How many times do you wear your bra before washing it? The ideal number is less than you think and it’s leaving women everywhere feeling a little put out
Most women can’t wait to take their bras off at the end of a long day but be honest, how often do you wash your bra? Once a week? Once a month? Maybe even once a year? While we all know it’s essential to put on clean underwear every day when it comes to your over-the-shoulder-boulder-holder, it’s not so clear.
The problem that lots of women face is that bras are expensive and can often require delicate hand-washing, which let’s face it, is a faff to do. But how often should you really be washing your knocker-lockers? The answer is leaving women everywhere dumbstruck and a little grossed out.
In a personal hygiene survey conducted by Mashable and SurveyMonkey, an average of 35% of UK women admitted to wearing a bra at least five times before cleaning it. However, Pour Moi’s Lingerie Technologist, Lois Siciliano, says we should be washing them after every two to three wears.
She said: “When it comes to normal use, every two to three wears is fine. Obviously, that’s not the case if it’s a sports bra you’re wearing to an intense gym class or if it’s a hot summer’s day. If you’re particularly sweaty, you should wash the bra each wear.”
People reacting to the news were shocked. Writing on Reddit, one person wrote: “I have a favourite bra that I’ve had at least a couple of years and it’s still in perfect shape. I was told it was wrong and disgusting that I don’t wash it every couple of days.
“Sometimes I’ll go at least a couple of weeks without washing it (which is usually in the winter when I’ve not been sweating in it). And it’s not like I wear it all day every day because I take it off at night. Surely I’m not the only girl who doesn’t wash their bra every couple of days right?”
Responding to the confession, another woman added: “I’m like you. I wash it when I think I need to, typically every few weeks. Who cares what someone else thinks. A good bra is flipping EXPENSIVE!” And someone else admitted: “Judge me if ya want but I wear mine until they don’t pass the sniff test, or I got REALLY sweaty in it. I also have very little body odour so that might factor in.”
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Explaining the best way to care for bras Lois advises wearers to fill a sink with cool water and add a little handwash liquid lingerie detergent or any other mild detergent. Place bras with the clasps fastened in the water, give them a swirl in the water and soak for ten minutes before gently rubbing on the underarms and back band to tackle any sweat buildup. Rinse in cool, clean water and lay them on a clean towel to dry.
If all that sounds like too much effort and you have to machine-wash, Lois advises using the most delicate wash available at the lowest possible temperature and preferably with no spin.
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