Caring for latex and fabric bands

Bands are consumables, but most fail long before they need to.

Three things that shorten their life

• UV. Latex perishes in sunlight. A band left on a balcony for a month is already weaker than it looks.
• Grit. Dragging a band across rough concrete puts nicks in the surface, and a nick is where a tear starts.
• Sweat and oils. Both degrade latex over time. Wipe down and let them dry before storing.

Fabric bands are different

Fabric loop bands do not perish the same way, but the elastic inside loses return with washing at high temperature. Cold hand wash, air dry, no dryer.

Storage

Loose in a drawer or hung, out of sunlight, not knotted. A permanent knot creates a stress point that becomes the failure point.

Inspect before every session

Ten seconds: stretch the band gently and look along its length for splits, cloudiness or thinning. If you find any, retire it. Replacing a band costs far less than an eye injury.