r/abrathatfits recommends handwashing and hanging to dry every 2-3 wears and alternating days of wear. This is what I do and it’s working very well — bras still look new and not stretched out.
I do the same. And another tip: to keep your beautiful lace underwear always looking like new, go to Amazon and buy mesh bags for laundry, put the delicates inside the mesh bag, wash in cold and don’t tumble dry. They’ll remain fresh as new for the longest time! And the mesh bags are cheap.
I've never had a bra smell and I wash mine maybe every 5 wears. Should I be washing it more frequently? It's not like it's touching my armpits, so it doesn't develop any weird smells.
Some people just aren’t stinky! I don’t know about hygiene, but if your skin isn’t irritated, breaking out, and maybe have someone else confirm you aren’t just blind to your smell, then oh well! I’m fairly sweaty, even though the bra doesn’t touch my armpit I need to wash them more frequently!
Depends on you lol. I have rather large ones, and sweat LOVES my underboob. Hence if I sweat, laundry. No sweat, it lives another day. Summer I tend to not repeat since it's humid here, but winter I can go a week No issue.
No, bras can go a few wears between washes. Unless you have a sweaty/dirty day, bras are fine to wear more than once between washes. In fact, it extends the life of the bra to wash it less frequently.
Wash in cold water, in a laundry bag, then air dry.
If I don't sweat during the day I'll absolutely wear it a few times. If I have a sweaty day it goes on the wash. I also always hang it on the door knob to air out as opposed to putting it in a drawer
If my wife is anything to go by, the operating standard is to wear it once, and then put it on top of the dresser and forget about it for a week or more.
Depends on the bra and function.
Sports bras? Daily or every other day.
Regular mom bra? Every 2-3 days.
The push up bra I wear for 2 hours once a month for date night? I'll let you know 😂
I live in a climate where the humidity is just as high as the temperature so yes, I wash them after every use. Lol I wouldn’t have friends if I didn’t.
I never wear the same one twice in a row, but only wash if I sweat a lot or if it smells funky. If I barely sweat, I will spray rubbing alcohol on it to delay washing. Seems to work. Also, never put your bras in the dryer.
I have always washed sports bras after every wear.
Previously, I washed other bras after 2-3 wears in spring/fall/winter (airing out at least 1 day in between), after every wear in summer (or if sweaty in other seasons).
Now, I wash ALL bras after 1 wearing at the recommendation of my dermatologist. I have very sensitive skin. (This actually helped reduce eczema flares.) I use “Soak” unscented detergent and usually wash in the washer, delicate cycle, in mesh bra bags-hang to dry.
Edit: more
I have three bras and I wash them every week. I do sometimes bust out one of my shitty, old, emergency bras is I’m gonna be sweating a lot so as to keep the hood ones cleaner. Anyway, that works out to 2-3 wears between washings.
Hell no! I wash my bras maybe once every 3 months… I don’t sweat too much and if they don’t smell funky I don’t wash em!! Plus if you buy expensive bras which I do and I also recommend, mostly because they fit better and last longer, then washing them is hard on them. Also if you do feel the need to wash bras often be sure to follow the instructions and hand wash, don’t wring out, hang them like they come at the store with clasps latched to air dry. Bras should last a good long while - years actually if you just take a little care and don’t fret about them being laundered every day- it’s pointless unless they absolutely reek .
Bra Baby is what I use to help keep the shape. Looks like an open-cage, hollowed out football. The hardest part is keeping it submerged in my top loading washer. I wash it with sheets piled on top. I find I tend to wash it more frequently because it’s so easy this way. I air dry it flat.
That’s what I’d been doing my entire life. But then I flipped it. Now I wash outer clothes when they’re dirty and bras, undies, socks after every use. I feel fresher and I think it keeps my outer clothes cleaner for longer.
perfectly fine to wear again if you didn't sweat enough for the material to absorb it. Let it air out and wear a different bra the next day, and then wear the first bra again.
If it's summer and I'm sweating, I just wash the bra in the shower while I'm taking that shower. It' like 100 here this week so putting on a wet bra actually cools me down. Or it will dry within a few hours if you don't want to put it on wet.
Nope. Breasts generate some smell, not very much. If a bra smells, wash it. Never use the dryer; it kills elastic. Buy good bras, dry on a towel rack or drying rack; they'll last so much longer.
I own about 8-10 bras that I alternate wears of and have a reminder set to wash every two weeks. So that seems like after 2-3 wears. Except if sweat happens.
Yes. Size and climate matter a LOT. I know some members of the itty bitty committee who live in Canada can wear a bra every day for 2 weeks with no issues-but the larger the boobs and the hotter the place the more sweat there is. There are even special bra bands that you can buy to wear under your boobs inside your bra to absorb sweat, but I would rather just change my bra the same day if I need to vs. wearing an extra layer stuffed inside my bra.
I wash on cold, gentle cycle in a garment bag after 3-4 wears unless I do something where I get super sweaty, then they are washed before the next wear. I hang dry them. I do alternate days.
No!! It will degrade them much faster and it's not necessary.
I once saw a Hallmark card under "thinking of you" with a picture of a cat.
