September 20

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.thewetsuitdryer.com

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WETSUITCARE GUIDE

READ OUR TOP TIPS

TO INCREASE THE

LIFESPAN OF YOUR

WETSUIT

TAKE CARE OF YOUR WETSUIT

READ MORE (PAGE 2)

BLAWESOME’S

TAKE CARE OF YOUR WETSUIT

This can be an expensive investment however. A fairly good wetsuit can set you back a couple of hundred dollars with some of the higher-end brands costing as much as a few thousand dollars. While it is certainly a good investment if you are a regular surfer, you will have to be prepared to spend time nurturing and caring for your asset. You just cannot afford to take short cuts.

This can be an expensive investment however. A fairly good wetsuit can set you back a couple of hundred dollars with some of the higher-end brands costing as much as a few thousand dollars. While it is certainly a good investment if you are a regular surfer, you will have to be prepared to spend time nurturing and caring for your asset. You just cannot afford to take short cuts.

Regular care and maintenance coupled with proper storage will extend the lifespan of your wetsuit so you can get good use out of it for at least a couple of years instead of just one season. Take good care of your wetsuit by washing and storing it correctly and it will stay looking and feeling good a whole lot longer. It will also save you money, as you won’t have to buy a new one every surf season.

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WHY TAKE CARE OF YOUR WETSUIT

Page 2

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Managing Director:Jamie Moreno

Managing Director:Carmen Böhler

When it comes to extending the lifespan of your wetsuit, it all starts with knowing how to clean it properly. A wetsuit is not something you can throw into a washing machine at the end of the day. There are several dos and don’ts that you need to be mindful of.

HOW TO PROPERLY CLEAN YOUR WETSUIT

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KEEP IT CLEAN

KEEP IT CLEAN

TIP #1

Cleaning Tip #1 – Rinse Your Wetsuit Thoroughly After Every Surf Session

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When you finally come ashore after a couple of hours riding the waves in the warm sunshine, all you want to do is sprawl out under a nice shady spot sipping on something cool and refreshing. Before you know it, you’ve slipped into a blissful state of lethargy and nothing can get you to move.

But what’s happening to the wetsuit in the meantime? You may not be able to see it right there and then but your suit is undergoing extensive damage. Salt is highly corrosive. Even as you lie under that shady palm tree relaxing, the salt keeps eating away at the fabric, slowly but surely damaging it.

No matter how tempting that shady spot looks, the first thing you should do when you get out of the water is to rinse your suit inside and out in fresh water. Hit the shower or douse yourself with a bucket of water to get rid of the lingering salt, seawater and grime on the suit.

This applies even if you are planning on going back into the water after a brief break ashore. The less contact time the salt has with your suit, the less damage it can do. While contact with salt water is unavoidable when you are out surfing, you can minimize the damage by rinsing off with fresh water when you are out of the water.

KEEP IT CLEAN

TIP #2

Cleaning Tip #2 – Always Use Cold Water To Wash Your Suit

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Hot water does as much damage to a wetsuit as salt does. The only difference is in the way it acts. Wetsuits are made of neoprene, a material that has special properties that make it ideal for the surfing. Where salt corrodes the fabric, very hot water tends to break down the fibers of the neoprene. When put in hot water even for a short while, the fibers break down immediately and the wetsuit loses some of its elasticity and starts to sag.

If you prefer the warmth of a hot shower after you come ashore, make sure you remove your wetsuit before letting the hot water run over you or you will end up with a sagging suIt.

KEEP IT CLEAN

TIP #3

Cleaning Tip #3 – Wash Your Wetsuit Thoroughly Using Good Quality Shampoo

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You do not have to shampoo your wetsuit after every wash, rinsing is usually good enough as long as you rinse off the seawater and salt thoroughly. An occasional shampoo however is necessary to dislodge the salt and other corrosive materials that may have collected in the crevices and which are difficult to get rid of with a simple rinsing.

The best way to shampoo your wetsuit is to hand-wash it gently. Yeah, that’s right, you have to hand-wash your wetsuit gently if you want it to last longer. NEVER, EVER put your wetsuit in a washing machine. The wringing, churning and spinning actions of a washing machine can destroy the flexible but fragile neoprene material that is used in the construction of the suit.

Here’s the right way to shampoo your wetsuit:

Mix a few capfuls of a good quality wetsuit cleaner in a bucket of cool tap water.

Lather it up and dunk your suit into these soapy suds.

After a few minutes, gently rub the cleaner into the material paying special attention to the seams, crevices and zippers as these are the places where salt collects most easily and usually refuses to get washed away while rinsing off.

After you’ve washed it thoroughly, rinse it through cool running water to remove all traces of shampoo.

KEEP IT CLEAN

TIP #4

Cleaning Tip #4 – Leave That Surf Wax Alone!

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The surf wax from your board is going to get onto your suit. There’s no way around it and the less you worry about it the better for your wetsuit. There really is very little you can do to take it off completely without causing some amount of damage.

Trying to rub it off, brush it off or using hot water, some sort of solvent, wax remover, lighter fluid or any other petroleum or alcohol based product will only end up causing even more damage and weaken the fabric.

Just leave whatever surf stays on after washing and think of it as part and parcel of living the surf life.

As with washing, there is a right way and a wrong way to dry your wetsuit.

