Short answer: everything in this category lives or dies by its elastane. Heat relaxes it permanently and a hard spin stretches it while wet, so the rules are the same for a bra, a silk slip and a swimsuit: cool water, minimum agitation, no wringing, no dryer, ever. A two-minute hand wash is genuinely faster than people expect. If you use a machine, a mesh bag and a 400 rpm delicate cycle is the compromise, not the ideal.
How often
| Item | Wash after |
|---|---|
| Bras | 2 to 3 wears, or every wear in hot weather |
| Sports bras | Every wear, same day |
| Underwear | Every wear, no exceptions |
| Silk slips and camisoles | 1 to 2 wears |
| Shapewear | Every wear |
| Swimwear | Rinse after every swim, wash properly every 2 to 3 wears |
Bras need a rest day between wears. The elastic recovers its stretch when it is not under tension, which is the single cheapest way to make a bra last twice as long.
The two-minute hand wash
- Fill a basin with cool water, around 20 °C. Hot water is what kills elastane.
- Dissolve a pod fully before anything goes in, or use a small amount of a delicate wash. Never put an undissolved pod against lace.
- Submerge and press gently for one to two minutes. No rubbing, no twisting, no scrubbing at the cups.
- Pay attention to the band and the underarm area; that is where body oil sits.
- Drain, refill with clean cool water, press again. Repeat until the water runs clear.
- Press the water out between two towels. Never wring a bra: it breaks the wire casing and distorts the cups permanently.
- Reshape the cups with your fingers and dry flat, or hang from the centre gore, never from a strap.
If you use the machine
- Fasten every hook before it goes in, or the hooks will shred everything else in the load, including themselves.
- Mesh bag, one bra per bag ideally. The bag stops straps tangling around the agitator and other garments.
- Delicate cycle, cold, 400 rpm. The spin speed matters more than the cycle name.
- Wash with other light delicates only. Never with jeans, towels or anything with a zip.
- No softener and no bleach. Softener coats elastic and shortens its life; bleach destroys it outright.
- Never tumble dry, not even on low, not even for five minutes.
Moulded cups deserve the hand wash. A machine folds them, and a folded moulded cup keeps the crease.
Swimwear
Chlorine, salt and sunscreen all attack elastane, and sunscreen is the worst of the three because the oils bond to the fibre and yellow it.
- Rinse in cold water within an hour of swimming, before anything dries. This single habit does more than any wash.
- Hand wash in cool water with a dissolved pod every two to three wears.
- Press out the water in a towel. Never wring: it ruins the shape permanently.
- Dry flat in the shade. Sun degrades elastane and fades print.
- Never dry a swimsuit on a hot stone, a radiator or a car dashboard, and never sit in it on a rough poolside; both shorten its life faster than the chlorine.
- Rotate two suits on holiday so each gets 24 hours to dry fully.
Keeping the shape
| Problem | Cause | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Band has gone loose | Elastane fatigue, usually from heat | Not reversible. Move to the tighter hook, then replace |
| Underwire poking through | Wrung out, or tumble dried | Repair the casing with a small patch; stop wringing |
| Cups creased or dented | Folded in a drawer or a machine | Store cup inside cup, never inverted |
| Lace gone grey | Washed with darks, or residue | Hand wash whites separately; oxygen bleach soak for cotton lace only |
| Swimsuit gone baggy and dull | Chlorine plus sunscreen | Rinse immediately after every swim from now on |
| Smell that survives washing | Oil trapped in synthetic fibre | Cold soak, then wash; see how to get sweat smell out of clothes |
Storage
- Stack bras cup inside cup in a drawer, in a row. Never fold one cup into the other; it creases the moulding.
- Hang only soft, unstructured bralettes.
- Keep silk out of direct light; it yellows, as covered in how to wash wool, cashmere, silk and linen.
- Store swimwear completely dry and flat, out of a plastic bag.
- Fragrance belongs on what you store it in, not on the garment: a closed drawer holds the composition from the wash for weeks.
Frequently asked questions
How do you wash a bra properly?
By hand, in cool water at about 20 degrees Celsius, with detergent fully dissolved first. Press gently for one to two minutes, rinse until the water runs clear, press the water out between two towels, reshape the cups and dry flat. Never wring and never tumble dry.
Can you machine wash bras?
Yes, as a compromise. Fasten every hook, put each bra in a mesh bag, use a cold delicate cycle with the spin at 400 rpm, wash only with other light delicates, and skip softener entirely. Moulded cups still do better by hand.
How often should you wash a bra?
Every two to three wears, or every wear in hot weather or for sports bras. Give each bra a rest day between wears so the elastic recovers; that alone roughly doubles how long it lasts.
Can you put a bra in the dryer?
No. Dryer heat permanently destroys elastane, warps underwires and melts the foam in moulded cups. Dry flat, or hang from the centre gore between the cups rather than from a strap.
How do you wash swimwear?
Rinse it in cold water within an hour of swimming, before chlorine, salt or sunscreen dries into the fabric. Hand wash in cool water with dissolved detergent every two or three wears, press the water out in a towel, and dry flat in the shade.
Does chlorine ruin swimsuits?
Chlorine degrades elastane over time, but sunscreen is usually worse because the oils bond to the fibre and yellow it. Rinsing immediately after every swim is what protects a suit; so is rotating two of them so each dries fully.
Can you use fabric softener on lingerie?
No. Softener leaves a coating on elastic that shortens its life and dulls lace, and on sports bras it seals body oil into the fibre, which is exactly what makes them smell after washing.
