Ployester vs. Lycra Swim Suits

So, you have that swim suit that was a bargain deal and you had to get it because it was on sale, right? After a few swims it started to fall apart.  Did you get your moneys worth?  Maybe, maybe not.  There are basically 2 kinds of swim suits out there, Polyester and Lycra.  Here are the major differences between the two styles of swim suits.

Lycra:

Lycra is a stretchier fabric which allows flexibility and movement while you wear it.  Unfortunately, the chlorine breaks down the elastic movement and wears the suit away.  The color also breaks down and fades away.  As Jesse says, imagine a paper clip.  You can bend a paper clip in all sorts of ways, but when you bend it too much it breaks apart.  This is the same idea with Lycra swim suits.  It's great if you only need it for a summer and a kid will out grow it the following year, but if you need multiple uses out of it and wear it every day, Lycra would not be the right option for you.

Polyester:

Polyester suits do not stretch as much as the Lycra and tend to have a different fit, because of this, the suit does not break down as fast and has a longer use out of it.  The chlorine also does not affect the suit from fading.  The Polyester suits do cost a little more than the Lycra, but will outlast Lycra much longer.  If you are a competitive swimmer and need practice suits which you will wear every day, Polyester is the way to go and is worth the couple dollars more over time.

Suit Care:

Whichever suit you choose; to extend the life of the suit there are some Dos & Don'ts...

Do... rinse your suit in cold water and hang dry

Do... clean it with a soft soap, but not mandatory

DON'T... put them in those YMCA suit cleaning machines, or drying machines.  Again, Jess puts it great by comparing it to a taffy machine.  Taffy gets pulled and pushed and stretched.  This is the same thing that happens to your suit!  It won't matter if you have polyester or Lycra, you will be purchasing a new suit every couple months. 

DON'T... Forget to hang it up after using