When You Rinse Your Swimsuit in the Shower on Vacation, Is That… Enough?

So, you’re on vacation — and, lucky you, there’s a pool or a beach. After a dip in the water, it makes total sense to rinse your swimsuit in the shower, hang it up, and grab it again next time you head to the pool. Many hotels and Airbnbs don’t have washing machines, and let’s be honest, laundry isn’t exactly the most relaxing way to spend a trip. But according to laundry expert Patric Richardson, owner of the Minneapolis-based boutique Mona Williams and author of Laundry Love, planning ahead a bit (and spending a couple minutes of time on your swimsuit) can help protect you from skin irritation and even infection. 

The first thing to know: A quick rinse of your swimsuit in the shower is definitely better than nothing at all. “But because most swimsuits are made of polyester, they’re going to absorb oil and bacteria from your skin that won’t come out with just a rinse,” he says. That bacteria, he adds, can irritate your skin or even contribute to infections. 

In an ideal world, Richardson says he’d toss the swimsuit in a mesh bag and wash it in a machine with laundry soap and oxygen bleach. But that’s not always realistic, especially if you’re on vacation without access to laundry. The next best solution? Wash your swimsuit in the bathroom sink with laundry soap and oxygen bleach. While soap washes off the bacteria, oxygen bleach (also called sodium percarbonate) breaks down enzymes from sweat and oil, so your swimsuit will be as fresh as if you washed it in a machine. 

No worries if you didn’t bring any laundry supplies. Richardson uses the Laundress’ All-Purpose Bleach Alternative. Most big-box stores sell OxiClean, he says, and Whole Foods sells an oxygen bleach in their laundry aisle. Body soap or even shampoo can be good stand-ins for laundry soap in a pinch, but steer clear of detergent, which will be too harsh on swimsuit fabric. 

When you’re ready to wash, put your dirty swimsuit in the sink, fill it with warm water and then add a bit of soap and oxygen bleach. Let the swimsuit sit for about five minutes in the solution, then swish it around and rinse it out with clean water. Hang it to dry, and it’ll be ready to use when it’s time for your next swim or beach day!

If you don’t have time to fuss with a thorough sink-wash, then Richardson recommends rinsing the swimsuit with a bit of shampoo in the shower before hanging it to dry — you’re already in the shower, so it’s worth taking the extra step to actually clean it.

But if you’ll be on vacation more than a couple of days, then definitely bring an extra swimsuit or two, or find a way to wash it. “I definitely wouldn’t do the shampoo and rinse method for more than four days before I started to worry about bacteria on my swimsuit,” Richardson says.