How to Care for Kids' Swimwear: Chlorine, Salt, and Shape

A no-nonsense care guide for parents who'd rather be at the pool than shopping for a new suit

How to care for kids' swimwear usually comes down to a handful of small habits, not a special detergent or an expensive suit. Most suits don't wear out because they were cheap. They wear out because they sat wet in a beach bag, went through the dryer once too often, or never got a rinse before the next swim. Chlorine, salt, sun, and heat are all working against the fabric every time your kid gets in the water.

This guide skips the shopping advice and gets straight to the routine that actually protects a suit: how to rinse it, wash it, dry it, and store it so it keeps its stretch, its color, and its sun protection. You'll also find out what to do about sunscreen stains, when a suit is finally done, and one habit that quietly doubles how long kids swimwear lasts.

Quick summary

Care step	Best practice
Rinse	Immediately after every swim, in cool clean water
Wash	Cold water, mild detergent, no bleach or fabric softener
Dry	Air dry flat, out of direct sun, never in the dryer
Store	Completely dry, folded or rolled, not in sealed plastic
Replace	When faded, stretched, or thin, depending on how often it's worn

Table of Contents

Tap any question to jump straight to the answer.

1. Key takeaways
2. Why proper swimwear care matters
3. How chlorine damages swimwear
4. How saltwater affects fabric
5. What if sunscreen stains the fabric?
6. Best way to rinse after swimming
7. Hand wash vs machine wash
8. Drying swimwear properly
9. Storage tips
10. When to replace swimwear
11. Care checklist
12. Frequently asked questions

 

Key takeaways

Short on time? Here's the routine in a quick question-and-answer form.

•      How often should you rinse a suit? After every single swim, in cool clean water, before chlorine or salt can dry into the fibers.

•      What's the best way to wash it? Hand wash in cold water with a mild, color-safe detergent, or run a gentle cold cycle inside a mesh bag.

•      Should you use the dryer? No. Heat is the fastest way to kill the stretch, so lay suits flat instead.

•      What about sunscreen stains? Rinse them out quickly and wash gently. Skip the bleach and skip the hard scrubbing.

•      Does rotating suits help? Yes. Two suits swapped day to day last noticeably longer than one suit worn nonstop.

•      When should you replace a suit? Once it fades, sags, thins out, or the elastic stops snapping back.

 

Why proper swimwear care matters

Short answer: Good habits protect three things at once: the fit, the color, and the sun protection you paid for.

Most parents learn this the hard way: a suit that looked perfectly fine in June is stretched out, faded, or thin by August. It's rarely one bad wash that does the damage. It's the accumulation of small things, chlorine that never gets rinsed out, a hot dryer used out of habit, a suit worn every single day with no rest. None of that is expensive to fix. It just takes a slightly different routine, which is what the rest of this guide walks through.

 

How chlorine damages swimwear

Quick answer: Pool chlorine is a strong oxidizing sanitizer, and over time it breaks down both dye and elastic fibers.

Chlorine isn't attacking your kid's suit on purpose, but it isn't gentle either. Every swim leaves a small chemical residue behind, and if that residue sits in the fabric between wears, it keeps working on the dye and the stretch long after your child is out of the pool. Heated pools and hot tubs speed this up even more. This matters even more for UV-protection swimwear, since chlorine also breaks down the coatings and dyes that block sun, not just the ones that keep the fabric bright. This is also part of why chlorine-resistant polyester tends to outlast standard spandex-heavy blends for kids who swim often. It resists that chemical breakdown better, which is a real reason those suits sometimes cost a little more.

 

How saltwater affects fabric

In brief: Salt crystallizes in the fibers as a suit dries, and that grinding action stiffens fabric and pulls color out faster.

Ocean water isn't just salty, it's also gritty, and both of those things are hard on fabric. If a wet suit dries with salt still in it, tiny crystals form inside the fibers and grind against them with every stretch and every wear afterward. Add in the sun most beach days come with, and you've got three forces working on the same suit at once. That's exactly why beach trips deserve a rinse just as much as the pool does, maybe more.

What if sunscreen stains the fabric?

What matters most: Rinse the stain quickly, wash gently, and skip the bleach. Most sunscreen stains fade with a normal cold wash if you catch them early.

Sunscreen stains are common enough that they deserve their own section. Mineral and zinc-based sunscreens tend to leave more visible marks than chemical ones, but the fix is the same either way.

•      Rinse the suit as soon as you can, before the oil has a chance to set into the fibers.

•      Wash with a mild detergent. Strong stain removers can lift color right along with the stain.

•      Skip bleach entirely. It breaks down the stain and the dye at the same time.

•      Avoid scrubbing hard. A worn thin patch shows up faster than most stains would on their own.

 

Best way to rinse after swimming

Bottom line: Rinse under cool, clean water right after swimming, and this one habit does more for a suit's lifespan than anything else on this list.

1.    Rinse the suit under cool, clean water as soon as your child is out of the pool or ocean.

2.    Gently press out the extra water. Don't wring or twist it, since that stresses the fibers.

3.    If you're at the beach or a pool without a shower, even a quick rinse from a water bottle is better than none.

 

Hand wash vs machine wash

Key takeaway: Hand washing in cold water is gentlest, but a gentle cold machine cycle in a mesh bag works too.

