How to Wash & Care for Your Wetsuit: The Ultimate Longevity Guide

A high-performance wetsuit is one of the single best investments you can make in your surfing. Whether you’re charging freezing winter swells or gliding through crisp morning glass, a quality suit keeps you warm, flexible, and out in the lineup for hours.

However, neoprene is a delicate technical material. Salt crystals, harsh UV rays, urine, heat, and improper storage are silent killers that break down rubber bonds, stiffen flexibility, and rot seam stitching long before its time.

Taking proper care of your wetsuit isn’t complex, but doing it consistently can easily double or triple the lifespan of your suit.

In this ultimate wetsuit care and maintenance guide, we’ll take you through a step-by-step cleaning protocol, share a real lesson in what not to do, and reveal the golden rules to keep your neoprene soft, flexible, and smelling fresh for years.

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The Silent Killers of Neoprene

Before diving into the cleaning steps, it helps to understand what actually causes neoprene to degrade:

1. Salt Crystals: As ocean water evaporates off your suit, it leaves behind microscopic salt crystals. These sharp crystals lodge deep within the neoprene cells and seam stitching. Every time you stretch your suit, those hardened crystals act like tiny knives, tearing the rubber matrix and weakening seam threads.
2. UV Radiation: Direct sunlight breaks down neoprene’s molecular bonds through photo-oxidation. Leaving a wet suit baking in the sun dries out essential oils in the rubber, turning buttery-soft neoprene stiff, brittle, and cracked.
3. Uric Acid: Let’s be honest – every surfer pees in their wetsuit occasionally. However, uric acid is corrosive. If left unwashed, it degrades internal seam glue, damages lining fabrics, and leaves a lingering odor that standard rinsing can’t fix.
4. Heat: Hot water melts technical seam glues, alters rubber memory, and shrinks neoprene panels.
5. Gravity & Bad Hangers: Hanging a heavy, waterlogged wetsuit by its shoulders using a thin wire coat hanger stretches out the neck and shoulder seams permanently.

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Step-by-Step: How to Wash Your Wetsuit After Every Session

Follow this simple routine every time you come out of the water to maintain peak performance:

Step 1: Rinse Thoroughly with Cold, Fresh Water

As soon as you return from the beach, give your wetsuit a complete inside-out and outside-in rinse using clean, cold or lukewarm fresh water. Pay special attention to:

• Zippers and Sliders: Flush out sand particles to prevent corrosion and jamming.
• Seams and Tape: Wash away trapped salt along taped and blind-stitched seams.
• Key Pockets & Ankle Cuffs: Flush out trapped grit.

Crucial Rule: Never use hot water. Keep the tap strictly cold or lukewarm.

Step 2: Use an Eco-Friendly Specialty Wetsuit Wash (Weekly)

Rinsing with water alone removes bulk salt, but it won’t break down body oils, bacteria, or uric acid. Once a week – or after heavy use – soak your suit in a bucket of cold water mixed with a dedicated, eco-friendly wetsuit cleaner.

1. Submerge your suit inside-out in a tub of cold water.
2. Add the recommended dose of wetsuit wash or specialty neoprene conditioner.
3. Gently knead the liquid into the suit, focusing on the underarms, groin, and chest.
4. Let it soak for 15-20 minutes, then rinse thoroughly with clean fresh water.

Note: Never use household detergents, bleach, laundry pods, or dish soap. These harsh chemicals strip the protective coatings off neoprene and dissolve seam adhesives.

Step 3: Turn It Inside-Out & Hang It Properly

Always dry your wetsuit inside-out first. This serves two vital purposes:

1. It protects the outer skin and graphic prints from direct UV exposure.
2. If you surf again the next morning, the inside fabric lining that touches your skin will be dry.

Fold the suit in half through the waist over a broad, thick-bar hanger or a specialized wetsuit hanger. Never hang a wetsuit by the neck or shoulders while wet, as the weight of the water will permanently stretch out the neck collar and shoulder panels.

Step 4: Dry in the Shade with Good Airflow

Hang your folded suit in a shaded, well-ventilated area outdoors or in a shower/garage. Keep it completely out of direct sunlight. Allow the inside to dry completely, then flip the suit right-side-out to let the outer surface dry.

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The Wrong Way to Care for a Wetsuit (A Lesson from Experience)

We’ve all been there: you finish an exhausting, three-hour winter session. You’re freezing, your hands are numb, and all you want is a hot shower and warm food.

A few years ago, a member of our community did what many surfers secretly do: he peeled his suit off in the gravel parking lot, stepping directly on the sharp rocks with his bare suit ankles to pull his feet out. He tossed the sandy, balled-up neoprene directly into the plastic tub in the back of his car, drove home, and forgot about it.

Two days later, he opened the trunk. The wet suit had been sitting in a sealed, warm car trunk, stewing in a puddle of saltwater, sand, and sweat. The smell was unbearable. In a desperate attempt to fix it, he tossed the suit into the home washing machine on a standard hot wash cycle and hung it outside in scorching midday sunlight over a wire coat hanger to dry.

The result? Total disaster.

The hot washing machine dissolved the internal liquid seam tape, turning tight blind-stitches into leaking gaps. The wire hanger stretched the shoulder panels into misshapen points. And the intense afternoon sun turned what was once a soft, flexible suit into a stiff, cardboard-like shell that leaked water like a sieve. A premium suit was completely ruined in 48 hours – purely due to improper care.

Care for your suit like the high-performance piece of equipment it is, and it will care for you out in the waves.

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The 8 Golden Rules of Wetsuit Maintenance

To avoid costly mistakes and keep your gear in pristine condition, memorize these eight non-negotiable rules:

Do’s	Don’ts
DO rinse with cold fresh water after every session.	NEVER use hot water or put your suit in a clothes dryer.
DO dry inside-out in the shade with plenty of airflow.	NEVER leave a wet suit balled up in a hot car trunk or plastic bag.
DO fold the suit through the waist over a thick hanger.	NEVER hang a wet suit by the neck or shoulders on a thin wire hanger.
DO use a changing mat or towel so you don’t step on neoprene in gravel.	NEVER use harsh household detergents, bleach, or laundry pods.

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Long-Term Storage: Off-Season Care

When summer arrives and you transition to a thinner suit or boardshorts, prepare your winter wetsuit for long-term storage:

1. Deep Clean: Give the suit a thorough soak in wetsuit shampoo to remove all lingering bacteria, body oils, and salt.
2. Dry Completely: Ensure both the inside and outside of the suit are 100% dry. Storing a damp suit leads to mold, mildew, and rubber rot.
3. Store Flat or Folded Gracefully: Store the suit flat in a cool, dry, dark wardrobe. Alternatively, hang it folded over a wide-bar wooden hanger. Avoid sharp creases or placing heavy boxes on top of stored neoprene, as compressed foam cells can permanently lose their shape.

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Built for Longevity

At Born Slippy, sustainability starts with longevity. The most eco-friendly wetsuit is the one that stays in your quiver for years rather than ending up in a landfill after one season.

By combining 100% Japanese Yamamoto limestone neoprene with liquid-taped seams and precision custom tailoring, our suits are built to withstand heavy ocean use. Follow these basic care steps, and your suit will reward you with seasons of warmth, flexibility, and performance.

Looking for a suit built to last? Explore our custom-tailored Yamamoto limestone range at Born Slippy.