How to Hand-wash Bras

You need not wash your bras every time you wear them. Once every two or three times is adequate. But you should allow the bra to "rest" for at least 24 hours between wearings to minimize stretching and body-chemical buildup. Hand-washing as opposed to laundering will extend the life of your bra.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• a sink, large bowl or basin.
• a mild laundry soap made specifically for delicates, such as Ivory Snow gentle care detergent, Forever New, or detergents made for babies' garments.

1. Fill the sink with cold water and add a small amount of laundry soap. A little bit goes a long way.

2. Gently submerge your bras in the water with the clasps undone (unless doing so presents a snag hazard to your other delicates. When laundering in a machine, always use a the delicate cycle, a lingerie bag, and keep the bra clasped.)

3. Let the bras soak for about 20 minutes. Then, gently rub together the fabric parts of the bra that come nearest to your underarms, being careful not to bend or re-position the underwire.

4. Drain the sink, and refill with cold water. Let the bras sit in the rinse water for a bit, swishing them around to get the laundry soap out.

5. Drain the water. Now, rinse each bra beneath cold running water.

6. Do not wring a bra dry, especially if they have foam padding. You may gently blot the bras between two towels, but again, if there's foam padding, you don't want to flatten it.

7. Lay the bra out flat to dry.