There’s no two ways about it, show your swimwear some love and it will reward you for years to come.

At Finch, we love having fun at the beach and while we love trying out new styles we also have favourites swimsuits that we’ve been loving for years. I’m sure you know what I mean, there’s always a top or pant that just does exactly what you need it to every time. Or a colour/print that just WORKS for you. But why we’re enjoying our Finch bikinis year after year isn’t just because they’re great quality and thoughtfully made – it’s also because we follow some simple steps to take care of our swimwear; when we’re wearing it; after we’ve worn it and how we store it.

You also might have seen these steps before – on our swing tags.

Step 1 – Have fun in your swimwear! If nothing else, this is the MOST important step.

Step 2 – rinse your swimwear in fresh water. If you’re wearing it all day, you can regularly rinse under a shower. At the end of your day rinse thoroughly, gentle soap and detergent can be used.

The first, and most important, thing to do is rinse your swimwear! That’s every time you expose it to any potential chemicals, even if it’s multiple times a day. Rinsing gets all the nasties that degrade away from the fabric, and time is important. The sooner you rinse, the less time there is to have an effect. Key nasties are Chlorine and, but also sun block, sun, salt and sand.

Step 3 – Give it a swish around to make sure there are no air bubbles. This is also important if you’re rinsing more than one item.

Step 4 – Drain as much water out as possible, gently squeeze and wring out each piece to remove the rinsing water.

Step 5 – Lay out flat, in the shade, to dry.

You can hang swimwear up, or dry it in the sun, but this isn’t good for the elastic fibres in the fabric. Full disclosure, it can be a hard one to avoid. Even we don’t manage it every time. However, each time you hang out swimwear or leave it out in the sun it will damage the garment a little and make it age faster. This is why we keep it simple on the tag – rinse and lay flat in the shade.

Other tips:

Avoid getting sunblock and creams on your swimwear. The ingredients also have a bad effect on the elastic fibres which leads to damage and premature aging. We try to apply sunblock with enough time to soak in before putting on your swimwear. Alternately, lifting your straps as you rub in the cream to avoid as much contact as possible helps minimise the damage.

Avoid washing swimwear in washing machines as much as possible. The motion and rubbing against other clothes can start to pull threads loose and puts stress on delicate parts of the garment. Rinsing ASAP after use and spot cleaning with small amounts of soap or detergent will keep your swimmers clean, fresh and ready to go.

Try as hard as you can not to leave swimwear wet and balled up, particularly if it’s warm. Left too long and bacteria and mould can find a home and use your bathers as their lunch. If I know it’s unavoidable I always still rinse after wearing and then I can re-rinse them at home ASAP.

I know that there’s a lot of information here, but every little bit will help you to have a long and awesome experience with your swimwear for years to come!