Tip of the Week: Make Goggles Last Longer

January 25, 2010

It is frustrating when the chorine in pools eats away at yet another pair of expensive goggles.  Ever wondered what will make those goggle straps last a little longer?  The first thing you should do is wear them as loosely as possible, which is obvious.   A looser fitting goggle is not going to stress out the rubber in the strap nearly as much, extending its life.

The second thing, which is not so obvious, is to keep the goggles in your gym bag after a workout.  Never let them see the light of day.  You might think that keeping them in a smelly, damp space would make the rubber melt in a hurry.  But it doesn’t.  They actually get wrecked more when you dry them out (especially in the sun), which causes the rubber to get brittle and rigid.  If you keep your goggles damp over time, you will find that they get looser (requiring you to re-set the elastic tension), but they won’t break.  And they should last you a long time.

View previous swimming tips.