Hand washing a bra.

[Brdy64]

I have been washing my soft cup bras in the machine with warm water for some time now. 
My bras have not been lasting and the bands have been stretching out. I did notice that the manufacturer recommended hand washing in cold water. 

My new bra is a much higher end product and more expensive. It's a molded cup tshirt underwire bra. It's easy to see that machine washing it would quickly ruin it. 
I hand washed it last night in cold water like it says. 

This morning my new bra was not completely dry, and I want to wear it again today. I gently used my blow drier on it until it dried completely. I'm not sure if that was a good idea or not but it didn't look like it harmed it any. 

In order to keep a washed and dried rotation of clean bras it looks like I will need at least two more. But the machine washing of bras has been seen to wear them out rather quickly. 

[Kazmage]

I wash all my bras in a washbag in the machine and haven't had trouble at all 

[Brdy64]

I wash all my bras in a washbag in the machine and haven't had trouble at all

Interesting, I guess the wash bag keeps them from tangling up on the other clothes, hence the stretching. 
Do you wash them in cold water, machine wash?

[Brdy64]

I guess the question is: How does everyone else wash their bras, and have you had good luck doing so?

[Johndoe1]

Manufacturers recommend washing about every 4th wear under normal conditions. They recommend hand washing in warm water and using something like Woolite. The key is gentle agitation. If you don't want to do that, get a lingerie bag, hook the bra, put it in the bag, use the delicate cycle with warm water and Woolite. Hang dry by the gore or flat on a towel. Never hang by the straps or band. That will stretch out the fabric. While bras are amazingly strong in what they do, they are made from delicate materials and must be treated as such to get the maximum wear for the money. Average number of wears is around 100 wears. Heavier, larger breasts a little less. Smaller, lighter breasts a little more.

[Gino]

My GF washes them in a lingerie bag with cold water, gentle cycle and detergent made for lingerie then air dries them. She's had bras for decades and the elastic is still stretchy and the lightly lined cups are still firm.

I only wear unlined styles and follow her wash regimen. 

 

[42CSurprise!]

I'm not surprised at all that JohnDoe has a thorough and thoughtful explanation of how best to treat brassieres... a subject that is so bizarre when discussed by men.  We are quite a crew around here... men becoming expert in caring for OUR brassieres.

I hand wash with warm water and unscented dishwashing detergent and air dry... hanging them by the gore on a plastic hanger above the bathtub.  It works perfectly and my much loved brassieres are very happy.  Only one shows any evidence of "relaxing" but I have a final row of loops so I can tighten it further.  The relaxation of the cups is actually quite appealing given it is intended to be a minimizing brassiere.  I'm liberating my breasts!  

[Brdy64]

I think I know more about bras than my daughter after hovering around in this website, it's amazing the information we all share here 😉

[HeldUp]

My wife laughs, she has always tossed hers in the laundry in a lingerie bag (even her very nice ones, unhooked even!) and I hand wash mine. I use our laundry detergent, it's scentless and dye-less for my sensitive skin so I haven't thought about using a different cleansing agent.

[Johndoe1]

I'm not surprised at all that JohnDoe has a thorough and thoughtful explanation of how best to treat brassieres... a subject that is so bizarre when discussed by men.  We are quite a crew around here... men becoming expert in caring for OUR brassieres.

Thank you.  I don't know if I would call myself any kind of an expert,  but when you start to venture into the realm of multiple D's in cup size, damn, bras get  EXPENSIVE!

I am wearing 38DDD/F these days and close to $100 for a well supportive bra becomes the norm. I need my bras to last a little while. It is also good to have enough bras for a good rotation to give them a chance to reshape after each wear. It's recommended a minimum of a 3 day rotation period to give the bra a 24 to 36 hour rest period. I normally rotate a 7 day rotation and I can normally expect to get about two years out of my bras.

I have found that cheap bras do not stand up well and I need more support than a pull over bra could ever hope to give. I need wires and slings and stitching to not only hold me up but to hold me in place comfortably. Something many of our sisters are too familiar with. So while I pay a lot for my bras, I expect a lot from my bras in return for that investment of comfort and support.

So yes. I got educated by a wonderful lady who is also a certified fitter. I owe my knowledge to her. I asked her why she spent the time with me and she replied, because I asked. She said most women never ask and never take the time to find out and suffer because of it.

[Kazmage]

I wash all my bras in a washbag in the machine and haven't had trouble at all

Interesting, I guess the wash bag keeps them from tangling up on the other clothes, hence the stretching.
Do you wash them in cold water, machine wash?

I always wash in cold water

[aboywithgirls]

I know that there are as many different ways to wash your bras as there are people who wear them. As for me, whether it's an everyday bra or a "date night " bra, I hand wash them with this

https://needleandpurl.com/products/soak?
variant=41500679012544&currency=USD&utm_medium=product_sync&utm_source=google&utm_content=sag_organic&utm_campaign=sag_organic&utm_campaign=gs-2020-11-12&utm_source=google&utm_medium=smart_campaign&gclid=Cj0KCQjwlumhBhClARIsABO6p-yr38K016CpZ-af0rF7teHCED7YEVIhcYWl97dXJIaNQaAoJ2VbNPcaAvcnEALw_wcB

And then lay flat on a towel. It also helps if you double up a good quality bath towel on top of the dryer. 

The Soak is a mild detergent that also comes in several very beautiful scents.

I usually spend around $100.00-125.00 on a decent bra. Once you get into the H and I cup range, they get expensive. I have bras that are 3-4 years old that I still wear and still look new.

♥️Sophie♥️

[Brdy64]

I know that there are as many different ways to wash your bras as there are people who wear them. As for me, whether it's an everyday bra or a "date night " bra, I hand wash them with this

https://needleandpurl.com/products/soak?
variant=41500679012544&currency=USD&utm_medium=product_sync&utm_source=google&utm_content=sag_organic&utm_campaign=sag_organic&utm_campaign=gs-2020-11-12&utm_source=google&utm_medium=smart_campaign&gclid=Cj0KCQjwlumhBhClARIsABO6p-yr38K016CpZ-af0rF7teHCED7YEVIhcYWl97dXJIaNQaAoJ2VbNPcaAvcnEALw_wcB

And then lay flat on a towel. It also helps if you double up a good quality bath towel on top of the dryer.

The Soak is a mild detergent that also comes in several very beautiful scents.

I usually spend around $100.00-125.00 on a decent bra. Once you get into the H and I cup range, they get expensive. I have bras that are 3-4 years old that I still wear and still look new.

♥️Sophie♥️

I'll be washing mine in a garment bag on the delicate cycle on my washing machine. My machine doesn't have the beater paddles in it like other machines do. 
I'll have to see what Walmart has available for delicates in regards to detergents. 
Until I go shopping I'll just hand wash in palmolive dish soap and hang dry. 
I paid $50 a piece for my bras and I do want them to last, but I think the design of my machine is good enough to wash them and the spin cycle will hopefully allow for less drying time.