Here's the thing about Tini Togs. We design them to last. The premium nylon-spandex blend, the reinforced seams, the proper 4-way stretch — all of it is there to survive being absolutely wrecked by your kid every weekend for a full summer.
But "last" doesn't mean "survive anything you throw at them." A few small habits will keep your Toggies looking new for two summers, three summers, sometimes longer when they get handed down. Here's the whole care drill in plain English.
Rule one: rinse first, wash second
Chlorine and salt are the fastest way to age swimwear. The fabric will hold up against them, but only if you rinse the suit in fresh water as soon as possible after a swim. Doesn't have to be fancy — a quick rinse in the pool change room sink, the beach shower, or the laundry tub at home is enough.
If you can't rinse straight away, stick the wet suit in a wet bag (or honestly, a plastic bag) and rinse it the moment you're home. The longer chlorine sits in the fabric, the harder it works against the elastane. Same goes for salt and sunscreen residue.
Rule two: cold water and gentle
Once you're home and ready to actually wash:
- Cold water only. Hot water destroys the stretch.
- Gentle cycle, or hand wash if you're feeling fancy.
- Mild detergent. No fabric softener — it coats the fibres and reduces stretch and UV protection.
- No bleach. Ever. Even for white-ish prints.
- Lay flat or hang in shade to dry. The dryer is the death of swimwear.
If you forget all of that, the most important rule is just: don't put a Toggie in the dryer. The heat shrinks the elastane and the suit will lose its shape immediately.
Rule three: don't wring it out
We get it. The instinct to twist a wet swimsuit and squeeze every drop out is real. But twisting stretches the fibres in ways they aren't meant to stretch and warps the shape over time. Press it between a clean towel instead — gentle pressure, no twisting — and let gravity do the rest.
Rule four: storage actually matters
This one feels too small to bother with, but it makes a real difference. Off-season, fold your Toggies flat (not crumpled) and keep them in a drawer or container that doesn't get hot. Don't store them on a hot car backseat. Don't store them in a damp swim bag for three weeks (we've all been there). Don't store them on a wire hanger that pokes through the seams.
If you're handing them down, take a moment to give them a final fresh-water rinse and a flat dry before they go into storage. Future you, or future cousin, will thank you.
What happens to a well-loved Toggie
If you're doing all of the above, your Toggie should still look basically new after a full Aussie summer. The colours hold up because we use proper sublimation dyes that bond with the fabric. The stretch holds up because the spandex content is high. The seams hold up because we test them on real climbing, splashing, jumping kids before they ship.
After a couple of summers, you might see slight fade on the most-worn suit. That's just a sign it's lived a good life.
And when in doubt, ask
If something does go wrong — a thread pulls, a colour transfers, a zip starts catching — get in touch. We have a 30-day love-it guarantee on every Toggie, but we also just like fixing things when they're not right. There's no robot DMs and no automated email loops. You'll get a real human (probably Holly, with a coffee) sorting it out.
Take care of them and they'll take care of you. That's pretty much it.
