If your shapewear feels less "snug" than it did the day you bought it, before you assume the fabric was cheap or you've somehow "used it up," check how you've been washing it. Nine times out of ten, this is a laundry problem, not a product quality problem.
Why the wash routine matters more than people think
Shapewear relies on elastane (Spandex) fibres to do the actual shaping work. Elastane is genuinely sensitive to heat. Every time it goes through a hot wash or a tumble dryer, the fibres lose a little bit of their ability to snap back into shape. Do that enough times and the garment that used to smooth your waistline just doesn't anymore. It's not broken; it's just been heat-damaged incrementally, wash after wash.
The correct routine, step by step
Cold water only. Hot water accelerates elastane breakdown. Cold water (or at most lukewarm) preserves the stretch and recovery properties for far longer.
Hand wash if you can; mesh bag if you can't. Hand washing is genuinely the gentlest option and takes maybe three minutes. If you're machine washing, put it inside a mesh laundry bag on the gentlest cycle available; this prevents the bodysuit from getting twisted, stretched, or snagged against other clothes.
Mild detergent, no bleach. Bleach breaks down elastane fibres directly and permanently. A gentle, non-bleach detergent is the only thing that should touch shapewear.
Never tumble dry. This is the single biggest mistake people make, and it's the fastest way to kill a good bodysuit's shaping ability. The heat from a dryer does more damage in one cycle than several hand washes combined. Lay it flat to air dry instead, away from direct sunlight, which can also degrade the fabric over time.
Don't iron it. Elastane and heat from an iron don't mix. If it's wrinkled, a gentle steam from a distance is safer than direct ironing.
How often should you actually wash it?
If you're wearing it for a few hours at an event, once after that wear is fine. If you're wearing it daily as an office base layer, every one to two wears is reasonable; you don't need to wash it after every single use unless you've sweated significantly, since over-washing (even correctly) still puts some wear on the fibres over time.
What this looks like for the Skimmylo bodysuits specifically
Both the Snatched and Backless Bodysuits carry the same care instructions: hand wash in cold water with a mild detergent, air dry, no bleach, no iron, no tumble dry. Following this consistently is genuinely the difference between a bodysuit that holds its shape for six months of regular wear versus one that feels stretched out after six weeks.
Storage matters too
Fold rather than hang; hanging a stretchy garment for long periods can pull it out of shape at the shoulder or strap points over time. A flat drawer, folded loosely, is the better long-term storage choice.
Shop Skimmylo Snatched Shapewear Bodysuit | Skimmylo Backless Shapewear Bodysuit
