Bra care – Hand Wash or Machine Wash??

It’s true, large cup bras cost a lot more than smaller cup bras!

So it’s understandable that you will want to care for your bra to ensure that you get the maximum amount of wear from it before needing to replace it.

A bra really does work hard. You wear it for 12 hours of the day and your breast weigh several kilos each. You expect it to lift, separate, shape and hold in…..it expects you to treat it with some care!

Hand Washing versus Machine Washing

- Bras specifically made for larger breasts are sturdier than those little delicate lace things that smaller women wear and can more easily endure a machine wash.

- Machine washing is convenient however a bra that has delicate fabric such as lace on it may be damaged by the zips and buttons on other clothes in the washing machine.

- The purchase of a special lingerie laundry bag is a good investment if you are going to use the washing machine. The bag is made from a soft fabric, has a zipper and will protect your bra from the other clothes.

- The underwire in a bra will work its way through the material faster if it is put in the washing machine. If the underwire actually comes out in the washing machine, it can damage your machine (speaking from experience on this point!)

- The fabric of a moulded shape T-shirt bra will wrinkle if put through a machine wash. This can also happen if you put it in the tumble dryer!

- In the machine, if you are not using a lingerie bag, the hooks of a bra can get caught in the delicate fabric of your clothes and create pulls in the fabric. This can be avoided by fastening the bra before putting it in the machine.

If you own a moulded cup T-shirt bra it is also important to store it properly if you want it to last longer.

Fold your moulded bra in half with one cup inside the other. You need to make sure that a moulded bra is not just shoved into your underwear drawer because it will dent.

The dent becomes permanent in the material and it shapes your breasts oddly when you put it on.

Lingerie laundry bags are available through our Shopping Page.

So you can see, the hand wash or machine wash choice really comes down to how long you would like the bra to last. An everyday bra that has been hand washed, drip dried and not worn everyday can last up to two years!