We've seen the signs at the pool telling us to shower before entering, but we'll be the first to admit that sometimes we skip that step. Is keeping the pool clean really the only reason we shower before taking a dip? The answer will surprise you! When you shower in your swimsuit before entering the pool your swimsuit will soak up the clean water and absorb less chlorine water. Once it's already soaked, it can't absorb too much more. So although it will still absorb some chlorine water, the amount will be significantly less if you shower in clean water beforehand. Who knew right!?

For an easy on-the-go soap option, try our stain stick. It's all natural, effective, travel size, and truly unbeatable! You can use it as a gentle detergent or lather it on and work into the fabric on tough stains. Check out our ultimate guide to getting out swimsuit stains here. We've gotten out makeup, sunscreen, deodorant, dirt, and much, much more! So whether you've got kid spills or are an accident-prone adult, there's no need to worry!

Do you wring your swimsuits like you wring a towel? Think again! Wringing your wet swimsuit pulls on the fibers, causing early damage and stretch. Instead, use a towel to roll the swimsuit in and gently pat to remover excess water. This is more gentle and helps you avoid the dreaded "shot" swimsuit look too soon. In addition, drying your swimsuit before throwing it in your bag when you're out and about will aid in avoiding bad smells and mildew -- the ultimate swimsuit killers. Our takeaway: don't let that swimsuit stay soaked after you're done with your adventure.  💦

Machine washing and drying cause a lot of damage to swimsuits. The spandex and nylon materials that make up your swimsuit are not fit for the rough scrubbing and extreme heat that these machines use. Putting them through this will cause them to lose their elasticity and color much too quickly. If you must take away one thing from this post, it's that hand washing is the way to go!

The sun is our best friend, but not when it comes to drying swimmers. Once you've washed your swimmers and patted them dry it's time to air dry. The biggest thing to avoid when doing so is putting them out in the sun. The sun causes severe discoloration over time and can also ruin the elasticity of the fabric. Instead, lay them out in a cool, well ventilated room without putting them in direct sunlight. This takes a little longer than drying them in the sun, but you'll notice the difference after a few times of air drying them.

When it's time to air dry, avoid clipping or hanging your soaking wet swimsuits. The heavy water pulls them down and stretches them out (which is another reason we suggest patting them with a towel to soak up excess water before laying them out to dry). Clipping them on a hanger also causes awkward misshapen marks that don't come out as easily as you'd think. These stretch marks can be easily avoided by laying your swimsuit flat on a surface to dry. Just make sure to flip it over half way through to ensure it dries efficiently. By laying your swimsuit out rather than hanging, you allow your swimsuit to keep it's shape and ultimately it's elasticity. We also understand that sometimes laying your swimsuit out isn't an option due to limited surfaces being, so gently hanging them after patting them dry is the next best thing.

9. Sit on a towel so you don’t snag your suit

All this has us thinking, what else can we do to keep our swimsuits in their best shape? Well, we're sure you've heard how damaging hot tubs can be to swimsuits. We've all heard "don't wear a brand new swimmer in the hot tub" but do we really need to avoid hot tubs all together in our beautiful swimsuits!? Of course not! We have tips for caring for your swimmers after hot tubbing so you can have the luxury of hot tubbing without the worry of ruining your favorite swimmer.