To make a training suit last from fall season through NCAAs, rinse it in cold fresh water immediately after every practice, never wring or machine wash it, and rotate between two or three suits so each one has 24 hours to fully dry and recover. Fabric and lining quality are the foundation, everything else is maintenance.
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A college swim season is long. From the first fall practice through conference championships and, if you're lucky, NCAAs, you're logging thousands of yards a week in a chlorinated pool. That is a serious amount of wear on any piece of fabric.
The good news? A great training suit, looked after properly, can genuinely go the distance. Here's how to get the most out of every suit in your bag, all season long.
The college swim season and what it does to your suit
Most NCAA programs run a full-year training calendar. Fall season kicks off in September with heavy yardage and doubles, building through mid-season meets toward conference championships in February and March. Club swimmers follow a similar pattern, often adding summer season on top.
That's roughly 9–10 months of serious chlorine exposure. Standard swimwear can start degrading in as little as 4–6 weeks under that kind of load. A chlorine-resistant suit with a quality lining will outlast that, but only if you're taking care of it along the way.
Fall season (Sep – Nov)
Heavy yardage, two-a-days. Your suits take the most punishment here. Rotate two suits minimum and rinse religiously.
Mid-season (Nov – Jan)
Training volume stays high. This is when cheaper suits start to show wear - fading, sagging lining, loss of compression.
Taper + championships (Feb – Mar)
You want your suit feeling its best right now. If you've rotated and cared for it properly, it still should.
The five habits that actually make a difference
1. Rinse immediately after practice
Chlorine keeps breaking down fabric fibers even after you get out of the pool. Rinsing your suit in cold fresh water within minutes of finishing practice stops that process. It takes 30 seconds and makes a measurable difference over a full season. Don't leave your suit sitting in your swim bag.
2. Hand wash, never machine wash
Machine washing, even on a gentle cycle is too aggressive for performance swimwear. The agitation damages the fibers and degrades the lining faster than pool use does. Use a small amount of gentle, swimwear-specific wash and work it through by hand.
3. Never wring it out
Wringing twists and stresses the fibers in exactly the wrong way. Instead, gently press the suit against a towel or roll it inside one to remove excess water.
4. Lay flat to dry, away from heat and sun
Heat is the other enemy of swimwear longevity. Tumble drying, radiator drying, or leaving your suit in direct sunlight all accelerate fabric breakdown. Lay it flat in a shaded, ventilated space and let it dry naturally.
5. Rotate at least two suits
This is one of the biggest factors in extending the life of your suit. Giving each suit a full 24 hours to dry and recover between sessions helps the fibres maintain their shape and performance over time. If you’re training twice a day, we’d recommend having at least three suits to rotate through.
Does suit quality affect how long it lasts?
Absolutely, and dramatically. All of the habits above matter more when you start with a suit built to handle the load. JAYD suits are made with a premium Italian fabric and a 100% PBT lining, both engineered specifically for chlorine resistance and long-term durability. A quality suit with good care habits will outlast a cheap suit with perfect care habits, every time.
If you want to go deeper on why fabric and lining make such a difference, our chlorine-resistant swimwear guide covers exactly that.
Building a rotation that works for your schedule
Not sure how many suits you actually need? A good rule of thumb for college swimmers:
Training 5x per week: 2 suits minimum, 3 preferred.
Training 8–10x per week (doubles): 3 suits is the sweet spot.
Year-round club + college: Consider building out a small swimwear rotation that mixes training and recovery suits.
Browse the full JAYD one piece range to find your rotation, and make sure you're still going strong when it matters most.
Swim strong.
Frequently asked questions
How long should a training suit last for a college swimmer?
A high-quality chlorine-resistant training suit can last a full NCAA season (4–5 months of daily training) with proper care. Rotating between two or three suits and rinsing after every practice significantly extends the lifespan of each one.
Should I machine wash my swimsuit?
No, machine washing, even on a gentle cycle, is too aggressive for performance swimwear. Hand washing in cold water with a gentle detergent preserves the fabric and lining far better over a full season of use.
How many training suits does a D1 swimmer need?
Most D1 swimmers benefit from rotating two to three training suits. Swimmers doing doubles (two practices per day) should have at least three suits to ensure each one has adequate time to dry and recover between sessions.
Why does my swimsuit go see-through after a few months?
This is usually a sign of lining degradation, not outer fabric failure. Low-quality nylon linings break down quickly under heavy chlorine exposure. Suits with a 100% PBT lining, like JAYD, are specifically engineered to resist this and maintain opacity season after season.