How To Wash Your Beekeeping Suit
Beekeeping suit looking (and smelling) a little less than fresh?
You aren't alone!
After an intense beekeeping season and honey harvest, our crisp white suits are neither crisp, nor white. It's surprising, but beekeeping suits sure get gross! From bee poop, to sweat, to dirt, to pollen, and even dirt - your suit deserves a good wash.
I'm gonna show you how to wash your bee suit so you can start your season fresh and clean!
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How Often Should You Wash Your Gear?
I hate to say it, but it depends! The answer to this is variable - but it really comes down to 2 main factors; how much are you wearing your suit, and how dirty is it?
If you have many hives and spend a lot of time working the hives, you're more likely to need more washing than a hobby beekeeper who only has 2 hives and spend much less time in their suit. If you worked the hives and got muddy or dirty, it's probably a good idea to wash it.
We are currently hobby beekeepers, with 4 hives (hoping to split into 8 this season) and I feel that washing our suits once a year, at this point, it probably sufficient. That said, once we increase out workload, and spend more time in the suits, they'll probably need a bit more love!
It is important to note that your beekeeping suit can hang on to scents, like sweat, and even pheromones from the bees - if you find that your bees are particularly agitated during hive inspections, it may be a good idea to wash your suit so they aren't triggered by the lingering scents and pheromones on your suit.
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Prepare Your Suit For Cleaning
1. Check The Pockets
Bee suit pockets are like multiplying clown cars! There are more pockets than I know what to do with, and somehow they collect an odd assortment of things. From zip ties, to plastic pieces from pollen patties, to dirt, to chunks of wax that fell off the J tool, to a lighter for the smoker, to scissors. Anything you can use somewhere near the hives can end up in those pockets.
Removing all of the things from the pockets helps to protect your washing machine and your bee suit!
2. Check For Debris
Give your suit a good shake (outside, preferably!) to remove any large contaminates. If there's stubborn stuck on stuff, you can give it a gentle brush to help dislodge stuck twigs, propolis, or wax.
Some debris will require a bit more intervention - you may need to pick them off. I'd rather spend a bit of time picking them off the suit than cleaning out the inside of my washer!
3. Inspect Your Suit
Take a few minutes to give your suit a once over. It's important to inspect the seams, check the function of the zippers, ensure that the Velcro is still sticky and adhered well to the suit. Look over the vented and fabric areas, checking for tears, rips, or holes - bees do not need a neon vacancy sign inviting their entry, just a small hole!
If you find any damage, it's best to repair, if possible, before washing to prevent it from getting worse. A sewing needle and thread can mend most issues on your suit, but if the holes or tears are too large for a quick mending, you may need to break out the sewing machine or seek help from a professional!
4. Remove The Veil
Our suits have an integrated, zip on veil and hood. The veil is held rigid by plastic hoops that can be damaged in the washing machine, so I opt to just remove them and hand wash.
For suits like ours with a double zip, bring both zippers to the right hand side together and the zipper ends will slide right off of the zipper.
5. Close Up The Suit
The final step before washing is to close up the suit, ensure all zippers are zipped up and secured. Velcro is secured at its resting position. Snaps are closed, and flaps are shut.
This helps to ensure the velcro doesn't stick to vented portions damaging the venting, the zippers won't rub on the fabric prematurely breaking it down, and not elastic sections are stretched necessarily.
Pre Soak The Suit
Our suits are absolutely gross this year - blech! So I am going to give them a pre-soak in some warm water with a small amount of our homemade laundry detergent (Oxi-Clean, washing soda, baking soda, and borax), but you can just use Oxi-Clean or washing soda.
If your suits aren't totally filthy, you can skip this step.
- Fill the bathtub with a couple inches of warm water.
- Add a small amount of detergent, and swish to dissolve.
- Add beekeeping suits and veils to the tub, and press down to saturate.
- Rest for 30 minutes in the tub, swishing around regularly.
- Remove bee suits, squeezing out excess water then transfer to washing machine. Leave the veils in the tub - then follow the directions below for washing the hood and veil.
Washing Your Suit
Avoid washing your suit with other clothing, it's best to wash it either alone or with other suits.
- Put your bee suits into the washer.
- Add a small amount of mild, fragrance free detergent to the washing machine's dispenser.
- Set the washing machine to a hand wash or gentle cycle with a low spin.
Washing The Veil
Hand washing the veil helps to keep this integral part of your beekeeping equipment safe and less likely to cause damage. If you're pre-soaking the suits, you can toss the veils in the tub too!
- Fill the bathtub with a couple inches of warm water.
- Add a small amount of detergent, and swish to dissolve.
- Add veils to the tub, and press down to saturate.
- Rest for 30 minutes in the tub, swishing around regularly.
- Drain the water, and rinse the veils under cool running water until it runs clear.
- Remove the veils from the water, allowing excess water to drip free.
- I like to prop my veils up and allow them to dry a bit before hanging them to dry.
Drying Your Suit
In order to prolong the life of the elastic and vented portions of the bee suit, it should be hung to dry.
I usually just hang my washed bee suits on the railing of our deck on a sunny day - not only do they dry quickly, the sun helps to remove some of the stains!
Storing Your Beekeeping Suit
Once your suit is clean and dry, it's a good idea to inspect it once more before storing it properly!
It's best to store beekeeping suits in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight which can break down the suit over time. You can either fold it or hang it on a sturdy hanger.
We have a small metal wardrobe I picked up at a thrift store that we use to store our bee suits!
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