By Pam Wylie

Your lingerie is an investment and the better care you take of your lingerie, the longer it will last. A little extra care will help you keep your lingerie in tip top shape. Bras in particular need proper care to hold their shape. Here are some tips on how to care for your bras and most tips will work for your other lingerie items like hosiery, panties, booty shorts, baby dolls, and nightgowns as well.
 

How to clean your bra
WASH BY HAND: Check the label on your bra before hand washing as some bras are to be dry cleaned only. Most bras are not intended to be machine washed. The agitation and spin cycle can damage delicate fabrics, lace, hook and eye closures and under wires. To wash by hand simply fill a sink or tub with cold water and a mild detergent. You can use shampoo or hand soap to. Soak your bra for a few minutes then gently rub the bra with your hands. If you bra is made of satin, lace or silk, rub very lightly so as not to damage your bra. Rinse the bra completely and remove all traces of the soap and then move them to a thirsty towel. Use the towel to gently press out the excess water and clip the bra to a clothesline or hang them in a drying sack. You want to keep your bras out of direct sunlight to prevent fading. Never put your bra in the dryer, it is very damaging to the elastics and delicate fabrics. 

MACHINE WASHING: If the label on your new bra says it is OK to wash by machine you still need to take a few steps to provide for proper care. Placing your bra in a Lingerie Bag or pillow liner will help ensure its safety through the washing cycles. Close the hooks and eyes to keep them from being tangled. Make sure you set the washing machine to the delicate setting and use cool or cold water only. Many newer washing machine also have settings for the spin cycle. If your does, set it to the lowest setting possible. Once again, line drying is the best way to dry your bras and other lingerie, stay away from the dryer. Line drying also helps prevent shrinkage.

How to store your bra

KEEP IT SEPARATED: If possible, store your linger in a separate drawer away from your other clothing. Depending on the size of your lingerie collection you might want to invest in a Lingerie Chest which has different storage compartment for different lingerie items. Either way, you want to keep your bras together with other bras and it is probably better to keep the lingerie items you have that contain metal parts, like hook and eye closures and under wires away from your night gowns and hosiery.