THE RIGHT WAY TO DRY YOUR WETSUIT

THE RIGHT WAY TO STORE YOUR WETSUIT

HOW TO YOUR WETSUITDRY AND STORE

Always dry your suit in the shade. Sun, like hot water, will damage the fibers of the neoprene fabric.

Never drape the suit over the balcony railings, on a thin clothes line or over a hook. All of these will stretch the suit out of shape.

The best way to dry a suit without damaging it is to hang it out to dry draped over a hanger. Not just any type of hanger. You get special types of plastic hangers that are especially designed to minimize stress on the fabric, especially around the shoulders, when drying. These hangers have a rounded, extended bar that allows you to hang the suit so that it is doubled up from the waist area.

Start by turning the suit inside out and placing it on the specially-designed hanger till it is fully dry. Once the inside is completely dry, turn it right side out again for the outside of the suit to dry. Many surfers make the mistake of overlooking this step. The problem with not turning the suit inside out is that the outer surface will dry quickly while the inner surface takes much, much longer to dry completely. This extensive exposure to moisture destroys the rubber component of the neoprene fabric, shortening the life of your suit.

Drying and storing your wetsuit correctly when not in use, is just as important in helping to extend its life.

As with washing, there is a right way and a wrong way to dry your wetsuit.

Planning on throwing it in a corner of your travel bag till your next trip to the beach? Bad idea! Stashing it away in a corner of your wardrobe or a bag will cause it to get all wrinkled, breaking those fragile neoprene fibers. When you are ready to hit the waves again, you may find that you have to go shopping for a brand new suit.

The right way to store your wetsuit is to hang it over at the waist using that specially designed hanger that you used for drying it. If that is not an option and you absolutely must hang it, make sure you use a wide coat hanger that supports the shoulders without making permanent indents that a narrow hanger would.

If hanging is out of the question altogether for whatever reason, the least damaging way to store your wetsuit is on a folded over at the waist and placed on a flat surface. Do not place it under a pile of clothes.

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THE RIGHT WAY TO DRY YOUR WETSUIT

GET RID OF WETSUIT SMELL

Tears and rips are the most common damage that wetsuits experience. The abrasive action of a sharp shell or a barnacle is enough to create a tear in the neoprene fabric. Sewing up tears and rips is not the solution as a needle will only create even more tiny holes in the fabric, compromising its strength even further.

TEARS & RIPS

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The best way to repair tears and rips is by sticking the jagged ends of the fabric together using a special type of repair adhesive. Lay the suit on a flat surface and apply the adhesive sparingly along both edges of the tear and let it dry for about 10 minutes. Then apply another layer to both edges, push them together and hold for a couple of minutes till the adhesive holds and the edges stick together.

Once the edges have held together, sew blind stitches along the length of the joint using dental floss. In making blind stitches, the needle penetrates only quarter way into the fabric so it will not create any holes in the fabric.

Once the edges have held together, sew blind stitches along the length of the joint using dental floss. In making blind stitches, the needle penetrates only quarter way into the fabric so it will not create any holes in the fabric.

Finish off the repair by adding a glue-on seam tape along the tear on the inside of the suit.

Wait at least 8 hours for the adhesive to cure completely before wearing.

FIXING THE MOST COMMON DAMAGES ON YOUR WETSUIT

It’s unfortunate but no matter how careful you are, sometimes things just happen. The best you can do is try and fix up the damage as quickly as possible so that it

does not get worse.

Wetsuit stink is an inevitability. Sweat, body oils that are produced by the skin, algae, stinky water and pee all contribute to giving your wetsuit that distinctive stink. Fortunately it is not too difficult to get rid off. Simply washing it in a tub of fresh soapy water is enough to get rid of the smell. Rinse it in fresh water and dry it off completely. The frequency of washing will depend on how much you use it. The more you use it, the more often you will need to give it a thorough soap-water wash.

OUR ADVICE

There is an art to putting on and taking off your wetsuit without damaging it. Make it a habit to always put on the suit and take it off slowly and carefully, paying attention to what you are doing. Pulling it on or yanking it off forcefully will stretch the fabric. Applying even more pressure can even rip the fabric. Slow and easy does it every time.

When taking it off, ease your arms off one at a time, slip it gently down and then peel it off one leg at a time with your hands. Don’t try to wriggle one foot out of the suit while holding it down with the other foot. Be even more careful if you happen to be standing on a rough surface.

When putting it on, ease one foot in at a time, slowly pull it upwards and then ease one arm at a time. Adjust the suit and zip it up carefully.

TIPS AND TRICKS

Do not remove your wetsuit on the beach itself or on a rough surface. Gritty sand and rough surfaces can nick and tear your suit.

AVOID DOING THIS TO YOUR WETSUIT

Do not use an iron over your wetsuit. The heat from the iron can melt the fibers of neoprene.

Do not store your wetsuit in the trunk of your car, especially on a hot day.

Do not use bleach or any strong washing powder as these could weaken the neoprene fibers.

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Do not lend your wetsuit to anyone. Different people have different body structures and lending yours could affect the way it fits you. Lending it to somebody bigger built than you is especially inadvisable as it could stretch the fabric permanently, making it too loose for you to use while surfing.

CONCLUSIONKnowing how to care for your wetsuit, from the right way to wear and wash it to the right way to dry and

store it, is the key to extending the life of the suit so it can keep you warm and dry over several surf seasons. It does not require a whole lot of time or

trouble and the results are well worth it!

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