The Budget Fashionista

OK, my best bra care tip is to use the handwash cycle on the washing machine.  It gets more water out more gently than I can with actual hand washing.

Always hang your bras rather than folding them in drawers.  By airing them out, you can re-wear.  Washing too often is what destroys bras.

If you wash your bras in the washing machine, place your bras into a lingerie was bag” and use the gentle cycle.

Hang them on hangers to dry. Never use the dryer! And place them, face up in drawers so they don’t get bent or squished.

Hand washing is best!

My best bra care tip is to not skimp on quality!  I love my Bali and Wonderbras.  They last longer and feel great, even though I just toss them in the wash with the rest of my clothes!

While in a hurry, I have ‘shampoo-ed’ my bra in the shower during my bath and towel dried it. Air dry it as much as possible while doing your hair, teeth, makeup, shoes and packing your purse.
When it was time to finalize my outfit and leave, I would use the hair dryer to get the damp spots out without the harsh heat of a clothes dryer.

Never put bras with underwires in the washer, the wires can damage the machine and the wires bend.

For bras that don’t have foam/padding, I find that it’s totally adequate to machine-wash them, especially in a lingerie bag in a front-loading machine.  DEFINITELY use a bag if you have a top-loader; the tangling can kill a bra easily.

always handwash bras and let them air dry. when it dries off, you shouldn’t fold them, this will only misshapen the cups.

When traveling, stick socks in the cups of bras so that they maintain their shape in the suitcase. Also, if you can fold the cups so they overlap, sticking them in the corner of a somewhat stiff suitcase saves both their shape and space.

when washing (just soak, don’t ring or squeeze), use a detergent made for hand washing, like Woollite or baby shampoo will do, too!  Dry flat is the best but its ok to hang dry as long as its hang upside down: clip cloth pins on the underwire part instead of stretching out the shoulder straps.

Good quality bras are worth the expense. Do not put your bras in the dryer; it will loosen the elastic. Get a professional fitting! A lot of dept stores will do this at no charge.

Do not wash bras with anything that could possibly “catch” on the bra fabric, such as velcro or hook and eyes, etc.