You can steam scuba material to deal with wrinkles or creases. The gentle heat allows the fibers to relax. Steaming while stretching the fabric helps to remove creases more quickly.
In this article, we explore how you can care for scuba fabric and how this differs from neoprene used for diving gear.
How Do You Get Wrinkles Out of Scuba Fabric?
Scuba fabric wrinkles easily when left creased for a long period of time, but there are a few methods to help it reset.
In certain cases, you can lay the fabric flat and the wrinkles will disappear within a day.
More severe cases require steam to relax the fibers so they can return to their original position. This works best if you stretch the fabric taught immediately after or you lay a heavy, flat item on top.
Some scuba material may tolerate an iron, but you want to use it on its lowest setting alongside a pressuring cloth. Scuba material acts as an insulator, so it heats up as soon as you lay the iron to it. You don’t want to stay in the same place for too long, and you want to avoid direct contact.
Do not use an iron on actual scuba diving gear. While it may tolerate steaming, running an iron over the neoprene runs a high risk of compromising the water resistant function and proper fit of your gear.
How Do You Care for Scuba Fabric?
While it doesn’t require a lot of care, there are a few things to not do when caring for scuba fabric
Make sure you avoid high temperatures that may melt the material. While you can use an iron on scuba fabric, you want to avoid direct contact and understand that the insulating nature of the material will cause it to heat up quickly.
Aim for hand washing scuba fabric. You may get away with a gentle wash in the machine, but it’s important to avoid hot water and harsh detergents that can damage the fine threads that compose the fabric.
Scuba fabric performs best when air dried. This limits the risk of melting in the dryer and ensures that no wrinkles set in while drying.
The Difference in Preserving a Wetsuit
While wetsuits are made of neoprene, you can adapt some of the care instructions. You want to:
- Avoid high temperatures
- Aim for hand washing
- Focus on air drying
You should rinse your wetsuit as soon as you finish using it. Many find it most convenient to wear the suit in the shower to thoroughly rinse their dive from the suit.
Wetsuits benefit from drip drying in an area that is cool and dark, and it’s most effective to dry them inside out. This allows the inside to dry first (which is particularly helpful if you want to wear it again soon) and prevents over exposure of the outside of the suit.
Avoid wire hangers for your wetsuit. They can corrode and are often too harsh on your wetsuit. It’s best to invest in a padded hanger, ideally a specially designed wetsuit hanger that can support the weight of your suit and prevent disfiguring it.
You should also take the time to lubricate your zipper every few years. Salt residue and regular use impact the performance of the zipper, and proper lubrication prevents annoying issues getting the suit on and off.
How Do You Clean Scuba Suede?
Whether you’re washing a scuba suit or simply scuba material, hand washing is your best friend. It may take more effort, but you reduce the risk of damaging your garment.
For this you need:
- A sink, large bowl, or bucket
- Rubber gloves (especially if you have sensitive skin or keep your nails long)
- A mild detergent (or one specifically designed for wetsuits and drysuits)
Start by filling your wash basin with warm water. If you think it’s too hot, it’s best to go cooler. The care label for your suit or garment may also tell you what the optimal washing temperature is.
Once you have the temperature right, you can add your detergent, usually about a Tablespoon. Mix this well with your water, then add your scuba material to the water. Let it soak and focus on keeping it submerged.
If you have a stubborn wet or drysuit that insists on floating, you can weigh it down with a heavy waterproof object (like a mug or a diving weight). In some cases, repeatedly pushing the garment down can help dislodge air bubbles and assist in agitation.
The time your scuba garment spends submerged depends on how dirty it is. If you notice stains, let them soak up to 30 minutes to improve your chances of getting them out.
If you haven’t already, agitate the material using the method above. Push it deeper into your wash bin, then let it float to the surface and repeat. Squeezing and massaging the material provides variety, and you can focus these efforts on specific areas. Rubbing the fabric against itself may help with more stubborn stains, but it also risks snagging the material.
Empty the dirty water from the wash bin, then refill with warm water. Repeat your squeezing and agitation, then empty, rinse, and repeat about 3 times. You want clear water at the end with no suds remaining.