Hand washing with a mild, color-safe detergent is the safest choice for suits you want to keep around for more than one summer. If you'd rather use the machine, choose a gentle or delicate cycle, cold water, and a mesh laundry bag, and wash with similar colors rather than heavier items like towels that cause friction. Skip hot water, bleach, and stain removers with harsh chemicals. Fabric softener is worth avoiding too. It coats synthetic fibers, and that coating cuts into both the stretch and the moisture-wicking that made the fabric useful in the first place.

 

Drying swimwear properly

Short answer: Air dry flat, out of direct sun, and keep it out of the dryer altogether.

Lay the suit flat on a towel or a drying rack, somewhere out of direct sunlight. The clothes dryer is the single biggest threat to spandex and elastane, so it's worth skipping even when you're in a hurry. Don't hang suits by the straps or the neckline either, since the weight of the water pulls them out of shape as they dry. Keep them away from radiators and space heaters for the same reason. If you need things to dry faster, roll the suit in a dry towel first to soak up the excess water, then lay it flat.

 

Storage tips

In brief: Only store suits once they're completely dry, and fold or roll them rather than hanging.

A drawer or a breathable bag both work fine. Sealed plastic bags don't, because they trap moisture and invite mildew, especially in a hot car or a packed beach bag. When you're traveling, rinse the suit, press out as much water as you can, and pack it in a ventilated swim bag instead of a zip-top one. That little bit of airflow keeps the musty smell away, means less scrubbing later, and helps UV-protection swimwear hold onto its protective coating for longer.

 

When to replace swimwear

What matters most: Replace a suit once it fades badly, sags, thins out, or stops fitting the way it was designed to.

Keep an eye out for color transfer onto other fabric, elastic that no longer snaps back, see-through patches, and fraying seams. With daily, heavy use, a suit often lasts one intense season or so, depending on frequency of use and care. With occasional wear and a gentle routine, a good suit can stretch to two or three seasons. This matters most for UV-protection swimwear: a stretched, faded, or worn suit may provide less reliable protection than it did when new, especially once the fabric has thinned, so fit and condition matter as much as the UPF number on the tag.

 

Care checklist

How much upkeep kids swimwear needs really depends on how it's used. Here's a quick reference for different situations:

Situation	Care focus	Expected lifespan
Daily swim lessons in a chlorinated pool	Rinse right away, gentle hand wash, rotate two suits	About one intense season
Weekly community pool	Rinse, gentle machine wash in a bag, air dry flat	One to two seasons
Beach trips with saltwater and sun	Rinse after each ocean swim, dry in shade, store fully dry	One to two seasons
Occasional backyard pool	Rinse, gentle wash, careful drying	Two or more seasons

Two suits in rotation, swapped day to day, is one of the more underrated ways to get more life out of kids swimwear. It's not flashy advice, but it works better than almost anything else on this list.

Save this checklist Rinse after every swim. Wash gentle, cold, no bleach or softener. Air dry flat, never in the dryer. Store completely dry, folded or rolled. Rotate two suits. Replace when faded, stretched, or thin.

 

The bottom line

How to care for kids' swimwear really comes down to four habits: rinse right away, wash gently and cold, skip the heat, and store suits completely dry. None of that takes more than a couple of extra minutes, and it pays for itself the first time you don't have to replace a suit mid-season.

If your rotation needs a refresh, Beekee's UPF swimwear for kids collection is a reasonable place to start. Want more tips like these sent your way before next season? Our newsletter covers seasonal care guides parents actually use.

 

Frequently asked questions

How can I stop my kids' swimsuits from fading so quickly?

Fading comes mostly from chlorine, salt, sun, and harsh washing, so rinse suits right after every swim and wash them cold with a gentle, color-safe detergent. Dry them flat in the shade instead of in the sun or the dryer, and pick suits with colorfast, chlorine-resistant fabric. Rotating two suits also spreads out the wear and keeps colors brighter for longer.

Is it okay to put kids' swimwear in the washing machine or dryer?

The washing machine is fine on a gentle, cold cycle inside a mesh bag with a mild detergent. The dryer is not, because its heat breaks down the elastic and speeds up fading. Air drying flat is the safest way to protect the shape, fit, and sun protection of the suit.

Does a rash guard need different care than a swimsuit?

Not really. Both hold up best with the same routine: rinse right after swimming, wash cold and gentle, and air dry flat. A rash guard's tighter knit tends to hide wear a little longer, but it isn't immune to chlorine or salt, so the same habits apply either way.

About this guide

This guide was put together by the Beekee editorial team, which covers kids swimwear and children's apparel care, fit, and fabric safety. It's checked against published pediatric sun-safety guidance and textile-care standards before publishing, and it's updated when that guidance changes.

Editorial note: This article offers general garment-care advice, not medical guidance. For questions about your child's skin, allergies, or sun exposure, talk to your pediatrician.

Sources

American Academy of Pediatrics, HealthyChildren.org, Sun Safety guidance. healthychildren.org

U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), children's sleepwear and apparel safety resources.

OEKO-TEX Standard 100, textile testing for harmful substances (a testing certification, distinct from organic-farming standards).