This month is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month and while we are all taking excellent care of our bosoms, there is no better time to learn how to also take incredible care of the one item that keeps them held together – bras. In order to increase the lifetime of your delicates while also keep them soft, supportive and stylish, there are some fabulous bra washing tricks that every lady deserves to know. It’s time to stop throwing our bras in the washer and dryer, ladies. Let’s start actually giving our bras the TLC they need.

Washing Sport Bras

After you’ve worked up a serious sweat, bring your sports bra into the shower with you and hand wash it. Just keep a little bottle of laundry detergent on a shelf, and toss it over the shower rod to dry once you’re done and it’ll be ready for tomorrows exercise session. Since you should be washing all of your bras by hand anyway, putting your sports bra right in the shower with you post workout allows you to clean it right away, washing all that sweat and smell away while also not having to spoil all the other clothes in your hamper, which is never ideal.

Use a Salad Spinner

Washing and drying your delicates with a salad spinner may sound like an absolutely crazy idea but it can actually work wonders at washing and drying your delicates, faster and fairly effortlessly as well. All you need to be able to take advantage of this crazy-clever method is some soap and of course, a salad spinner. To start, fill the spinner with warm water and add in a small drop of laundry detergent. Submerge your bra in the water until well saturated – approximately 10 minutes. Then, start spinning! Dump the dirty water and rinse out the salad spinner. Refill it with some cold water and place your bra back. Spin until the water is clear to ensure there is no dirt or detergent left over. Pour the water out again and put your bra back into the empty spinner. Start spinning again to remove as much water as possible, and then hang to dry.

Bra Hanging Hacks

Now that you’re ready to dry your delicious and know they should never be put in the washer and dryer, you’ll want to take advantage of these bra hanging hacks that can be used to dry your bras quicker. Once you have hand washed your delicates, gently squeeze and press the bra with a towel, being sure to never wring or twist the cups. Then, hang them over a drying rack or lay flat on a clean towel. More importantly, never hang your bras by their straps as it will stretch the elastic and can jeopardize the fit and longevity of the item.

Rejuvenate White and Nude Bras

If you find that hand washing your delicates aren’t leaving your white and nude-toned bras as crisp as you’d like, and it seems that they appear more dingy and discolored, add some white distilled vinegar into the washing process. Just allow your bras to soak in it for 20 minutes before washing. Be sure to thoroughly wash and rinse afterwards to get that potent vinegar smell out. If the straps seem to still be gray, just mix a few tablespoons of baking soda together with water until a paste forms. Massage into the elastic straps and then rinse thoroughly. This method also works incredibly for treating deodorant stains and sweat spots.
When determining how often to wash your bras, you need to take the season into consideration (summer boob sweat alert) and how often you’ve worn each bra. Every two to four weeks is usually ideal for frequently worn bras, but if you have more in your collection and wear each style less often, you can wait up to 6 weeks to do the washing. You should also never be wearing the same bra two days in a row because letting the garment rest in between days helps keep the shape and elasticity of each style. With these incredible bra-washing hacks, they’ll excel at doing their job.