlight, roughly 35 days of summer, fabric strength can fall by as much as 65%. Fading is therefore a sign of wear on the fibers, not only a cosmetic issue.
Wirecutter adds that heat, chlorine and salt fade colors and reduce the material’s resilience, while sunscreen and body oils can leave stains on synthetic swim fabrics.
A 1987 study of knitted nylon/spandex swimwear fabrics, published in a SAGE journal, exposed them to xenon light, sea water and chlorinated pool water. The lightest fabric showed the greatest color change and loss of strength. The darkest held color and strength best. Sea water and pool water also sped up the damage from light. The study is old and used specific dyes, so treat it as a guide to the pattern, not a promise for any one suit.
The easiest fading prevention happens at the faucet or the pool shower. Wirecutter quotes Preeti Arya of New York’s Fashion Institute of Technology on why this works: a suit rinsed in fresh water has filaments already filled with fresh water, so it wicks up less chlorinated or salty water.
A simple pre-swim routine:
The Conversation calls this the most important step: rinse the suit immediately in cold or lukewarm water to remove chlorine, salt, sunscreen and body oils. It also says never to use hot water, because heat makes fibers brittle and stretches the elastane.
Swimwear designer Abatemarco, quoted in Ray Dar Magazine, says salt, chlorine, sunscreen, oils and sand gradually break down fabric and elasticity when they stay in the fibers too long. A quick rinse removes them before they cause damage and makes the later wash gentler.
If you cannot wash the suit properly straight away, rinse it, squeeze it lightly, and put it in a bag away from the sun. Then finish the job within a few hours.
If pool smell is the problem as well as color, our guide on how to remove chlorine from a swimsuit covers it in more detail.
Wirecutter advises washing your suit by hand in cold water with a mild detergent after every wear. It also says most suits can go through a delicate machine cycle if they are in a mesh laundry bag.
The last point matters for stretch as well as color. Pulling or wringing can snap elastic strands and distort shape, so squeeze out water instead.
Wirecutter describes moisture, heat and sunlight as a very good recipe for breaking down the polymer chains in swimwear. Its advice is to roll the suit in a towel to remove excess water and then lay it flat in a ventilated area out of direct sun.
TODAY’s guide suggests air-drying flat on an indoor rack, and says the suit may need about 24 hours. It also says to avoid sunlight, since UV can cause fading, and to avoid the dryer.
The dryer is worse than it looks. Forbes Vetted quotes Gopinath explaining that nylon and polyester are thermoplastic and can melt at high temperatures. The drum also beats the fabric, which makes elastic fibers more likely to break.
For a step-by-step on this part, see our article on drying swimsuits safely.
Sunscreen and body oils can leave marks that look like fading. Wirecutter explains that avobenzone, an ingredient in many chemical sunscreens, reacts with iron in hard water and leaves rust-like yellow or brown stains. It suggests choosing a sunscreen without avobenzone.
Practical habits:
Our guide on removing sunscreen stains from swimwear goes through the cleanup.
White and very light suits are the most sensitive. Chlorine and some sunscreen chemicals can turn them yellow as they strip the fibers, according to BLANC’s care notes. That is one more reason to rinse light colors right away.
Several top-ranking pages recommend soaking a swimsuit in diluted vinegar, usually 1 to 2 tablespoons per quart of cool water for 20 to 30 minutes. The research is less supportive. Iowa State University Extension says vinegar does not fix dye or prevent bleeding after manufacture. Any apparent benefit may come from loose dye washing out.
Tide adds that vinegar can alter pH-sensitive dyes, weaken some fibers, and interfere with detergent when added to the wash.
If you want to try a soak on a new suit, use the diluted ratio above, keep the water cool, and rinse thoroughly. A cold rinse before and after swimming does more for color than any soak.
Prevention works better than repair. Dye makers say fiber content and weight change how color appears and recommend testing a swatch first. They also note that fabric damaged by sun or bleach can be very hard to dye. The Vintage Fashion Guild says nylon and polyester may not dye well and that major restoration is generally best left to an expert.
In practice, a suit that has lost color because of chlorine and sun will rarely return to its original shade. Your best response is to protect the next suit from day one, and to wear a faded one for lounging, not laps.
A stretch or fit check is also worth doing. Our swimwear fabric guide explains spandex content and fabric weight, which help you read what a suit can take.
Swimwear is made to be worn in sun, salt and pool water, and it will show that wear over time. What decides how fast is what happens in the hour after you get out of the water.
At L’ANIMAL, we design each piece with attention to detail, quality and timeless style. We want you to wear it for many seasons, and a short routine is what makes that possible: cool rinse, gentle hand wash, flat dry in the shade.
If you travel a lot, keep a small mesh bag and a mild detergent in your suitcase. Rinse the suit at the hotel sink each evening and you will protect it through a full vacation. Our bikinis, one-piece swimsuits and men’s swim shorts are designed for that kind of repeated wear.
Lital
When you are ready for a new suit, browse our bikini collection and one-piece swimsuits, or our men’s swim shorts. Each is a design by Lital Simel-Rhedrick.
You can also see the full range, including our influencer collaboration collections, on the L’ANIMAL homepage. The care steps above apply to every piece.
| Moment | Do | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Before swimming | Rinse in fresh, cool water | Sitting on rough surfaces |
| Right after | Rinse in cold or lukewarm water | Hot water, leaving it in a wet bag |
| Washing | Hand wash in cold water, mild detergent | Scrubbing, wringing, chlorine bleach |
| Drying | Roll in towel, lay flat in shade | Dryer, direct sun, hanging by straps while soaked |
| Storing | Store fully dry in a cool, dark place | Damp storage, hot cars |
The usual causes are chlorine, salt water, UV light and sunscreen. Chlorine and salt degrade the fibers, UV breaks them down and fades the dye, and avobenzone sunscreen can react with iron in hard water to leave yellow or brown marks. White and light suits show the change first.
Rinse it after every wear, and wash it by hand in cold water with mild detergent after every wear as well, as Wirecutter advises. If you swim daily in a chlorinated pool, rinsing right away and washing at the end of each day keeps residues from building up.
Most suits can go on a delicate cycle in cold water if they are in a mesh laundry bag, according to Wirecutter. Always check the care label first. Never put a swimsuit in the dryer, because heat and tumbling can melt synthetics and break elastic fibers.
Yes. In a 1987 lab study of nylon/spandex swimwear fabrics, the lightest fabric showed the greatest color change and loss of strength, and the darkest held up best. Rinse light colors extra promptly.