You can squeeze the excess water from the fabric, but avoid twisting or wringing it out. This can damage the material in its sensitive state.
Hang your scuba suede garment, wetsuit, or drysuit and let it air dry completely before putting it away.
Does Scuba Knit Shrink?
Scuba knit involves synthetic fibers that should not shrink. While natural fibers like cotton or wool absorb plenty of water, synthetic material shows more water resistance. This also protects the fibers from weakening or losing strength and shape over time.
Materials usually shrink due to a combination of high absorption and heat that causes fibers to relax, thus losing their shape. Shrinking only involves the fibers returning to their natural length. Because the synthetic fibers in scuba knit are unlikely to skew, there should be no shrinkage when washing or drying.
Can You Put Scuba Knit in the Dryer?
Scuba knit should hold up in the dryer at most temperatures, but try to avoid higher temps as much as possible. More delicate pieces may melt or lose their form.
As you have nothing to worry about regarding shrinking, using the dryer is a convenient way to dry the material quickly or work out wrinkles all over the garment. Just understand the risks and try to keep the heat as low as possible.
Can You Put Neoprene in the Dryer?
You should not put neoprene in the dryer, especially not your diving gear.
We’ll touch more on this later, but these types of garments benefit most from air drying. While heat or shrinkage isn’t a major problem for neoprene or other wet and drysuit materials, the mechanical process of drying is more likely to damage the functionality of the gear.
Is Scuba Fabric the Same as Neoprene?
Scuba fabric is not the same as neoprene. In fact, scuba fabric only refers to material that mimics the appearance of neoprene used for scuba gear, but it is not a practical material for wet or drysuits.
Neoprene sandwiches spongy synthetic rubber between two pieces of fabric, usually nylon or polyester mixed with spandex or elastane. The combination of materials allows for more flexibility and increased 2 way stretch.
Neoprene can be anywhere from 1mm to 7mm thick, and the insulating properties increase with thickness. Suits designed for deep sea diving utilize neoprene from 2mm to 7mm.
The fabric offers moderate resistance to air and water. This lets some water get through to create an insulating layer against the skin for wetsuits, but drysuits use a seal to prevent water passage completely.
Scuba fabric is moreso a “fashion” version of neoprene. It uses spun polyester alongside spandex or lycra to create the double-knit fabric.
Scuba fabric may look like neoprene diving material, but there are some main differences to note:
- Scuba fabric is much thinner
- Scuba fabric is more flexible
- You get better drapability with scuba fabric
It’s ill-suited for diving, but there are still plenty of applications for scuba fabric.
What Can I Sew With Scuba Fabric?
As a medium weight double knit that’s easy to cut and sew, there are a lot of applications for scuba fabric. While you can use it for any pattern that calls for double knit, the best uses include:
- Bottoms (shorts or pants, but especially pencil skirts)
- Mock moto jackets
- Blazers
- Dresses
- Swimwear
These patterns benefit from the smoothness and medium drape of the fabric. They aren’t hindered by the heavier weight of the fabric.
Scuba fabric is ill-suited for most shirts as it might be too warm, but you might get away with sleeveless designs.
Can I Put a Wetsuit in the Washing Machine?
You should not put a wetsuit in the washing machine. Neoprene may be durable and resistant to high temperatures, but the agitation of the washing machine can negate water-resistance. You’ll notice this more along the seams of the suits, but you don’t want to compromise any protective features of the wetsuit.
It’s best to hand wash your wetsuit using the method listed above. Specialized washes help you clean and condition your gear with little risk, and you don’t need to question whether it will come out the way it went in.
References
https://www.amazon.com/Gear-Aid-Revivex-Wetsuit-Drysuit/dp/B077T32WDH
https://www.sewingbeefabrics.co.uk/neoprene-and-scuba-fabric-guide
https://silverbobbin.com/what-is-scuba-fabric/
https://siemachtsewingblog.com/2017/03/scuba-knit-tips/
https://www.cleanipedia.com/gb/laundry/how-to-wash-a-wetsuit.html