Be sure the sink is clean before you begin. You do not want any food or grease in the water with your bras. It’s not safe to use hot water because that can damage the fabric. Use water that is about 85 °F (29 °C). It should be just a little warm to the touch and comfortable for you to put your hands in. If you want to prevent fading, try to wash your clothes with cold water, since the heat contributes to garment fading.
2 teaspoons (9. 9 ml) of soap is good for a kitchen or bathroom sink or a 3 US gal (11 L) bucket. For a bathtub, you can use up to 2 tablespoons (30 ml). Don’t add bleach, fabric softener, or any other harsh chemicals to the water because they can damage the fabric of the bras.
If your bras have inserts, remove them and soak them in the bowl with the bras. This way, all the parts of your bras are submerged and soaking evenly. You can safely and effectively wash all your bras this way, even sports bras or heavily padded bras with underwire.
Use the same detergent to pretreat that you use to wash the bras.
If you bras have padded, gel, or synthetic foam inserts, remove them and wash them by hand because they can lose their shape in the washing machine quite easily. [9] X Research source Bras that have a lot of embellishments like lace, sequins, or beads should be hand washed to prevent damage. It’s best if you do not wash your bras and delicate clothes with heavy fabrics like denim or with thick cotton towels.
Never use chlorine bleach or fabric softener for washing bras because they will break down the fabric and the cup padding. [11] X Research source
If your machine does not have a delicate cycle, use cold water and little to no spin cycle. [13] X Research source
If a bra has a heavily padded cup, squeeze the cup between your fingers to see if there is any remaining moisture. To speed up air drying, blow cool air from an electric fan onto the bras as they dry.
