Spring Cleaning Tips for Your Wetsuit and Board

Spring is literally just a few short days away, and nothing says spring more than “spring cleaning”. This is a great time to take inventory of your surfing gear and give it a thorough cleaning before the busy summer surfing season. Here are some tips to thoroughly cleaning your wetsuit and surfboard. 

Washing Your Wetsuit

While you may not use your wetsuit during the summer months, it is still important to give a good cleaning before putting it away for the season. When it comes to wetsuits, you can’t just throw them in the wash like you would with other articles of clothing. To wash a wetsuit, you will need special wetsuit cleaner that will remove salt and bacteria, without destroying the neoprene of your wetsuit.

Follow the steps to below to properly sanitize and clean your wetsuit:

1. Immediately after wearing rinse your wetsuit (both inside and out) with fresh water. The water temperature should be cool or tepid. Avoid hot water as that will cause your neoprene to lose some flexibility.

2. After rinsing, fill a bucket with water and use wetsuit shampoo or cleaner to thoroughly clean your wetsuit. You’ll want to knead the cleaner into the wetsuit with your hands.

3. After applying shampoo, add in Mirazyme to help get rid of any lingering odors or bacteria.

4. Lastly, you will want to hang your wetsuit to dry, both inside and out.

 Cleaning Your Board

Not only is it important to clean your wetsuit, but it is also important to clean your board. Your board can accumulate old wax, water residue, and just other “funk”.  Like with wetsuits, you will need a special surfboard cleaner to clean your board. 

Follow these steps to clean your board thoroughly:

1. First, you will need to melt the existing wax on the board. This can be done by leaving your board in the sun for five minutes (if it is warm enough outside) or dumping hot water on your board.

2. You will then need to scrape off the wax with a wax comb.

3. Next, you will apply surfboard cleaner to your board. Be sure to read the directions of your specific cleaner. Spray the cleaner on the board and wipe in a pattern. Once the board is thoroughly wiped down, you will need to ensure there is no wax remnants.

4. After your board is sparkling clean, you will then need to apply new wax. (Check out our recent wax guide  on everything you need to know about surfboard wax).

As you are going about spring cleaning your house, don’t forget to clean your surfing gear. A good spring cleaning of your wetsuit and board is not just good to do from a pure cleanliness standpoint, but will also ensure their longevity for years to come.