Lifespan of a Speedo

[tequilarise]

Hey guys, I was just wondering what is the typical lifespan of a pair of speedos if it is not worn, and is just kept in the cupboard? I have quite a few pairs and some of them are new that I have not worn in the pool before. I am not sure if they have a particular shelf life, like the rubber waistband will start to lose its elasticity?

[swimcmk]

They have a really long shelf life. I have bought new in box speedos that were three years old and were in perfect condition. From my experience Chlorine in swimming pools is the biggest killer I don't know how they do in salt water?

[lovespeedos]

I have some speedos which are nearly 30 years old and still wear them occasionally.They have a drawstring rather than a rubber waistband and have lost none of their stretchability.I always wash them in fresh water without detergents after use in pool or sea.Hope this helps.

[swimmerboy]

The lifespan is HIGHLY dependent on usage.

At the top of the list is chlorine and sun damage. Swim team suits can last as little as 6 months with daily use in a chemically unstable pool

Next, you get physical wear and tear: washing machines, wringing them out (which Speedo recommends against,) tumble drying...and um other physical abuse hehe...

In time, even a new-in-box suit will decay as the synthetic materials break down on a molecular level. My first team suit is now a limp tacky pile of see through lycra...looks like a wadded up nylon lol

[tequilarise]

Wow, your 30 year old pair of Speedos still looks so good and the design is still so contemporary. By the way, you look really hot in your pair of Speedos I particularly like the skimpy sides that show off your legs well.

Yeah, I was just wondering how long a new pair would last if I did not wear them. I hope I don't wake up one day to find that they have disintegrated into a pile of synthetic fibres like what swimmerboy has described, or that they fall apart once I get into the pool. That would be very embarrassing indeed!

[Speedo76]

Whatever you do, NEVER use a fabric softener as this will ruin your Speedos in no time. Speedo did say on the care instructions label that you can put your Speedos in the washing machine - at 30 degrees wash - but I don't do this. I prefer to hand-rinse my Speedos under a running tap water after swimming and let it hang dry naturally, out of direct sunlight and away from a heat source (i.e. radiators).

There's not much we could do about chlorine in swimming pools but it's best to get your Speedo properly rinsed with water as soon as possible. I usually rinse mine around 20-25 mins after getting out of the pool and arriving back at my work and use the washroom. So far all my Speedo briefs are still in great nick, even though I regularly go to the swimming pool 3 times a week.

Also, having a handful of Speedo briefs can help you to keep them last longer, since you are able to rotate them more often, rather than always wearing one or two same Speedo briefs every week.

[Speedo76]

I have some speedos which are nearly 30 years old and still wear them occasionally.They have a drawstring rather than a rubber waistband and have lost none of their stretchability.I always wash them in fresh water without detergents after use in pool or sea.Hope this helps.

Your Speedos looks really great, if I may say so, sir!

[swimteam]

Older speedos get a little saggy and make you look like a "grape smuggler." Newer ones keep your stuff high and tight and are complimentary in the way they reshape your package.

Here's a pictorial comparison of an average guy (someone I know well). On the left are 3-year old Speedos. Just worn for recreation not competition, maybe 3x a month and half the time in chlorinated pools and half the times in fishpee filled lakes. After the pools I (ahem, HE) always rinses them well in tap water.



The newer ones (on the right) are about 3 months old and have 2 trips to a chlorine pool. They are much tighter, and though we all want our stuff to appear gargantuan, the tighter is more appealing as it doesn't seem so sloppy. Unfortunately, it took this comparison for me to realize this.

[Birdsong73]

Maybe it is me, but my speedos tend to last a long time. I do rotate the use of them (about 8 in the rotation) but I think it is how you take care of them after you are finished. Once I walk back into the locker room and get into the shower, I immediately take them off and place them on a changing table out of contact with the hot water from the shower. I lightly wring them out, but I will take them to the sink and thoroughly rinse them with cold tap water. In our locker room we have a machine called a Suitmate (www.suitmate.com) that you put your suit in and it spins off 95% of the water. I love that machine. I then hang up my suit out of direct contact with the sun and it will be dry in a few hours. Most of my suits have not lost their elasticity and are not droopy in places.

[speedoluv]

Oh wow I did not know that there is such a machine specially built for drying swim suits, amazing! I imagine that it is super convenient, and it is great that your gym/pool provides the machine in the locker room.

[MrMusik]

Oh wow I did not know that there is such a machine specially built for drying swim suits, amazing! I imagine that it is super convenient, and it is great that your gym/pool provides the machine in the locker room.

Yeah, those suitmate machines are great! My regular pool does not have one, but I visited a hot springs Montana and they had one in the locker room. My suit was practically dry when I took it out after a quick spin. I was able to put it back on and it was completely dry in just a few minutes.

[Pantless]

Two practices everyday and meets on Saturday can damage a suit quickly.During the practices you have one suit.During the meets you have two either home or away.

[...:::sam:::...]

Nylon Aussiebums last me about 12 weeks with pool swimming. The chlorine kills them. Well, the material itself isn't a problem, it washes the colour out and they go transparent when wet.

[clem]

Surprised at the amount of washing going on. All I have ever done is rinse my speedos out thoroughly in the shower after a pool session. Then a Suitmate spin dry if available, otherwise a good squeeze (never wring) then air dry. Pretty easy, they're dry by the time I drive home.

[...:::sam:::...]

I don't either. I either just wear them home and they dry on the way or I put them in my bag and then hang them out when I get home.

[Pantless]

Just rinse them out in the lockeroom

[Baltspeed]

Just rinse them out in the lockeroom

Yes, so do I, too. Then drying in the air.

[Pantless]

Air dry too.