To Hand Wash or Not To Hand Wash?

In more than one response to my blog The Current State of Wear  a few women talked about the pros and cons of machine washing v. hand washing bras.

Admittedly, I have never used a lingerie wash bag in the washer. I have one, but I have never used it. When I was wearing bras that didn't fit (and also cost less), I would always throw my bras in the washer - sans wash bag - and then hang them on the line to dry. I never seemed to have any problems, really. Yes, I would have wires pop out frequently....or the bras would come unhooked and would snag on each other. Sometimes wires would be bent out of shape. Okay, so yes, I had issues. Throwing bras in the washer without using a wash bag is a bad idea. I think we can all agree on that.

But are there benefits to using a washer vs. hand washing your bras?

Since I have started to spend more on bras (anywhere from $40-74), I have not been putting my bras anywhere near the washer. Oh no. They get washed by hand, with unscented lingerie wash. I fill the sink with warm water and some lingerie wash, pop some bras in - of like colors - and let them sit for a bit. Then I squish them up and down in the water, and gently rub the wires and elastics that go under the arm with my fingers. After that, I drain the water and refill the sink with non-soapy warm water. I let the bras sit again, then I squish around. Then, again, I drain the sink and I rinse each bra under the running water of the faucet. I've never had trouble getting all of the soap out of my bras. I tend to either (1) lay them flat on a dry towel to dry, or I hang them over the edge of the bath tub to drip dry. It takes anywhere from a couple of hours to overnight for my bras to dry.

I have always felt like the elastics go back to their normal shape and tension, AND my bras smell nice and clean.

But, the way that I wash my bras may not be the way that you wash your bras. I think we have to choose what works for us - whether we have time or we don't to hand wash, whether we use lingerie wash or regular detergent and so on.

**Please take the poll and comment about your washing methods, especially if they are different from mine - and even if not. I am very curious to learn how other women wash their bras :-) ***

 

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