Regular maintenance is one of the best ways to keep your gear working for long seasons on the seas. Cleaning your BCD is a little more intuitive than you may think.
It starts with giving your BCD a good rinse with a hose, paying attention to all of the nooks and crannies where grime or sand could build up. You should also pay attention to the buttons or other mechanisms to make sure they get attention as well.
From there you can rinse out the inflator hose, and use one of several methods to fill and clean the bladder. You want to make sure that you get all of the water, along with caked on salt and grime out of the inside of the BCD. After this you need to hang and dry your BCD somewhere out of direct sunlight before you store it. Make sure it’s bone dry before you leave it unattended to prevent mold buildup.
For more information on BCDs, with details on how to choose your next model- take a look at our buyer’s guide.