Taking care of your Wetsuit

1	Rinsing/Washing your wetsuit: After a day in the water, rinse your wetsuit with fresh water. Hot water is not good for a wetsuit, nor is leaving it out to dry in direct sunlight. Heat will cause your wetsuit to lose flexibility. We highly recommend a anti-microbial wash and silicon based conditionerfor your wetsuit. Body Glove has a 2 in one product that kills the bacteria that makes your wetsuit smell as well as the silicon based conditioner to help your wetsuit last longer. (Hint, bring a gallon or two of fresh water if you will be going to a remote area so you can rinse your wetsuit. If you happen to be in a sandy location, bring a plastic tub to stand in to get in and out of your wetsuit, this will prevent you from having dirt from your feet get inside your wetsuit. A sandy wetsuit is not fun to put on or take off.
2	Drying your wetsuit: We recommend drying your wetsuit inside out so that you can maximize your dry time between fun sessions. It sure feels so much better getting in a dry wetsuit than a cold damp one. If you can, dry your wetsuit in the shade or in your bath tub. Fold your wetsuit at the waist and let it hang on a towel rack or over a large curved surface area. Be careful not to damage your wetsuit by prolonged use of a hanger or on sharp objects. A flat wetsuit is a happy wetsuit. Note: Do not put your wetsuit in a washer or dryer. Do not ball up your wetsuit. Do not leave your wetsuit in water for prolonged periods of time. Don’t leave your wetsuit in a hot car or wet damp bin.
3	Storing/Folding your wetsuit: Ensure that your wetsuit is thoroughly dry before storing. We recommend storing your wetsuit flat if at all possible. If you chose to use a wetsuit hanger, we recommend folding the wetsuit at the waist. Hangers can put creases in your wetsuit and they can damage the neoprene in the shoulders due to the weight of the wetsuit. If you are traveling and need to fold the wetsuit, we recommend that you first fold the arms back behind the wetsuit, then fold the wetsuit at the waist, finally fold the legs back at the knees. Keep the chest plate free of wrinkles. If you have a hooded wetsuit, fold the hood forward toward the chest plate.
4	Wetsuit Damage: If you damage your wetsuit, get it fixed right away. If you have a tear in the neoprene you can purchase wetsuit cement and fix minor tears. If your seams are coming apart and your wetsuit is not still covered under the manufacturer’s warranty you can take the suit to a repair shop who can mend the seams. This is typically very cost effective. We recommend taking care of any damage as soon as you find it.
5	Smelly Wetsuits, Boots, Gloves or Hoods: We recommend washing your wetsuit with a wetsuit wash that has both an anti-micro to kill bacteria as well as a conditioner. Body Glove and O’neillmake great wetsuit washes that will kill the bacteria causing the order in your equipment.