Which Wetsuit Shampoo?

[otter-cat]

I'm looking for recommendations on the best brand/type of wetsuit shampoo to buy, and also what the best place to buy it is. For some reason that I cannot fathom, my LDS only stocks it in the little, single-use packets.

Thanks for your input!

 

[DiveTub]

Get a really good brand Wool Wash it does the trick at a fraction of the price of wetsuit wash

 

[SubMariner]

Any of the gentle "for delicates" type of clothing detergents work very well on wetsuits.

Shampoo will do in a pinch, too.

~SubMariner~

 

[astrl]

Is Wool Wash the same as Woolite?

astrl

 

[SubMariner]

Would do the same

Sorry.. couldn't resist!

Is Wool Wash the same as Woolite?

If the wash is recommended for "delicates" and the like I'd say you'd be safe, as it wouldn't have any caustic ingredients in it that might damage the suit.

~SubMariner~

 

[DanL]

I've used a relatively new liquid laundry detergent - Tide HE. It's made specifically for high efficiency washers (that's the HE designation) that use very little wash and rinse water. It doesn't suds much and doesn't rely on normal detergents. It has enzymes,etc that remove the dirt. It rinses out very easily, works in cold or warm water, and requires only a small amount.
I've used it on my wetsuits the past year (about 100 dives) and the suits look like new and there is no odor at all (and I dive low viz lakes full of somewhat odorous crud).
The real test is boots. I soak em for an hour in a weak solution of Tide HE and they have NO odor at all.
The Tide HE is more expensive than regular Tide liquid laundry detergent and is harder to find, but its a LOT cheaper than any wetsuit cleaner I've seen. It's amazing how well iit works on odor and in cleaning the silty crud off the wetsuits.
Dan