Wetsuit Care and Repair
Your wetsuit is made of quality materials and construction, but wetsuits are wearables and are subject to a lot of abuse and often some pretty harsh conditions. Taking care of your wetsuit is easy and will result in years of service. But it is up to you!
1) When putting on your suit, "slow, smooth and easy" is the answer. Wetsuits are supposed to be tight all over, but not constrictive or restrictive.
2) Use the flat palm of your hand to work the suit up and on. Watch those fingernails you can gouge the rubber easily on a rubber out suit.
3) If you need a little help in getting in or out of your suit, try some Suit Juice or BodyGlideTM (It really makes a difference) It's slippery and helps the suit glide on and off and will not hurt the suit. HOT TIP: Put your foot in a plastic grocery bag and it will slide right in the leg. Then remove the bag. Then you can use the bag to put your wet suit in when you are done with it.
4) Thoroughly wash your suit after every use with warm, fresh water. If possible let it soak in a tub giving it several fresh water rinses. Periodically if not always, wash the suit with McNett Wetsuit Shampoo and rinse completely. You can deodorize your suit once in a while also. We recommend McNett MirazymeTM
5) Always hang your suit to dry on a wide hanger and make sure you dry it completely on both sides before storing. NEVER, EVER dry your wetsuit in direct sunlight.
6) After drying your suit, lubricate the zippers with a good zipper lube. We recommend McNett Zip CareTM or McNett Zip TechTM.
7)Typically wetsuits are sewn using a blind stich or a locked type stitch in the construction of the suit. Due to the environment that you use your suit in, it may not be uncommon for you to snag tread. DO NOT PULL these treads. Simply trim them. They will not run.
8) Store you suit folded at the waist, neatly and not crumpled up in a ball. AND ONLY after completely dry. A good idea is to store it in a plastic bag to protect if from odors or fumes and to protect any of our other garments from smelling like neoprene. Do not store your wetsuit in a very hot area for an extended period of time, such as the trunk of a car.
IMPORTANT
* Don't ...put your wetsuit in the washer & dryer.
* Don't use petroleum jellies or cooking sprays on your suit. (ewwww!) No matter what your "best friend" tells you they read on a forum, don't do it. You will gunk up the suit and void all warranties. (Use only Body Glide or Suit Juice)
* Always make sure your suit is fully dry before storing and fold it gently and nicely so it does not get all wrinkled.
* Chlorinated water will fade your wetsuit. (Just like it fades everything!) Wetsuits are not chlorine resistant. Sure you can use it in a pool, but it will fade over time and get weaker. So if you use your wetsuit in a pool a lot, then you have to get a new one some day just like you have to get new swimming suits. No big deal. If you use your suit in a pool, just rinse it off really good after your swim. We just recommend Taking a shower with it on when you go to the locker room and wash some of the chlorinated water off before storage.
REPAIRS
If you get a nick in your suit, a small rip or maybe a seam opens up a little. These should be repaired right away before the next use.These are easy to do yourself.If one of the seams opens up a lot,then it will probably have to be glued and sewn.You can do a few stiches yourself if you want if it is a small tear. A bigger one will need to be sewn by a pro.
Small seam openings, gouges, small cuts or tears can be easily repaired using a product called Aquaseal. It works great and is easy to do.
* Simply put a little Aquaseal on a little piece of paper (a biz card works great)
* Then take a tooth pick and put some of the Aquaseal in the gouge or the tear and press it together.
* You can use some tape if you want to hold it together.
* Let it dry for 24 hours then add a little more if you need too. (Note: You do not need to glop this stuff on. If you take your time, you will barely notice the imperfection)
* If you want it to dry faster, or need to clean some of the sealant off, you use Cotol accelerator and cleaner.
* All of these products are available on our Wetsuits and Swim Care Products Section
NEED REPAIR - We do repair wetsuits. Click here for more information