Bodysuit Care: How to Wash and Store a Skye Bodysuit

Quick answer

Wash your Skye bodysuit by hand in cool water with a gentle detergent, then press the water out in a towel and dry it flat away from direct heat. Skip the dryer and never hang a wet bodysuit by its straps, because both stretch the knit and pull the snap closure out of alignment.

A bodysuit gets more contact with your skin, deodorant, and body lotion than almost anything else in your drawer, so it needs a gentler routine than your everyday laundry. The good news is that hand washing takes about five minutes once you have the steps in order.

This guide walks through how to wash a bodysuit, how to dry it without losing shape, and how to store it so the next wear feels the same as the first. It applies to any stretch bodysuit, with notes for the Skye bodysuit specifically.

Before you wash: read the label and sort by fabric

Check the care label first and follow it over any general advice, including this guide. If the label says dry clean only, do that. If it says machine wash, you still get better results from a mesh bag on a cold delicate cycle than from a normal load.

Sort bodysuits by fabric weight rather than color alone. A smooth stretch knit can handle a slightly longer soak than a lace-trimmed piece, and mixing them means the delicate item sits in water longer than it should. When in doubt, wash the most delicate item separately.

• Keep a small bottle of gentle detergent near the sink so hand washing stays a two-minute habit instead of a chore you postpone.
• If your bodysuit has a snap closure, close it before washing so the hooks do not catch on lace or mesh.

How to hand wash a bodysuit without stretching it

Fill a basin with cool water and add a small amount of gentle detergent, then submerge the bodysuit and gently squeeze the suds through the fabric. Do not scrub, wring, or twist. The stretch in a bodysuit comes from the knit structure, and twisting is what breaks it down over time.

Let it soak for five to ten minutes, then rinse in cool water until the water runs clear. If the bodysuit is heavily soiled around the gusset, spot treat that area with a drop of detergent and your fingertips before soaking, rather than reaching for a stain remover with bleach.

• Never leave a bodysuit soaking overnight; extended soaking dulls color and weakens elastic.
• Skip fabric softener, which coats stretch fibers and reduces their ability to bounce back.

Drying: the step that decides whether it keeps its shape

Lay the bodysuit flat on a clean towel, roll the towel up, and press gently to lift out excess water. Then lay it flat on a drying rack in a spot with air movement, reshaping the neckline and leg openings with your hands while it is still damp.

Heat is the main enemy here. A tumble dryer or a radiator will shrink stretch fabric and distort the snap area, so air drying is worth the extra wait. Keep it out of direct sun, which fades darker shades faster than you would expect.

• If you must hang it, use a clip hanger at the waist rather than hanging by the straps.
• A bodysuit that still feels damp at the seams needs more time flat, not more heat.

Storing bodysuits so they stay ready to wear

Once fully dry, fold the bodysuit in thirds and stack it in a drawer rather than hanging it. Hanging puts the whole weight of the garment on two thin straps, which is exactly how straps stretch out and stop sitting flat under clothing.

If you are short on drawer space, a soft fabric bin works well because it lets the bodysuit lie flat without compression. Keep scented sachets and cedar blocks out of direct contact with the fabric, and give anything you wore for a full day a rest before folding it back in.

• Store bodysuits separately from anything with zips, hooks, or rough hardware that can snag the knit.
• Rotate two or three bodysuits rather than wearing one repeatedly, which gives the elastic time to recover.

Your five-step bodysuit wash routine

1. 1. Check the label and close the snaps: Read the care label and follow it over general advice. Close any snap closure so hooks do not snag lace or mesh during the wash. Checkpoint: if the label says dry clean only, stop here and take it to a cleaner.
2. 2. Soak in cool water with gentle detergent: Use a basin of cool water and a small amount of gentle detergent. Submerge and squeeze the suds through the fabric for a few seconds, then leave it for five to ten minutes. Common mistake: using hot water or a standard laundry detergent, both of which dull color and stress elastic.
3. 3. Rinse until the water runs clear: Rinse in cool water, gently squeezing rather than wringing. If suds still appear, rinse again; leftover detergent attracts dirt and can leave a stiff feel. Common mistake: wringing or twisting to speed up rinsing, which is the fastest way to stretch a bodysuit out of shape.
4. 4. Press dry in a towel, then lay flat: Roll the bodysuit in a clean towel and press to remove excess water. Lay it flat on a rack, reshaping the neckline and leg openings by hand while damp. Checkpoint: no dryer, no radiator, and no hanging by the straps.
5. 5. Fold and store flat once fully dry: Fold in thirds and stack in a drawer or soft bin, away from zips and hardware. Give a worn bodysuit a rest day before folding it back in. Next step: rotate two or three bodysuits so each one has time to recover between wears.

What the fabric tells you about care

• Amy Set - Smokey Blue: Reinforced lace lined with powermesh provides lift and luxurious comfort, and the set pairs with a silky tanga knicker. Powermesh holds its shape well but does not like heat, so treat any powermesh piece like a delicate: cool hand wash and flat dry.
• Emily Cheeky Knicker - Magnetic Blue: Made from luxurious four-way power mesh that is extremely soft to the touch, with a lace front, and the brand recommends sizing up in this knicker. Four-way stretch mesh recovers best when it is not wrung or tumble dried, so the same flat-dry habit you use on a bodysuit applies here.
• Howdy Howdy, Lets Get Rowdy Sleep Set: Made from 100% breathable cotton, with added space in the arms and across the back for movement. Cotton sleepwear can take a slightly warmer wash than stretch mesh, but keeping it out of a hot dryer still protects the fit.

Treat a bodysuit like the delicate it is: cool hand wash, flat dry, fold to store. Do that and your Skye bodysuit will keep its shape and its snap alignment wear after wear, which is the whole point of a bodysuit care guide.