# White swimsuit + chlorine = yellow swimsuit. Ruined? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 17, 2004, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-swimsuit-chlorine-yellow-swimsuit-ruined/245611 "2004-05-17T14:44:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Chicken\_Scratch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ce7236/32.png) [@Chicken\_Scratch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chicken_Scratch)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2004, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-swimsuit-chlorine-yellow-swimsuit-ruined/245611/1 "2004-05-17T14:44:09Z")
O Brilliant and Kind Dopers! Hear my plea! My white nylon/polyester/spandex swimsuit has yellowed from chlorine exposure, and I don’t know how to save it. I’ve looked online, but I haven’t located anything useful. Is there a secret that you would kindly like to share? Thanks! You guys rock! ---
**Author:** ![The\_Mad\_Hermit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b5ac83/32.png) [@The\_Mad\_Hermit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Mad_Hermit)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2004, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-swimsuit-chlorine-yellow-swimsuit-ruined/245611/2 "2004-05-17T15:04:55Z")
Are you sure it was the chlorine? 😃 _strolls away quickly_ ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2004, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-swimsuit-chlorine-yellow-swimsuit-ruined/245611/3 "2004-05-17T15:27:34Z")
You might try hitting it with Iron Out, but I doubt it can be saved. I learned long ago that white swimsuits are for sunbathing…not swimming. The chlorine just wrecks everything. ---
**Author:** ![IrreverentTone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@IrreverentTone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IrreverentTone)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2004, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-swimsuit-chlorine-yellow-swimsuit-ruined/245611/4 "2004-05-17T15:29:01Z")
I found this on google. I’ve never used it, but if the suit is expensive and/or adored it might be worth trying. [Yellow Out](http://www.mileskimball.com/jump.jsp?itemType=PRODUCT&iProductID=3752) ---
**Author:** ![Edward\_The\_Head](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ce73a5/32.png) [@Edward\_The\_Head](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Edward_The_Head)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2004, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-swimsuit-chlorine-yellow-swimsuit-ruined/245611/5 "2004-05-17T15:31:56Z")
> [@Chicken Scratch](#): > > O Brilliant and Kind Dopers! Hear my plea! My white nylon/polyester/spandex swimsuit has yellowed from chlorine exposure, and I don’t know how to save it. I’ve looked online, but I haven’t located anything useful. Is there a secret that you would kindly like to share? Thanks! You guys rock! Which is it? Is it nylon, polyester, spandex or lycra? They all do different things. Nylon tends to fade after use, don’t know what a white suit would do, but blue turns grey. There nothing you can do for nylon. I’ve never seen a spandex type suit fade though, usually they just wear out and then you can really see through them. I think you’ll be stuck with your yellow suit. ---
**Author:** ![Chicken\_Scratch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ce7236/32.png) [@Chicken\_Scratch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chicken_Scratch)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2004, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-swimsuit-chlorine-yellow-swimsuit-ruined/245611/6 "2004-05-17T15:44:00Z")
**Kalhoun** -If I had any common sense, I guess I would’ve figured out that chlorine was a bad idea, but who the heck makes a swimsuit out of fabric that can’t go swimming? **IrreverentTone** -Thanks! **Edward the Head** -The label lists nylon, polyester and spandex as the fabric content. The lining didn’t turn yellow, only the exterior. Don’t know what that’s made of specifically, though. And it wasn’t an expensive suit, it just makes my boobs look nice. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Philster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/13edae/32.png) [@Philster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Philster)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2004, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-swimsuit-chlorine-yellow-swimsuit-ruined/245611/7 "2004-05-17T16:30:15Z")
Try setting it in the sun after rinsing it thoroughly in warm water. (Check out the detegent aisle for products that remove color run off from other clothes. Also, a ‘-oxy’ type detergent could help. First, I’d try the sun. Then I’d try peroxide in the sun. Then an oxy booster/detegent. ---
**Author:** ![Finagle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@Finagle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Finagle)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2004, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-swimsuit-chlorine-yellow-swimsuit-ruined/245611/8 "2004-05-17T17:07:58Z")
Dye it a darker color? ---
**Author:** ![FilmGeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@FilmGeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FilmGeek)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2004, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-swimsuit-chlorine-yellow-swimsuit-ruined/245611/9 "2004-05-17T18:58:45Z")
You could just wear it. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Tiger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6de8d8/32.png) [@Mama\_Tiger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Tiger)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2004, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-swimsuit-chlorine-yellow-swimsuit-ruined/245611/10 "2004-05-17T19:07:26Z")
When my daughter was young and lived in the swimming pool all summer, her hair would turn green from the chlorine. I remember finding a shampoo that would strip the chlorine out of her hair and turn it back to its normal color. Can’t remember the name of it, but I’m sure somebody still makes it. I don’t know if it would work on fabric, but you never know. ---
**Author:** ![catsix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e19b73/32.png) [@catsix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/catsix)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2004, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-swimsuit-chlorine-yellow-swimsuit-ruined/245611/11 "2004-05-17T19:13:47Z")
I used to use [Ultra Swim](http://www.chattem.com/products/ultra.asp) on my hair back when I spent nearly half my life in a pool. It worked pretty well, but as I remember it was kind of expensive, and I have absolutely no idea what it’d do to a swimsuit or any other type of fabric. ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2004, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-swimsuit-chlorine-yellow-swimsuit-ruined/245611/12 "2004-05-17T21:00:59Z")
> [@Chicken Scratch](#): > > **Kalhoun** -If I had any common sense, I guess I would’ve figured out that chlorine was a bad idea, but who the heck makes a swimsuit out of fabric that can’t go swimming? I know! I know! I also saw a metallic looking suit that lost all it’s shiny stuff after a couple swims. Go figure. I think I saw something on TV where they had “dry clean only” tags on some suits. Unbelievable.