How Often Should You Wash Your Bra?

It’s time to get real ladies, when was the last time you washed your bra? Every woman knows that on those hot and humid days (or when you’ve been commuting to work on public transport), the band of your bra can get a little gross and feels in need of a rinse.

But according to Lexie Sachs, senior product analyst in the Textiles Lab at the Good Housekeeping Institute, you may be washing your bra too much.

“It’s very personal and really it depends on your activity level or if you are somewhere really hot and humid,” says Sachs. “You want to wash it just as you would with another type of clothing you would wear, but if you aren’t sweating a lot and wearing for regular use you can do it every few wears,” Sachs said.

She notes that excessive washing can contribute to wear and tear and less elasticity with the bra, so it’s ideal to wash bras in a mesh washing machine safe bag. This is especially important when it comes to how much you’ve paid for your bra. For those of us women who want a better support, we tend to pay more for a bra and want our bras to last longer.

So what does all this mean? It means, as a general rule, you should aim to wash your normal, everyday bras after every 3-4 wears. This is just a general guide though and if your bra smells or looks dirty then wash it!

So, how do you wash it? It actually depends on the bra. Take a look below:

How to wash a silk/lace bra
If your bra is made from very delicate materials such as lace or silk, always pop it into a laundry bag before washing to reduce the risk of it snagging on the inside of the drum. If you don’t have a mesh laundry bag at home, an empty pillowcase is a good alternative.

How to wash a sports bra
Compression-style sports bras are very resilient so it’s easy to hand wash or machine wash them using the steps above. However, if you wear a sports bra with pads, pop these out before washing and wash separately (use a laundry bag if machine washing) and then reshape them before drying.

How to wash a nursing bra
Looking after your nipples is essential when breastfeeding, and an important part of good nipple care is…

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