It’s hard to believe that when shopping for clothes, there is a certain time they can be worn for before they “expire” and need to be replaced.
Just like food, women’s underwear also has a time limit on how long it should be used for before being replaced.
Experts recommend replacing bras every six to eight months, though depending on how they are washed, they have the possibility of lasting longer.
Speaking toCosmopolitan, experts at BlueGuard say: “Washing machines cause the padding in bras to lose their shape, and for those who wear the same bra frequently, the elastic won’t last much longer than half a year before it starts to become slack and unsupportive.”
But, there are ways to ensure bras can last for longer and having several on rotation is one way, while the way they’re being washed is another.
You should also wash your bras in cold water to help the elastic retain its original form: Prolonged exposure to hot water can break down [the bra's] elastic over time,” saidRackedmagazine.
Plus, hand-washing is gentler to bras than chucking them in the washing machine and they add: “A very small amount, a teaspoon to a tablespoon worth of detergent, is all you'll need to get bras clean without leaving behind soapy residue after rinsing.”
Its recommended to wash bras every three to six wearings – though in warmer months when bacteria builds up more, this can be more regularly.
Knickers should be replaced every six months, reports Cosmopolitan while socks can last up to a year.
To prolong the life of underwear, they should be washed on the machine’s gentle cycle – though handwashing can be best.
Experts are Racked also shared a tip to rinse bras in the shower for 30 seconds: “The shower rinse is going to wick away some of the sweat, body oil and dead skin that build up on a bra as you wear it, and the less build-up there is, the less frequently you'll need to wash that bra.”
While the way that bras are dried is equally as important for prolonging their life: “Always hang the bras by the centre gore, which is the part that attaches the two cups. The flip side of that rule is this: Don't hang your bras to dry by their straps. The weight of the wet bra will cause the straps to stretch out.”
“Lingerie uses very delicate fibres and elastics because it’s laying against sensitive areas of the body all day,” Cora Harrington, founder and editor-in-chief of The Lingerie Addict, toldThe Huffington Post.
Try not to bleach your white underwear too often as well. “You can use bleach every now and then,” said Stephanie Salardino, brand manager at Bare Necessities, an online lingerie store. “If you use bleach too often…it will destroy the elastic.”
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