6 TIPS TO WASHING YOUR BRA

Everyone including lingerie experts and laundering experts, will tell you that you ​must always hand-wash your bras. ​(Why? Because bras are delicate, high-maintenance pieces of work and they need the requisite care.)

​But here in the real world, I know that most of you are chucking your bras in the washing machine along with the rest of your clothes. It’s just life!

 

If you must launder your bras in a machine, you now have this handy guide to make sure you do it the right way.

1. Choose Your Washer Cycle Wisely

The gentle or delicate cycle on a washing machine will come the closest to replicating hand-washing, so that’s the one you should use. (Quick lesson: Washing machine cycles are based on the speed of the wash and spin cycles. The slower the speed, the less abrasion and agitation the clothes are subjected to. In the case of your bras, slower is better because the elastic and any embellishments on the bra benefit from dealing with less stress.)

 

2. Use the Right Detergent

Specialty detergents designed for use on bras and other delicate garments like shapewear or sweaters are a great choice whether you’re washing your bras by hand or in the machine. You can find delicate detergents in a range of prices, from the wallet-friendly Eco Delicate Wash to the pricier Delicate Wash.

 

3. Put Your Bras in a Bag

One of the problems with machine washing bras is that the straps and hooks can easily become tangled or snagged on other garments during the wash and spin cycles. Putting bras into zip-up mesh bags will protect the straps from winding around larger items and becoming stretched out. They will also help to keep hooks from snagging materials like fine cottons. Just be sure not to overstuff the bags, which will prevent the bras from getting fully clean.

4. Wash Like With Like

Even if you’re diligent about putting bras in protective mesh bags, you should still avoid machine-washing delicate with heavy items like jeans, sweatshirts, or towels. Those things are likely to cause damage to elastic, and metal or plastic underwire.

5. Always Air-Dry!!!

Never put your bras in the dryer. You should always hang your bras to dry or lay them flat. If you opt to hang a bra to dry, do so by the centre gore (the piece in between the cups) rather than by the straps, which will get stretched out because the wet cups will pull the garment downward

 

6. Rinse in the Shower

Somewhere in between hand- and machine-washing lies this neat trick, which will buy you a few more wears in between. Take your bra into the shower with you and rinse it with water, which will help to wick away body oil and skin build-up, then hang it by the centre gore to dry. Frequent rinsing will help you cut back on the frequency with which you need to launder your bra, which means it won’t be subjected to the potential damage machine-washing can cause.