These are the biggest swimsuit mistakes you don't know you're making

When the weather is warm, it’s tempting to throw on a bathing suit and just live in it all season long. Unfortunately, bikinis aren’t exactly office-friendly, so we’ll have to settle for keeping them contained to evenings and weekends at the beach.

Although they’re the epitome of relaxed fashion, swimsuits actually need more care than the rest of our wardrobe due to their delicate nature. That means paying special attention to wash instructions and drying times to keep them looking their best.

Swimsuit expert and owner of Bikini Haus boutiques in Toronto, Maryanne Terzis, sat down with us to bust the myths around bathing suits, and let us in on the mistakes that you might not even know you’re making.

Myth no. 1: I can toss my swimsuit in the wash after wearing it

Consider this myth officially busted. Maryanne recommends always hand-washing a swimsuit, or at the very least giving it a rinse in between wears.

“If you’re away somewhere, fill up your sink in the bathroom and rinse your suit. Then just let it soak like that overnight before letting it dry flat,” she advised.

She also recommends bringing along a small amount of a more powerful cleaning agent like Oxi Clean for getting rid of tougher stains.

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Myth no. 2: I should leave my swimsuit in the sun to dry

Despite the quick drying time, the sun is actually too harsh on the fabric to be a viable option for drying your swimsuit. The UV rays from the sun can weaken the fibres of your swimsuit, as well as bleach it and alter the original colour.

Instead of laying it out in the sun, Maryanne recommends leaving your swimsuit on a towel in the shade to dry.

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Myth no. 3: I can wear the same swimsuit for my entire vacation

For a tropical vacation, you should actually plan on packing one swimsuit for every day of the trip, or more if you’ll be in and out of the water often.

“Why wouldn’t you bring more?” said Terzis. “It doesn’t take up a lot of space in your wardrobe.”

To avoid sunburn or extreme tan lines over the course of your trip, she also recommends packing swimsuits with different necklines that you can rotate through each day. That way, you’ll end up with plenty of options for different activities or excursions should they come up.

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