How to care for sun protective arm sleeves (washing, UPF longevity)

Start with the care label

The label on your sleeves is the instruction that counts. Fabrics and suppliers can change over time, so the label on the pair in your hand beats anything you read online, including this page. If the label and this guide ever seem to disagree, go with the label.

Can't find the label, or can't read it any more? Contact us, tell us when you bought them, and we will tell you what applies to your pair.

How to read care symbols

Care labels in Australia and the US mostly use the same small picture symbols. The print is tiny, so a magnifying glass or your phone camera's zoom helps. Here is what the common ones mean.

• A washtub: Washing. A number or dots inside show the hottest water to use. More dots means warmer.
• A washtub with a hand in it: Hand wash only.
• A line or two under the washtub: Use a gentle cycle. Two lines means extra gentle.
• A triangle: Bleach. A crossed-out triangle means do not bleach.
• A square with a circle inside: Tumble dryer. Crossed out means do not tumble dry.
• A square with a line or lines inside: Air drying. A flat line means dry flat. Slanted lines in the corner mean dry in the shade.
• An iron: Ironing. Crossed out means do not iron.
• A circle on its own: Professional dry cleaning.
• A cross through any symbol: Do not do this.

Some labels also carry a few words, such as "wash separately" or "do not use fabric softener". Those words matter just as much as the pictures.

What our published pages say

Our refund policy and our FAQ page both recommend hand washing in cool water with a mild soap, and drying in the shade. Our FAQ also says not to tumble dry, bleach or use fabric softener.

The two pages differ on a couple of details. The FAQ says a cold, gentle machine wash is also fine. The refund policy says machine washing may reduce the life of the sleeves. We are bringing those pages into line with the label. Until then, the safe course is the gentler one, and the label always comes first.

If your label says no fabric softener, take that seriously. Softener leaves a thin coating on fibres, and on light, stretchy sports fabric that coating can make it feel less airy.

Handling: be gentle with the stretch

The stretch in your sleeves is what keeps them up without pinching. A little care keeps it working.

• Put sleeves on by bunching them into a ring and rolling them up your arm. Do not haul them up by the top band.
• Take them off by rolling them down from the top, not by peeling from the cuff.
• Keep them away from velcro, hooks, zips and rough gear in your bag, which can snag the fabric.
• Do not stretch a sleeve hard to make it reach further. Cancer Council notes that stretched fabric lets more UV through.

After a sweaty day

Do not leave damp sleeves screwed up in a golf bag, bowls bag or garden bucket overnight. Take them out as soon as you get home and let the air get to them. A damp bundle is how sports fabric starts to smell.

Then wash them as the label says. If you wear them most days, a second pair means you always have a clean one ready while the other is in the wash. A four-pack makes that easy, and works out at AUD 30 a pair in Australia.

Storing your sleeves

• Store them clean and dry, folded or rolled, in a drawer or a pocket of your kit bag.
• Keep them out of the sun when you are not wearing them. Do not leave them on the car dashboard or the back shelf, where it gets very hot.
• Keep a pair where you will use it: one in the golf bag, one in the car door for driving, one by the back door for the garden.

Does the sun protection wear out?

Honest answer: fabric condition matters. UPF is a rating for how much of the sun's UV gets through a fabric, and UPF 50+ blocks 98%+ of UV. The IceRays fabric was tested by ARPANSA in 2015 (black sample) and rated UPF 50+. As Cancer Council explains, a UPF rating describes dry, unstretched fabric. You can read the 2015 test details (PDF, opens in a new tab).

ARPANSA notes that after many washes a garment may fade and wear, which can reduce its UPF. Cancer Council notes that old, threadbare or faded clothes may give less protection over time, and that fabric protects less when it is wet or stretched. So we will not promise that a sleeve protects the same forever. Look after it, check it, and replace it when it is worn.

A quick check every few weeks

Hold each sleeve up to a bright window and look through the fabric. This is not a UPF test, just a simple wear check.

• Thin patches: if you can see much more light through one area than the rest, the fabric has worn.
• Holes and snags: a pulled thread can usually be eased back, but a hole means that spot is no longer covered.
• Fading: a lot of colour loss can be a sign of a well-worn sleeve.
• Stretch: if the sleeve no longer stays up and keeps sliding down, the stretch has gone.

Any of these means it is time for a new pair. Keep the old ones for messy jobs where sun cover does not matter.

If something goes wrong

If a sleeve has a fault, contact us with your order details and a photo. Your rights under consumer law for faulty goods apply alongside our policy.

If you are still deciding whether to keep a new pair, read our refund policy before you wear or wash them. Change-of-mind returns need the sleeves unworn and unused, with tags and original packaging, within 30 days of receiving your order.

Related guides

• Do arm sleeves protect from sun? What the test measures and what it does not.
• UPF vs SPF explained. What the rating means.
• Sun protection for golfers. A sun-safety checklist for the course.
• Gardening in the sun. How to cover up in the garden.
• Sun sleeves for seniors. Easy ways to put them on and take them off.

Questions and answers