TASHA i didnt know a damn thing about washing bras until today. i always just dump all my bras (4) into the machine with my underwear I HAD NO IDEA THIS WAS A MAJOR NONO i feel like you're saving all of my bra's lives. now i understand why the elastics all gave up on me so soon. i was killing them unknowingly. i may weep from all this very important information on your blog. thank you. so. much.
I am glad that someone is benefiting from the random-ass knowledge I have accumulated in my life.
This knowledge, btw, comes from both my time in professional stage wardrobe, and from my friend Keri, who was a lingerie salesperson at Dillards for about a year. They train their lingerie people pretty seriously and so she knows what’s up.
There are absolutely some bras you shouldn’t machine-wash – anything made of a dry-clean-only fabric like wool (why would you have a wool bra why why why) or silk – but for the most part you can safely wash your bras in a machine, provided you use a lingerie bag to keep them from tangling and a petroleum-free soap.
But you really shouldn’t wash them with your underwear and socks, because your underwear and socks have bacteria on them that the cold water (remember, never wash your bras in hot or warm water if possible) will just spread around and get all over your bras. If you have sensitive skin this can be an issue and cause infections, and sometimes the bacteria can get into the foam of bra padding and start to colonize (gross), especially if you live in a damp environment where things don’t air-dry fast.
Your bras have their own bacteria on them, but it’s mostly just sweat bacteria.