Taking care of the Goods. (lingerie)

You owned it, looked amazing and it got a little messy.  You know how to clean up the toys well, but are you ready to treat your lingerie well, too?  Proper washing technique helps with lingerie longevity.

Handwashing Your Lingerie and Underwear

As a general rule, always check your underwear for tags and specific special care instructions first.

However, hand washing your lingerie and underwear will always be your safest bet, especially for more expensive or fragile garments! Here are some easy tips for how to wash women’s (and men’s) underwear by hand:

– Use a mild detergent. There are specially designed detergents for cleaning lingerie without damaging your delicate items. Some of the detergents are even specifically designed for hand-washing.
– Do not soak lingerie. The colors will bleed, and the quality of your items could fade.
– Do not twist, stretch, or wring out your underwear. Instead, wash your garments gently between your fingers or hands.
– Pat and air dry. After washing, gently press your underwear on a flat surface between two towels to soak up excess water. Then hang to dry.

When Using a Washing Machine…

Some of your lingerie items and underwear may be suitable for the washing machine. Be sure to always read your labels. For best results, use a delicate or gentle cycle with cool to warm water and follow these tips:

– Use mild detergents and follow the instructions for how much to use. Detergents are often concentrated.
– Do not use bleach unless you are washing white, all-cotton blends.
– To protect your lingerie, use a mesh bag. There are lingerie bags that will help to prevent your items from snagging or catching onto other clothing.
– Hook the backs of your bras to keep them from getting tangled or snagging on other clothes.
– Separate colors to prevent bleeding or dulling.

Drying Lingerie and Underwear

Now you know how to wash lingerie—but how do you get it dry? For best results, flat dry or hang dry. Be aware that some items such as tights may stretch, so it may be best to loop the garment loosely around the hanger or drying rack.

Never put fine lingerie in the dryer. This can ruin the shape, fade the color, shrink your garment, break down the fibers, and/or shorten its overall lifespan.

Low heat or tumble dry settings may be suitable for some garments. Just be careful. Some fabrics will shrink or even melt in the dryer.

For specific fabric care tips, check out the chart below:

Lingerie Fabric Care Tips

Now you are ready to show-off your clean and fabulous lingerie, again!