Whether at the beach, pool or at the gym, swimwear is an essential item for enjoying summer activities. But have you ever had the embarrassing problem of fading or oozing dye from your swimsuit? If so, then you urgently need to understand the importance of swimsuit color fastness testing. In this blog, I will take the role of a swimsuit manufacturer and show you how to conduct color fastness testing.

Color fastness testing assesses a swimwear material's resistance to water, heat and light to determine whether its color will remain stable during use and washing. Wet test, dry test and atmospheric test are common test methods for color fastness of swimwear.

Wet Test

1. Prepare a sink, thermometer, friction device, swimsuit samples for testing, water and possibly a solution simulating swimming conditions (such as salt water).

2. Wash and dry the swimsuit sample to be tested, making sure it shows no signs of previous use or handling. If required, pre-treatment (e.g. dyeing, heat treatment) can be carried out on request.

3. Completely soak the swimsuit sample in the water tank to ensure that the sample is thoroughly wetted and no air bubbles remain. If a specific environment needs to be simulated, appropriate solutions can be added to the water.

4. Apply rubbing or stretching force to the swimsuit sample using a rubber or other appropriate method as required. This simulates what might happen to a swimsuit during swimming or other sports.

5. During the test, observe whether the color of the swimsuit sample has faded, whether the dye has bleed, or whether there are other abnormal phenomena. The degree of color change can be assessed by comparing previous and subsequent colors or by quantitative measurement using an instrument.

Dry Test

1. Prepare color fastness testing machine, friction device, and swimsuit samples for testing, which may have specific testing conditions (such as temperature, humidity, time, etc.).

2. Fix the swimsuit sample on the jig of the test equipment, make sure it is fastened firmly and flat.

3. Apply an appropriate friction or abrasion force to the test equipment. This can be done by rotating the head, rubbing or abrasion against the fabric of the swimsuit, etc.

4. During the test, observe whether there is color fading, hairiness, pilling, etc. on the surface of the swimsuit sample.

Atmospheric Test

1. Prepare the atmospheric exposure box, thermometer, hygrometer, and swimsuit samples for testing.

2. According to the test requirements, determine the appropriate atmospheric exposure conditions, including temperature, humidity and exposure time.

3. Place the swimsuit sample in the atmospheric exposure box to ensure that the sample can be exposed to the set temperature and humidity conditions.

4. During the exposure process, changes on the surface of the swimsuit can be observed periodically, such as color fading, cracks, pilling, etc.

In daily life, proper washing and maintenance, multiple sets of swimsuits and attention to environmental factors are the keys to keeping your swimsuits colorful. I hope the above will help you maintain the beauty and durability of your swimsuits.