Every woman who wears a bra should know how to wash it. And, if you are for some reason a male who finds himself needing to wash a bra or two, here are some tips to help you out. According to Real Simple Magazine, with normal use, you should be washing your bra after every 3 to 4 wears.
Washing your bras correctly can actually make doing it often enough well worth it and more possible, as you make it part of your routine.
Washing your bras regularly increases your personal hygiene, and stretches out the life of your bras, all at the same time! If you wash your bras regularly they won’t get dingy. It’s a good thing!
1. Most of the time, it’s best to hand-wash your bras.
Most bras are made of delicate fabrics like lace, mesh, and spandex, most any washing machine can really shorten their lifespan. Use cool water and a gentle detergent like baby detergent or detergent meant for hand washables. It’s easy enough to do – just fill up your bathroom sink and place your bra in the water with a very small amount of soap and let is soak for about five minutes. Swoosh it around a little, but avoid harsh rubbing and scrubbing. Then rinse out, and hang to dry on a hanger. Ta-da!
2. If you can’t hand-wash, you can use your washer.
This isn’t to say you can’t wash your bras in your wonderful and easy washing machine. That’s totally fine, as long as you are sure to use a gentle cycle, cool water, and gentle detergent every time. Also make sure to clasp your bras before washing; if left undone, the clasps can get caught on other fabrics and tear them.
3. Use lingerie bags.
You can get these at Target or Walmart. They are mesh bags with a zipper. They will help keep your bras from getting caught on other items and will keep the agitator from rubbing on them too much too! A couple mesh bags for delicates will go a long ways towards protecting your lingerie in the washing machine.
4. Always hang dry on a shower rod.
Even if you decide to wash your bras in your rental washing machine, do not put them in the clothes dryer. If you put your bras in the dryer you are most likely going to develop disfiguring of the metal in the underwire as well as the padding in the cups.
Here’s a clever trick to prevent stretching out the fabric when you’re hanging really wet and heavy bras – hang them over your shower rod not from the ends, but bent over the rod at the middle, where the cups meet in the front.
Happy washing from Quack Rentals!