4 Reasons to Invest in a Chlorine-Resistant Swimsuit
Planning for an epic swim season means choosing an appropriate bathing suit that will see you through in style and comfort. But while it’s important to select a style that fits well and helps you feel your best, it’s equally crucial to protect the fabric from the ravages of chlorine. That’s because the substance can have a significant effect on your suit’s integrity and quality over time.
Chlorine is added to both outdoor and indoor swimming pools to eliminate germs and to maintain a safe, algae-free space where you can swim without worrying about contamination. More specifically, chlorine transforms into a very mild acid when it makes contact with the water, whereupon it begins to kill off potentially harmful bacteria, such as E. coli and salmonella, along with other dangerous pathogens and microorganisms that could cause problems like stomach ailments and swimmer’s ear. As a potent water-sanitizing agent and algaecide, chlorine is essential to your safety whenever you dip a toe in the water.
But as useful as it is to the water’s condition, it can take its toll on that gorgeous swimsuit! That’s why so many manufacturers now design suits that are resistant to chlorine. Here are four reasons to make a chlorine-resistant garment a key part of your swimwear arsenal.
It Will Prevent Colors from Fading
When you first purchased that gorgeous tankini swimsuit, you were probably drawn to its pretty colors or its vibrant pattern. Unfortunately, chlorine has a nasty little habit of bleaching fabric. As a result, the more you swim, the less bright, fresh, and colorful your suit will appear.
Combine that with frequent washing machine cycles throughout the season and you can all but trust your suit won’t look quite the same in a few months. That’s largely because detergent dulls and breaks down the color in the fabric. Even sunlight can bleach the material. All three of these culprits can take away from your suit’s beauty, so it’s important to seek a suit made with resistant fibers that won’t break down when exposed to the sun’s potent ultraviolet rays or chemicals in the water or sunscreen. Think of the resistant layer as a barrier that protects the suit from all types of invasive elements.
It Will Minimize Damaged Fabric
Chlorine isn’t just hard on your suit’s colors, but also on the quality of the fabric. What was once a bright and beautiful swim skirt may, over time, start to thin out. This happens when the chlorine binds to the elastic fibers in the suit, slowly breaking them down to the point that they become weak and brittle.
Because the bathing suit goes through a lot anyway during the season, it won’t last nearly as long once the fabric starts to wear down. You might notice that it doesn’t feel quite the same when you wash it, for example. It may also feel less stretchy and take on a saggy, droopy sort of shape that doesn’t conform to your body or flatter your figure the way it once did. If these types of problems develop seemingly out of the blue, it’s likely because the fabric isn’t designed to resist chlorine.
It Will Maintain the Suit’s Elasticity
Chlorine and certain chemicals in your sunscreen can cause the elastic fibers in your swimsuit to lose their strength with time and regular exposure. That can be detrimental to the appearance of the suit, naturally, and take away from your comfort when you’re in the water, surfing, or even just lounging by the pool. In much the same way that chlorine binds to and eats away at the fabric, it also has a similar effect on its ability to remain flexible.
Suits enriched with chlorine-resistant properties naturally have more stretch to them. The unique composition protects the shape and structure of the suit no matter how much chemical exposure or wear and tear it endures, which in turn will prevent it from stretching out too much and breaking down in the water or the washing machine. This applies to any type of suit, be it a pair of women’s swim shorts or a bikini.
It Will Support Your Active Lifestyle
If you love water sports or simply crave quality time swimming laps in the morning, then you need a suit you can trust to behave like a reliable companion. That’s especially true if you partake in classes and plan to move around a lot. The last thing that you need is a one-piece swimsuit that has lost its strength over the past few months when you’re moving around vigorously in the water.
All of that jumping, turning, and twisting requires a suit that’s tough and built to last. You don’t want to worry about going shopping for a new suit in the middle of swim season, after all. Chlorine-resistant swimwear ticks all the boxes of comfort and quality. Why worry about the condition of your suit when you should be having fun?