Over the last few months numerous cases have come to our notice where people have experienced difficulty or even disaster with rubber suits during the putting on or taking off stage.

It seems opportune to say a few words to help these people overcome some of the more obvious pitfalls undoubtedly caused by their enthusiasm to get into the new acquisition of their dreams in the least possible time. As with so many activities in this world the philosophy of “hurry slowly” applies as strongly with rubberwear as with many others.

I would particularly stress that these few words of advice apply mostly to the skin-tight rubber suits favoured by those who complain most bitterly about their proneness to tear or the difficulty of getting them on or off.

The text book procedure is as follows:-

1) Lay out the suit inside-out on a bed, feet to the pillow.
2) Dust liberally with talcum powder.
3) Fold wrists to crotch, feet to shoulder, and dust again.
4) Fold crotch to neck and dust again.
5) Fold half back (elbow to elbow) and dust.
6) Turn over and dust other half back.
7) Pick up and “bundle” in hands to work talcum all over suit.
8) Layout suit again as in 11.
9) Take suit at each ankle in turn, push the feet inside and blow into each foot to extend.
10) Sit on bed and taking each ankle in turn insert the appropriate foot and pull on like a sock.
11) Then take each leg approximately at knee level and pull over foot and up the leg.
12) Take suit at hip level and pull up again to the crotch.
13) Take suit at waist and pull up again.
14) Put on gloves and dust with talcum powder.
15) Pick up each wrist in turn and insert appropriate hand into open end of sleeve with seam to inside of wrist.
16) Pull sleeve over hand by grasping it approximately at the elbow.
17) Ease suit over shoulders and do up zip.

The above seems very long winded but it actually takes 3 or 4 minutes total and I have not torn a suit in ten years using this method. Before taking a suit off, dust the shoulders and under the armpits also the calves, ankles and feet. Take off by exactly the reverse procedure.

If you are not going to wash the suit leave it like this on a hanger and it is ready to put on the next time in the order suggested. If you wash the suit, do so in Juke warm water and Lux. Dry it very thoroughly, or leave it right way out to dry. Dust well, turn inside out and hang ready to put on next time as in 1-17. In brief the rules are – Anything tight, dust well, turn inside out and roll it on.

Never, never, never sit down and try to pull on a tight latex suit like you pull on a pair of trousers.