How do I wash a bra so it keeps its shape?

A bra costs more per gram than almost anything else in the wardrobe and is treated worse. The band does the supporting, the band is elastic, and every part of the standard laundry process attacks elastic. The care follows directly from that.

What you'll need

• a gentle or delicate detergent
• a towel
• a structured mesh laundry bag
• a bowl or a clean basin

Step by step

1. Wash every two or three wears.Body oil and sweat degrade elastic, so leaving a bra unwashed damages it as surely as washing it wrongly. Two to three wears is the usual guidance; after exercise, every time.
2. Hand wash in cool water.Fill a basin with cool water — hand-warm at most — and a small amount of a gentle detergent. Submerge the bra and squeeze the water through the fabric for a couple of minutes. Do not rub the cups against each other and do not twist.
3. Pay attention to the band and the underarm.The band is where the sweat and the deodorant collect and it is the part that wears out. Work the detergent gently through the band and the underarm edge with your fingertips rather than scrubbing.
4. Rinse thoroughly in water of the same temperature.Detergent left in elastic accelerates its breakdown. Change the water twice.
5. Press the water out, never wring.Lay the bra on a towel, fold the towel over and press. Wringing distorts the moulded cups permanently and stresses the wires out of shape.
6. Reshape the cups by hand.Moulded cups can be pushed back to shape while damp. If a cup has been folded inwards in the wash, ease it out now, before it dries in that position.
7. Dry flat, or hang from the centre gore.Never hang a wet bra by one strap — the weight of the water pulls the strap and the cup out of shape. Flat on a rack is best; over a line by the centre section between the cups is acceptable.
8. If you machine wash, take three precautions.Do up the hooks so they do not catch other garments, put it in a structured mesh bag that stops the cups being crushed, and use a 30 degree delicate cycle with the spin turned right down. Never wash a bra with jeans, towels or anything with a zip.
9. Rotate at least three.Elastic recovers its stretch when it is not under tension. A bra worn two days running never recovers and stretches out much faster. Three in rotation last more than three times as long as one worn constantly.

Tips

• Store bras stacked in a drawer with the cups nested inside one another, or laid flat. Folding one cup inside the other creases the moulding permanently.
• A bra is worn out when the band no longer feels firm on the loosest hook. Start on the loosest hook when it is new and work inwards as the elastic relaxes — that is what the rows of hooks are for.
• A wire that has worked through the fabric can usually be pushed back and the casing repaired with a small patch and a few stitches. It is worth doing.
• Sports bras take the most sweat and the most stress, contain the most elastane, and have the shortest life. Wash them after every use and expect to replace them more often.
• Antiperspirant residue is a major cause of degraded elastic at the underarm. Let it dry fully before dressing.

Common mistakes

• Tumble drying bras — Heat destroys elastane permanently and can also deform moulded foam cups. This is the fastest way to ruin a bra.
• Hanging a wet bra by one strap — The whole weight of the water hangs from the strap and the cup, and both stretch out of shape as they dry.
• Washing bras loose in a normal cycle — Hooks catch on other garments, wires get bent by the drum, and the cups are crushed. A structured bag prevents all three.
• Wearing the same bra two days running — Elastic needs unloaded time to recover. Wearing without rest permanently reduces the stretch recovery.

Keeping on top of it

• Wash (every 2 to 3 wears, or after each workout)
• Rest a bra between wears (every wear)
• Check the band fit on the loosest hook (every few months)

Questions people ask