How to care for your lingerie

How to Care For Your Lingerie

Lingerie is an investment and not just of money. By opting for quality lingerie, you are also investing in how you look and feel. The right lingerie can make every woman look and feel great, helping to shape, support and flatter the figure, which in turn can help to boost confidence and self-esteem.

Leading manufacturers such as Lise Charmel, Prima Donna and Lejaby have dedicated years into researching women’s bodies to ensure every piece of lingerie they produce not only looks amazing, but also offers fantastic support and shaping too. Often using only the finest fabrics and detailing, quality lingerie is a luxury every woman should have.

If you have invested in your lingerie collection, you will no doubt want to care for these delicate items to ensure they last and continue to look great.

We have come up with five easy-care tips on how to care for your lingerie…

Pick ‘n’ mix – Aim to change your bra every 2-3 wears to maximise the life of each one, build up a decent selection of bras to choose from as this mean you wear each one slightly less and will have options to choose from depending on your outfit. As a basic collection, aim for a black, a white and a skin or nude coloured bra, for wearing under white.

Scrub a dub, dub – Machine washing is tough on delicates such as bras and briefs. Rigorous washing and warm temperatures can damage the delicate fabrics and elastics, which can reduce how supportive they are and how well they fit. To prolong the life of your lingerie always aim to hand wash. Use lukewarm water and a mild detergent –such as is suitable for newborns’ clothing. Soak for up to an hour, rub gently and then rinse in cool water to remove all traces of washing powder. To remove excess water, do not wring the item, it could damage it, instead lay it flat, cover with a towel and press to remove water. Leave to dry naturally and always avoid tumble-drying.

Hosiery – Tights and stockings can easily be snagged or pulled, especially when stuck in a washing machine with items with buttons or zips. Again, if possible hand wash these items, taking care to remove rings before you begin. If you are going to machine wash, put the items in an inexpensive mesh bag (available from hardware stores and discount shops), this will keep the items together and offer a measure of protection against other clothing.

Check the labels! – Before you wash any items for the first time, check the care instructions, some items may be suitable for machine-washing, if so, be sure to fasten bras first to prevent the hooks catching on other items and causing damage. Some items, such as silk, may be dry clean only, so it is always a good idea to ask for guidance or check labels before you buy.

Storing your smalls – Store your lingerie away from other items, such as belts or clothing. Ideally, use different drawers for knickers, bras & shapewear and hosiery. If not possible, look to invest in drawer separators, which sit inside a drawer and create different compartments for each item. Be mindful of how you store items with boning or bras with moulded cups, folding can damage the structure, so ideally lay them flat.

If your lingerie is past its best and you would like advice on choosing the right lingerie for you, contact the Bare Necessities team on 01332 865 554.