Underwear fails at the elastic long before it fails at the fabric, and almost all elastic damage comes from heat. If you only change one thing, stop putting bras in the dryer.
Silk
Hand wash in cold water with a pH-neutral soap. Do not wring it — press the water out against the side of the basin, roll it in a towel, then dry flat in the shade. Direct sun will dull sand-washed silk within a few wears. Iron on the lowest setting, on the reverse, while slightly damp.
Lace
Hand wash cold. Fine leavers-style lace snags on itself, so wash it on its own rather than with a cotton set. Dry flat. Never tumble dry: the heat cooks the elastane in the ground and the lace goes brittle at the edge.
Cotton and rib
Machine wash cold in a laundry bag, tumble dry low or hang. The elastane content means it recovers on its own — you do not need to stretch it back into shape.
Seamless and bonded pieces
Machine wash cold in a bag. The bag matters here: bonded edges catch on zips and hooks. Dry flat, not on a radiator.
Bras generally
- Fasten the hooks before washing so they do not catch other pieces.
- Do not fold moulded cups into each other — it creases the foam permanently.
- Rotate. A bra worn two days running has no time for the elastic to recover, and it will stretch out roughly twice as fast.
- Wash after two or three wears. More often than that is unnecessary wear; much less and body oils break down elastane.
Storage
Lay bras side by side rather than stacked, and keep silk out of direct light. A drawer is fine; a hot airing cupboard is not.