If you want to know how to get the most out of your triathlon clothing, you should read on. The information below applies to just about all brands of triathlon apparel aka all products that have lycra in them like swimwear, tri gear and bike gear.

To prolong the life of your tri clothing:

1. Do not wear them in hot showers, hot jacuzzis, steam rooms, saunas and do not wash them in hot water. Hot water and hot surfaces burn the Lycra or spandex fibers, leaving the material see-through after a short time.

2. Do not put them in the dryer, do not place them near a heater, and do not dry them with a hair dryer, oven or microwave (yep, it happened!). Suit spinners are fine, but nothing that emits heat.

3. Use the product! Do not store it inside a drawer buried under other garments. Have you ever pulled something out you haven't worn in a long time (like a swimsuit or underwear), and stretched the elastic on it to find that it stays stretched out and it no longer has "elasticity"? It has dried up and deteriorated on you from sitting in that drawer.

4. Chlorine and salt water will shorten the life of a garment. Swimming pools will regularly be "super-chlorinated" (a process done to burn up the pollutants with strong oxidizing chemicals) and there will be spots of excessively concentrated chlorine that will ruin garments.

And the worst, and least known destroyer of tri clothing:

5. Do not wrap your garments in a towel and do not stuff them in your gear bag. Also keep them out of plastic bags. Bacteria starts to form within 120 minutes on any moist surface that is restricted to fresh air. The best thing to do after using a tri short or a tri suit is to rinse it immediately in cold water and let it breathe, let it get lots of air....fresh air. Let it hang on the outside of your pack, or place it in a large mesh pocket that gets lots of air.