cleaning wet suits

[PK]

So I saw a product in a dive shop last weekend called wetsuit shampoo. Does anyone know what this is (ingredients)? I'm a new diver and just bought my first wetsuit last July. Besides rinsing in fresh water after every dive, it seems like a good idea to give it a deeper wash every once in a while.

What are your opinions?
What do you use to clean wetsuits?
Is there a simple homemade cleanser recipe?
How often?

Thanks!

[GP]

I use Tide HE laundry detergent. I add a small amount to a large rubbermaid tub filled about half full of warm water and hand wash the suit. It works real well and the HE formula doesn't suds up real bad like regular detergent.

[MSilvia]

I got a few small packets of this product, and added them to a liter bottle of water. Every few dives, I add a splash of it to my rinse tub, just to kill the old ocean smell. My roommate was pleased the basement didn't "smell like Neptune's a$$" anymore.

Beyond that, I just give it a good hand washing with mild detergent before I put it away for the winter.

[kystork]

Woolite works good too. I put half cap full in a rubbermaid tub and soak them 15-30 mins...comes out smelling good.
You have a variety of ideas, so good luck

[Garfish]

Hello:

I also use non bleach liquid tide for cleaning my wetsuits after every dive. I use generally one half cap full in warm water and let my wetsuit soak for about an hour.
Afterwards , i'll hang it out outside and use the garden hose to flush it out. It does a good job and also make it smell great.
Also to say it does no damage to the neoprene.

Safe diving to you:

[scorpionfish]

PK,

I usually just rinse my suit out with fresh water after most dives on an extended trip (5 days or more). However, after the 5th day or so, I wash it in woolite with (I can hear the groans now!) with 1/8 to 1/4 cup of Chlorox. I know that the mfgs do not recommend bleach, but I figured that a small amount used irregularly would do minimal harm. So, far, so good: my 3mil suit is 4 years old and seems to be just fine! It usually experiences 100 dives a year and looks like it is nowhere near the end of the scuba trail!

In addition, if I am staying in a condo with a clothes washer, I will use it to do the job: I use the delicate cycle. Again, no harm seems to have been done. When I get home, if I have not had a clothes washer available to me, I give my suits the washer treatment after the trip. Needless to say, even though I am saying it, I do not use the drier!

Odors are usually due to bacterial action and the bleach seems to kill them off nicely. Goodness, I like to don a clean-smelling suit instead of a grotty one!

(the cleanest smelling) Scorpionfish

[PK]

Thank you for all these great ideas! I knew I didn't have to buy that tiny little can of mystery wet suit shampoo.

[vertaqua]

I've never had a problem with just rinsing my suit off with the garden hose after each dive trip, and then let it hang dry. Although I might try the washing machine thing( I'm just afraid I'd break the thing). All the years I've just been rinsing my wetsuit with plain old water My suit has never smelled like neptune's ass.
Just my .02 $

[MSilvia]

No, and mine wouldn't have smelled like that either if I'd been diligent about rinsing it in a timely fashion, but alas I let it sit in the car when I got home, and promptly forgot all about it until after I had left for a July weekend away... in a friend's car.

I learned my lesson, used some on the interior of the car too, and had a bunch of the stuff left over, so I figured I might as well use it periodically.

[TigerShark]

Hi,

is there any thing i need to do with a brand-new wetsuit so that it'll last longer??

what do you guys normally do with a brand-new wetsuit??

I think drying in the sun is a big NO-NO......rite???