It’s that time of year when it’s cold everywhere. It’s cold inside, it’s cold outside, it’s just plain cold. And you may not be thinking about SCUBA diving or maybe you are. We do have a trip that is headed to Cozumel next month while the rest of us freeze here in the midwest. But the one thing that you should be thinking about is the proper storage of your wetsuit.
Whether you are storing you thin mil wetsuit ready for Cozumel or you are storing your heavy mil wetsuit used for Mermet Springs, the most important thing is proper storage. While a wetsuit won’t last forever, the better you store it, the longer it will last. Let’s restate that, good maintenance won’t make them last forever, but it will prolong their life.
Wetsuit Maintenance
Clean your wetsuit. There is a proper way to wash your wetsuit and an improper way to wash your wetsuit. When you get out of the water, especially if it is salt water, make sure to rinse your wetsuit inside out with fresh water. Then once you are home or in a better location, wash the neoprene wetsuits after each use by using wetsuit cleaner. The cleaner is designed to be used on neoprene and will help eliminate odors. Do not use regular laundry detergent. It is not good on the neoprene. There is nothing worse than smelly neoprene. Okay, maybe there is, but have you smelled smelly neoprene? It’s pretty rank.
Dry the wetsuits completely before storing them. The should be hung on a heavy-duty hanger. Also, make sure to keep them out of direct sunlight. Direct sunlight is harsh on most any material, so it is best to store them to dry in the shade should you dry them outside. If indoors is where you choose to dry them, keep them in a cool dry place.
Other suggestions:
- When removing your wetsuit, sit down.
- Don’t stand on your wetsuit. It’s not good on them.
- If your zipper starts to stick, make sure to lube the zipper with zipper lube. How do you know if your zipper needs this? Well, they will become extremely difficult to zip up and down.
- Repetitive deep dive will cause your wetsuit to compress a wetsuit. So you may have to replace your suit after a few years.