How often do you shampoo your wetsuit?

[Teamcasa]

When I dive my in my wetsuit, I rinse/wash it inside out in with a cap full of Woolite. I hang it to dry inside out, when dry I turn it right side out and let it hang for a day or two before putting it away for the next trip.

Boots get the same treatment but I let them hang upside down before turning them right side up. A splash of cheap mouthwash eliminates any foul odors. Same goes for the BC, I put a splash in the BC's final rinse to help keep the inside of the bladder clean.

 

[andrethediver]

Rinse- after each dive. Shampoo - never. My merino-lined suit doesn't seem to miss the shampoo, either.

I could not find any information on merino lined suits care - do you mean you never wash it with anything other than fresh water?

 

[Teamcasa]

I could not find any information on merino lined suits care - do you mean you never wash it with anything other than fresh water?

The lining has nothing to do with it. I wash my (also lined) suit in fresh water to clean out the salt and whatever junk the site decided to leave in my suit.

Yes, always wash your suit in fresh water.

 

[jupitermermaid]

I dive quite a bit, and always give my wetsuit a good rinsing and hang it up inside out to dry, even if I'm diving again the next day. Every six-eight dives, I soak it in a tub of soapy water (baby shampoo) for an hour or two, then rinse well and hang it up. I have the commercial stuff that I use maybe twice a year, but it's pricey, and the baby shampoo works just as well.

 

[DiveMaven]

Okay, I'm going to be totally different here. We travel to dive, doing 30-50 ocean dives during a 2 week period twice a year. Our wetsuits can get pretty rank after 2 weeks, so we actually wash them in the washing machine. We use Woolite for darks and have our FRONT LOADING machine on the "handwash" cycle. Then they are hung out to dry, turning them inside out half way through. We have 4 Pinnacle suits, varying thickness, one being Merino lined.

No, washing machines aren't recommended by the manufacturer, but we did this exact same process with our Henderson Hyperstretch suits for almost 5 years and they never showed any signs of wear. Also, I wouldn't ever put a wetsuit into a TOP loading machine...that would be far too harsh.

 

[andrethediver]

Okay, I'm going to be totally different here. We travel to dive, doing 30-50 ocean dives during a 2 week period twice a year. Our wetsuits can get pretty rank after 2 weeks, so we actually wash them in the washing machine. We use Woolite for darks and have our FRONT LOADING machine on the "handwash" cycle. Then they are hung out to dry, turning them inside out half way through. We have 4 Pinnacle suits, varying thickness, one being Merino lined.

No, washing machines aren't recommended by the manufacturer, but we did this exact same process with our Henderson Hyperstretch suits for almost 5 years and they never showed any signs of wear. Also, I wouldn't ever put a wetsuit into a TOP loading machine...that would be far too harsh.

I think the tag that came with the suit specifically warned about washing machine use...besides, my washing machine is so old it does not have 'handwash' cycle anyhow. But thanks for this info.

 

[spectrum]

I used my new suit on 6 dives or so - rinsed it in fresh water after each day and hung it to dry. I don't have any smell or anything like that, just trying to see if its a good idea to shampoo the suit after each trip...The suit has merino lining, not sure if that matters. Thanks.

We generally only do do a fresh water inse in out home dunk barrel. If you are well hydrated the effects of pee are easy to manage.

We do a "sink the stink" treatnment when the gear picks up a stench. This is usallly the result of a dive where we picked up a bioload from the water that has gone on to colonize and rot. In that case it is still a quick dunk to rinse and saturate the suit with the treatment and it is left to work as the suit dries in the gear locker.

Pete

 

[H2Andy]

iv'e never done anything other than rinse the wetsuit after each day of diving and let it dry in the open for a couple of days

i guess i've been lucky my wetsuits have never developed smells that required any of the chemicals out there