How to Keep Neon Swimwear Bright

Posted By HiViz Swimwear on February 2026

How to Care for Your Kids’ Neon Swimwear to Keep it Bright

There's nothing more frustrating than accidentally leaving the kids' swimsuits in the bag with the towel and having them mildew, or worse, bleed onto towels and other swimsuits! While we can't help you not forget to unpack the bag, the good news is our kids' neon swimwear is a polyester spandex blend and will not bleed like nylon swimwear. That means your bright neon colors will stay in your bright neon swimwear! After all, the reason you want neon swimwear is for the brightness, right?

That being said, there are a few best practices and recommended care instructions that can help you keep your swimwear in top-notch condition until the kids grow out of it!

Post-Use Rinse Your Kids’ Neon Swimsuits

As soon as the beach day or pool trip is over, neon swimwear care begins:

Rinse the suit with cool, clean freshwater. This helps to remove residues such as chlorine, salt, sand, and oils before they set into the fabric.
Gently squeeze (never wring or twist) to remove excess water.
Hang or lay the swimwear flat to dry.

Letting residues sit can accelerate fading, especially in a bright color like neon yellow. This is particularly important for lake and ocean water that is full of tiny particles. Nylon swimwear is much more susceptible to fading and breakdown than HiViz's polyester swimwear. If you find you have particles stuck in your kids' neon swimwear, read our blog about cleaning your neon swimwear for tips on removing them.

Washing Your Kids’ Neon Swimwear

Life is busy, and washing the kids' neon swimwear isn't always top of the to-do list! However, there does come a time when washing it becomes a necessity! When it’s time for a full wash:

Use a mild liquid detergent labeled as color-safe. Avoid powder detergents that may leave abrasive granules behind.
Skip fabric softeners, which coat the fabric and dull its brightness.
Every few washes, add ½ cup of white vinegar to the rinse cycle. This helps restore brightness by breaking down residue.
Machine wash on a cold, delicate cycle inside a mesh laundry bag.

Never use hot water, harsh soaps, or agitation cycles. Over time, these degrade polyester elastane and fade neon pigment. With nylon, even gentle washing can cause significant fading.

Air-Dry Your Kids’ Neon Swimsuits

For the longest life of your bright neon swimwear, follow these tips:

Lay flat to air dry your neon swimwear. If it’s outside, make sure it is in the shade. Sunlight exposure degrades swimwear over time.
Avoid dryers, heat vents, or direct radiator drying.
Store dry swimwear loosely folded in a breathable cotton bag. Avoid damp corners or plastic bins that trap moisture.

Having multiple pieces of swimwear so you can rotate neon swimsuits can help preserve the color and integrity because you’re not rushing to clean it ignoring best practices due to time constraints.

How to Prevent Neon Swimwear Discoloration

Apply sunscreen at least 15 minutes before putting on the suit. This gives it time to absorb into skin and reduces transfer.
Rinse the suit after every swim, no matter how short.
Avoid sitting on rough or dirty surfaces like concrete. Friction can cause pilling, dull the fabric, and grind in debris.
Keep food and drinks away from the suit when it’s not in use. Neon shows stains more visibly than darker colors.

Our HiViz’s kids’ neon swimwear is built for boldness and visibility. While the instructions above are best practices, we know that life happens, too. We definitely aren’t able to always care for our HiViz neon swimsuits according to care directions. This is why we have chosen a high-quality polyester spandex swim blend that holds up better to less ideal care than other swimwear brands do, especially nylons.

Want to expand your neon collection? Browse our full range of high-visibility swimwear here and keep your kids safe and bright in the water.

Teach safety before fun.

Teach Safety First - The water is like the road.

We teach our kids not to go near the road without an adult. Not to chase toys into the road-and they listen. We teach them that it is dangerous. So we can teach our kids that water is the same. You do not go near it without an adult. You never go into it chasing your toys. It is dangerous.

There is plenty of time to teach them how to have fun after we teach them safety.

In-Water Water Safety:

Make sure to engage your children in conversations about appropriate actions when they witness another swimmer in distress.

Things to make sure you let them know:

Do not enter the water themselves, even if it's their sibling
Instead, scream for help, attract the attention of adults
Call emergency services if they are capable.

This knowledge empowers children to take the right actions while staying safe and potentially avoid an even more serious situation.

FAQs

WHY THE SAFEST SWIMSUIT COLOR IS NEON

Neon swimwear has been proven to be the most visible color when submerged, making neon the best swimsuit color for visibility. Dressing your kids in our neon rash guards will make them stand out at the beach, pool, or splash pad! You can rest easy knowing you'll easily be able to keep an eye on them.

WHY HIVZ NEON SWIMWEAR STAY SO BRIGHT

When we started HiViz and were searching for 'the right' material for our suits we were looking for high-quality material with great colorfastness-that is how well the material retains color. Most swimwear companies use nylon spandex blends, we don't. The way color is bound to polyester fibers is in a much more permanent way than how nylon is dyed. This means that polyester will hold onto the color while nylon swimwear bleeds color every time it gets wet causing recurring colorloss and bleacing out the color. When you're buying swimwear for it's bright neon color, bleeding color and lightening is not what you want-this is why HiViz customer's love our polyester blend!