Unfortunately, wetsuits don't clean themselves. It would be great if we could just walk out of the water, take off our suit and just put it away for another day, but unless you want to wear a suit that has "the funk" (we all know that smell!) then keep reading our top tips for properly cleaning your suit after every dive and how to store it both short and long-term. After all, if you've taken our advice over the past couple of blogs and invested in a nice, warm wetsuit, you want to get your money's worth and make it last as long as possible, right?
How To Properly Clean Your Wetsuit:
Step 1: Don't skip the initial rinse!
As soon as you exit your dive, whether you're on a boat or walking up from a shore dive, always rinse your suit as soon as possible! Usually, there is a freshwater shower on board the boat or a rinse-off shower at the beach....use it! Don't let your suit sit in that ocean or lake water until you get home to clean it thoroughly.
Step 2: Let it dry as much as possible
Before you quickly pack that suit away to transport it home, let it lay out and dry as much as possible. Who knows how long it's going to have to sit wet in your dive bag before you get home to clean it (you know you're going to want to grab some grub straight away) so don't pack it away till the last minute.
Step 3: Rinse THOROUGHLY at home!
This doesn't mean just pull it out of your dive bag, spray it off real quick and then hang to dry. If you want to prevent that stink we talked about earlier, you cannot shortcut this one! Follow these rinsing steps for cleaning success:
- Hang the suit from a thick wetsuit hanger
- Spray every inch of your wetsuit with fresh water repeatedly (you can do this with a hose outside or in the shower at home)
- Turn the suit inside out and repeat the rinsing process
- If you notice your suit is starting to take on "the funk" you can then soak it in a tub full of fresh water with a product called "sink-the-stink," or any other type of wetsuit cleaner. Another option is to use a little Simple Green mixed in with the fresh water to get the same effect. Make sure to rinse with freshwater after soaking as well.
Step 4: Hang to dry
Don't lay your wetsuit out, it will not dry as thoroughly. Hang it from a wetsuit specific hanger in a shaded area. Your garage is probably the best place. DO NOT lay your wetsuit to dry out in the sun! The UV rays from the sun will compromise the effectiveness of the neoprene in your suit.
Now that your wetsuit is nice and clean and dry let's look at the ways to properly store it for your next big dive.
How To Properly Store Your Wetsuit:
Step 1: Decide when you will dive again
When your next diving adventure is to happen dictates how you should properly store your wetsuit once it's dry.
Step 2: Diving soon? Fold it properly
If you are going on another dive tomorrow or maybe even a night dive tonight, you will want to gently fold your wetsuit in half, making sure to tuck the arms in a 45-degree angle or fold them across at a 90-degree angle first. Then you can lay your wetsuit at the top of your dive bag across all of your other gear so as not to crush the neoprene. And now you're set for your next dive!
Step 3: Diving next month?
If you are a fairly frequent diver that means that you already have your next dive outing planned for next week or next month. In this case, we recommend you store your suit in a dry, dark or shaded area like your garage or a closet. Make sure it is still hanging on a wetsuit hanger!
Step 4: Diving next year?
If you are done diving for the season and will be storing your wetsuit for a long period of time we recommend either hanging it from an extra-thick wetsuit hanger in a closet or laying it flat, folded once across the middle with nothing else on top of it. Most importantly, make sure it is stored in your house where the climate will be controlled.
By following these simple steps to properly clean and store your wetsuit, you will make it last for as many diving seasons as possible and keep it stink free, a win-win situation.
