Material care
Latex is natural rubber, and it asks for very little: clean water, silicone, darkness and a little space. Given those, a piece keeps its shine, its stretch and its color for years.
Every piece contains natural rubber latex. Do not wear it if you are allergic to latex.
The essentials
Silicone, never oil
Oils, petroleum jelly, body lotion and most perfumes soften rubber and loosen bonded seams. Use silicone to dress and to shine.
Rings off, nails short
A ring, a watch or a long nail can pierce the sheeting in a moment. Take jewelry off before you dress.
Wash after every wear
Skin oils and sweat left on the surface shorten its life. Lukewarm water is usually all it needs.
Dry both sides
Damp latex sticks to itself and can tear when it is parted. Dry the outside, then turn it and dry the inside.
Dark, cool and apart
Light and heat age rubber, and dyes travel between pieces that touch. Store each one out of the sun and away from other colors.
No copper or brass
Copper, brass and bronze leave marks on latex that never come out. Keep coins, keys and costume jewelry away from it.
Dressing and wearing
- Before you dress
- Check that the piece is clean and dry inside. Take off rings, bracelets and watches, and file any sharp edge on a nail.
- A dressing aid
- Dust the inside lightly with unscented talc, or smooth a little silicone dressing aid over your skin. Either works; use one or the other, not both. A piece that arrives powdered can be put on straight away.
- Putting it on
- Gather the latex and ease it on a section at a time, working up from the opening rather than pulling at one point. Smooth it into place with the flat of your hand.
- While you wear it
- Keep it away from open flame, strong heat and long hours of direct sun. Hairspray, self-tan and body makeup can mark it, so apply them first and let them dry. Light and dark latex worn against each other for long can trade color.
- Taking it off
- Slide your hands between your skin and the latex and peel it away, letting it turn inside out as it goes. Never pull a piece off by a collar, a cuff, a strap or the edge of an opening.
Washing and drying
By hand, lukewarm
Wash the piece inside and out in lukewarm water, 20 to 30 °C (68 to 86 °F). Never in a washing machine.
Soap only if needed
Water is enough after most wears. For a deeper clean, add a few drops of mild, unscented, colorless soap, then rinse until none is left.
Dry in the shade
Pat it with a soft towel, without wringing or twisting, and hang it on a broad plastic hanger away from sun and heat.
Turn and finish
Once the outside is dry, turn it and let the inside dry fully. Then powder the inside lightly or polish the outside before you put it away.
Never put latex in a tumble dryer, on a radiator, under a hair dryer or near an iron, and never have it dry-cleaned.
Shine
Latex is at its most striking polished. Use silicone only: oil-based shine products, baby oil and petroleum jelly break rubber down.
- Polish
- Wipe away any powder first. Spread a few drops of a silicone-based latex polish over the clean, dry surface with your palms or a soft, lint-free cloth, and work it in until the shine is even.
- Gently
- Never buff hard with a dry cloth: it can scratch the surface for good. A thin coat shines best; a heavy one stays slippery and gathers dust.
- In the rinse
- For an even finish all over, stir a little polish into the last rinse and let the piece dry from it.
- A cloudy surface
- Milky or cloudy patches are usually powder, water or perspiration marks. A wash, a dry and a polish clears them.
Storage
How a piece is kept between wears decides how long it lasts.
- Clean and dry first
- Put a piece away only when it is clean, completely dry and lightly powdered or polished. Untreated latex sticks to itself in storage.
- Somewhere dark and cool
- A closet or drawer away from windows and heaters, below 25 °C (77 °F). Electrical equipment that gives off ozone ages rubber too, so keep latex clear of it.
- Hung or loosely folded
- Hang garments on a broad plastic or padded hanger, never wire, and never by a thin strap. Or fold them loosely with tissue paper in each fold, and keep anything heavy off the top.
- Colors apart
- Dye can pass between pieces that touch. Keep each color separate, above all reds, pinks and blues from white, light and transparent latex, with tissue paper between them.
- Metal wrapped
- Wrap zips, eyelets, rivets and studs in acid-free tissue so the metal never rests on the latex.
- A dark garment bag
- It keeps out light and dust. Seal latex in plastic only when it is completely dry: trapped damp is what does the harm.
Piece by piece
Garments
Seams are bonded, not stitched, so keep oil and lotion well away from them. Hold the sheeting flat beside a zip as you close it, and never force a zip under strain.
Hoods
Powder or dress the inside first, and open a hood with both hands at the neck to put it on or take it off. Never pull one by an eye, mouth or face opening.
Gloves
A little dressing aid is enough. Ease each finger in to the tip, and take gloves off by peeling them from the cuff so they turn inside out.
Socks
Trim your toenails first. Work each sock up from the toes, and never pull at the toes or the top edge.
Collars, cuffs and harness
Wipe the steel hardware dry after wear. Store each piece flat or gently curved, with tissue between latex and metal, and never creased at an eyelet.
Over time
- Color
- Natural rubber deepens slowly with light and age. White, light and transparent latex may warm in tone over the years; storing it in the dark slows this.
- Marks that stay
- Stains from copper, brass, oil and ink are permanent. Everything else on this page keeps a piece looking new for years.
- A tear or a lifting seam
- Stop wearing the piece, because a small tear grows. Write to us with a photograph before you try a repair: support@raptclub.com.
Questions
For anything this page does not answer, write to support@raptclub.com and tell us which piece you have.