Some of us have learned the hard way that bras require a special type of washing method, because of the fact that they’re often made from delicate materials, coupled with the fact that they often contain wiring and padding that can be misshapen or damaged if not washed properly. Washing bras can be done in two ways: by hand or in a washing machine, and we’re going to walk you through the process of both.
Washing Bras by Hand
If you’re going to go this route, make sure your sink or bucket is fully clean first.
- Fill your sink or a bucket with warm (not hot) water, and then add about one tablespoon of a mild detergent. The detergent must be mild to be gentle on delicate materials like lace and silk, which are commonly used in bras.
- Use your hand to swish the detergent around until you get some bubbles.
- If you have cotton bras, best to separate light and dark colors to avoid the dye from your dark bras bleeding into the light bras. If they’re made from synthetic materials, you don’t need to separate the colors.
- Place the bras into the water and let them soak for about 15 minutes, as this will allow the detergent to have enough time to break down dirt and sweat.
- Swish the bras around and squish the water out - repeat this several times to thoroughly clean dirt and sweat out of your bras.
- Drain the water, and then run each bra under cold water to rinse out the detergent, gently squishing them to squeeze out any excess liquid.
- Press the bras between two towels until they’re just slightly damp.
- Hang your bras in a closet or on your shower curtain rod, making sure to reshape the cups if necessary.
Washing Bras in the Washing Machine
Before putting your bras in there, make sure they’re washer machine accessible as well as making sure the washer machine is cleaned.
- You will need to make sure your bra hooks are clasped, so that they don’t snag on one another and get stuck.
- Put your bras in a mesh wash bag which is made for delicates. This will allow you to wash your bras with your other clothing items without worrying about them getting agitated from tougher materials.
- Place the bras into your washing machine, making sure that they’re with similar colors, along with the rest of your load of laundry.
- Apply a mild detergent to your washing machine, either by applying detergent first into the drum if you don’t have a detergent dispenser, or by pouring the detergent directly into the dispenser if you have a more modern washing machine.
- Use cold water, as hot water can damage the material of your bras and remove the elasticity of the back strap.
- Once your cycle is done, remove the bras from the wash bag and reshape the cups if need be.
- Finally, use the same drying method as above, pressing your bras between two towels before hanging them to air-dry.
Now, given all of the above, keep in mind that extremely delicate lace bras must be washed by hand, and some bras like silk bras may require dry-cleaning. The more delicate the material, the more you need to really be careful about how you wash and dry them, so read the care label on your bras carefully to know if you’re working with certain materials that require special care.
