Increase the Life of Your Lingerie

Ladies undergarments are not cheap items: pantyhose, brassieres, underwear, Spanx.  You can greatly increase the longevity of these garments if you take care of them.

But who has time to take special care of lingerie?

Once you learn how to care for these items properly, it becomes second nature and doesn’t add any real time to your laundry routine.

And when you’ve doubled the life of these not-so-cheap items, you’ll be so glad you did!

Here’s a few laundry tips to help keep your undergarments stay in great shape:

• Always wash your lingerie in cool/cold water on the gentle cycle.
  Delicate items just cannot take the agitation of a ‘Normal’ cycle in the washer.  Especially items with underwire or the delicate fabric of pantyhose.  And they only need warm water every 4-5 washings.  Cool/cold water is an effective temperature for regular washing.
• Better yet, handwash your lingerie.
  Items with delicate fabrics like pantyhose or Spanx-type garments can often pick or run.  You greatly decrease the chances of this if you handwash these garments.  You can use your regular detergent, just a small amount of it.  Rinse well and squeeze to remove excess water – do not wring the fabric.  I will have a vlog on handwashing coming out soon.  So stay tuned!
• If you wash your lingerie in the machine, make sure to use a mesh laundry bag.
  I love mesh laundry bags, as they have a million uses.  They are essential when washing undergarments in the machine.  It creates an extra layer of protection for delicate fabrics.  They also prevent items from snagging (think bra hooks) or running or picking.  I have 5-6 mesh bags for just this very reason.
• Never dry lingerie in the dryer.  Always hang dry.
  Drying your undergarments in the dryer is just asking them to die an early death.  The elastic in this type of garment is especially sensitive to heat.  Dryer heat makes the elastic crack, stretch out of shape and wear down.  Drying lingerie in the dryer should be on emergency basis only.   I hang dry mine on my S-hooks.
• Wash your garments less frequently.
  Bras probably only need to be washed once a week.  Maybe wash even every two weeks if you alternate which bra you wear daily.  Pantyhose can be washed every other wear.  Spanx can even be pushed to every 2-3 wearings.  Underwear must be washed with every wear.  Please.

It’s hard to find good bras that fit.  And pantyhose and Spanx-type garments aren’t exactly cheap.  Treat them with care and they’ll last a long time!

 

I’m pleased to link this post to Frugal Friday over at Life As MOM.  Head on over for some frugal inspiration.