Most swimwear does not wear out. It gets destroyed — slowly, by things that are easy to avoid.
The good news is that the single most effective habit takes about a minute and costs nothing at all.
Rinse within the hour
Salt crystallises as it dries and works like fine sandpaper against the fibres. Chlorine keeps reacting with elastane long after you have left the pool. Both do their damage in the hours after you swim, not during.
Rinse in cool fresh water as soon as you can — the outdoor shower, a hotel basin, a bottle of water on the drive home. Not hot water: heat is what relaxes elastane permanently and turns a fitted piece into a loose one.
If you only change one thing, change this.
Sun cream is worse than chlorine
This surprises people. The oils and, in particular, the mineral filters in high-factor sun cream stain light fabrics and break down elastic fibres faster than pool water does.
Apply sun cream first, let it absorb for ten minutes, then dress. Rinse promptly afterwards. Pale prints are the most vulnerable — our Provence lavenders and Bodrum greens deserve the extra minute.
How to hand wash
Cool water, a small amount of gentle liquid detergent — no bleach, no fabric softener. Submerge and press gently. Do not rub, twist or scrub. Soak fifteen minutes at most, then rinse until the water runs clear.
Fabric softener is the quiet villain. It coats elastane and reduces recovery, which is the technical way of saying the piece stops springing back.
Never wring, never tumble
Wringing breaks the fibres that hold shape. A tumble dryer finishes the job in one cycle.
Instead: lay the piece flat on a towel, roll the towel gently to draw out water, then dry flat and away from direct sun. Never hang a wet swimsuit by the straps — the weight of the water stretches them permanently.
Silk needs slightly more, and gives more back
Silk beach skirts and kaftans hold colour and drape far better than synthetic cover-ups, and they earn that with a little extra care.
Hand wash cool, never soak longer than a few minutes, dry flat in shade. Press on the reverse side on low heat if needed. Silk creases relax on their own if hung in a steamy bathroom for ten minutes — often no iron is required at all.
Storing between seasons
Dry completely — genuinely completely, not nearly. Any residual damp in a drawer becomes mildew, and mildew on swimwear is permanent.
Fold rather than hang, keep out of direct light, and store cups without crushing them.
The rotation rule
Wearing the same swimsuit two days running is the fastest way to ruin it. Elastane needs roughly twenty-four hours to recover its shape fully.
Two pieces alternated will outlast one piece worn daily by more than double — which is the practical argument for a capsule rather than a single favourite.
Every Cap Spartel Club piece is made from quick-dry, UPF-protective fabric designed for real sun and real salt. Treated well, it should be with you for many summers.