How to Take Awesome Care of Your Swim Snorkel

The swim snorkel is one of the most popular pieces of swimming gear in the mesh bag of your local aquatic athlete.

And for good reason:

Once you introduce a swim snorkel to your training, you’ll discover that you stroke balances out, body position improves, and overall swimming technique gets sharper and more efficient.

But, if you put some serious time on the mouth-end of your snorkel it’s gonna get dirty.

Even though we might be tempted into thinking that dipping it into the pool for a quick rinse at the end of our swim practice is enough to keep it clean, your snorkel needs an actual cleaning once in a while.

And while your snorkel isn’t as fragile as say, your tech suit, or those fancy-pants new swim goggles you don’t want to scratch up, it’s not indestructible.

The thing that will give out eventually is the piece that stretches out across your forehead, and the clips that keep the straps attached to the snorkel.

How to Clean Your Snorkel

There are two basic ways to keep your snorkel in relatively pristine condition:

1. Put in the washing machine.

Seriously. I know the manufacturers will cringe upon reading this, but I have put my FINIS freestyle snorkel in the dish washer every couple weeks to a couple months since I bought that bad boy a few years ago.

Sometimes a couple times in a row because it had been so long and the mildew had really started to accumulate. I’m no space scientist, but breathing through a mildewed tube is not healthy for you. And it looks nasty.

2. Hand wash it.

If you are hesitant to throw it in the dishwasher—and I don’t blame you for feeling this way—you can always wash out the snorkel with warm, soapy water and a skinny brush.

Make sure to get as far up and down the tube as you can, and paying particular attention to the mouth piece, which you can remove for easier cleaning.

Soaking it will help “loosen” up any nasties that are hanging out inside.

Take care of your swim snorkel, and it will take care of your swimming and your lungs.

See Also:

The Swim Snorkel: Everything You Ever Wanted to Know. We cover the research behind the snorkel, its benefits, and a complete buyer’s guide for competitive swimmers.

3 Sneaky Things You Can Do with Your Swim Snorkel. You might know the basics of why a snorkel is so awesome, but here are three other ways you can use this tool to swim faster.

6 Best Snorkels and Swimming Masks. For the more recreational swimmer, here are some of our favorite swimming masks and snorkels.

6 Best Fins for Snorkeling. Snorkel fins are a great way to level up your time in the water. Here is our hand-picked selection of the best fins for snorkeling.