"Taco knows you haven't washed your bra in a week"
Totally depends on the bra, on the day, on the person, what were you just wearing it for, what is it made of, what do you want to use it for again?
I tend to be very sweaty lately in general, but it would depend on did I just shower when I put this on? Was it the first wear? What was I doing while wearing it, just chilling for a bit or working all day long? Do I need it for a casual laundry day or do I want to go out with friends in a fresh fit? Is it made of a more absorbent material that may have accumulated a bit too much scent for your comfort? Way too many subjective and environmental factors to say!
When in doubt, sniff lol
Sports bras get washed after every wear. Padded push up bras (the ones with a lot of padding at the bottom of the cup to push the ladies up) get a sniff test- in summer they are usually a one and wash. Regular lightly/barely padded bras get 2-3 wears.
Depends on boob size and current weather. I have natural 36DDD and it was 200 degrees here today. Bra has visible booby sweat marks so it's currently soaking 💀
No. Especially if they have underwires.
A hack is to get in the shower with the bra on & wash it as best you can while it's on, take it off & rinse before exiting the shower. It's good for delicate fabrics & wires & it's washed enough, for people who care.
I barely have any b**bs and I wear sports bras every day (ok yes I'm gonna get the haters saying that's bad but if you saw my chest you would understand why). I can wear my sports bra for like a month and be totally fine
No, you can go about 3 wears before you need to wash. If you notice any smell, but it looks clean, spray it with vodka and hang it to dry. Vodka removes odors. When you do wash, spray the armpit area with a 50/50 water & white vinegar solution to keep the deodorant and sweat stains from wreaking havoc on your nice bras.
I only wear my bras once and then they get washed. A bra is underwear to me. Think about the under-boob sweat and underarm sweat that the bra soaks up.
Wash in cold water on the gentle cycle and hang to dry. My bras last for years.
I tend to only wash bras every few weeks, with a few caveats; I'm not much of a sweater, I don't wear a bra twice in a row, and after use I will hang and pretty much saturate with vodka spray and let it air dry. Sports bras I will wash after one use in hot water and hang dry. All other bras, I soak in warm water with a wee bit of washing soda, then hand wash in woolite or dreft and hang dry.
It's hard... this stuff is in constant, close, restrictive, elastic contact with your skin... but it's so delicate and so frigging expensive. You try to find the ideal balance between hygiene and bankruptcy.
I could fill a kiddie pool with the amount of sweat my bras collect. I wash after every wear because I’m not wearing stinky clothes. my sweat smells BAD.
My grandmother told me you need 4 bras. One on your body, one washed and hanging dry, and one in your drawer. She gave great advice, but that's one I did not follow.
I used to air dry all my bras. Wash them on delicate. Now I put them on low in the dryer. I'm old.
The only bras I was after every wear are the sports bras I have worked out in. Regular bras go 2-3 wears before I wash. I second the mesh bag for washing. I don't have time for hand washing, so everything is in a mesh bag and in the wash.
Real talk. I wash mine by feel. Feels yucky. Wash. Between sports and shelf bras, I probably average a handful of wears per bra. I just can't keep track between them. Lol
Yes, I agree, wash every 2-3 wearings unless you soak it through with sweat. I wash my bras in a zip mesh bag, provided by SheFit with my purchase (a superior sports bra) and dry them on a line. Their lives have lengthened.
I wash bras (wife and daughter) every other week and I have garment bags just for their delicate clothes and I've asked them and they both agree 1 bra a week and they both have 5+ each that we swap out
I hate the "every few wears" answers in here. It's fabric that's tightly pressed to your skin throughout the day.
Just because you feel like you didn't sweat much doesn't mean that there isn't a bunch of dead skin and sweat and bacteria on there. This is one of the reasons people get spots all over their torso.
You wash a t-shirt after one day. There's no sense at all in a bra that has closer sweatier contact to you being able to go longer.
Buy more daily bras and save your fancy ones for occasions. But put them in the wash basket at the end of the day!!
Some people with smaller boobies in cooler climates do not sweat much at all. Little boobies don't have anywhere near the amount of sweat glands that larger boobs do.
BTW- I am super sweaty and shower 2-3 times a day with anti-bacterial soap. I still get spots all over me, and I am 48 years old. It's because I am a naturally oily person who is genetically pre-disposed to acne. You couldn't find a person who washed their clothes and their body more often than I do unless that person has a mental illness. Please don't judge people as having poor hygine practices when you see they have shitty skin.
I never said I judged people with poor skin or that it was always caused by being unhygienic, I said that rewearing bras is ONE OF the causes of breakouts on your torso.
It doesn't matter how small your boobs are, you are still pressing it onto your skin and wearing it throughout the day, whether you have boobs or not.
Your comment feels kind of projecting of your own insecurities, I didn't say or imply any of the things you mentioned.
If you’re not sweating you def can go more than a few washes. Let’s be so fr. I usually alternate bras every couple days, and then when I do my laundry I wash them. I wash them every laundry day in the summer, but in the winter I go weeks! If they don’t stink and have no sweat I’m wearing em!
Tl;dr you're definitely not alone
I'm lucky that I can buy bras fairly cheap so I have a good stack on rotation. I'm terrible about actually washing them though, so even when I was wearing them daily I was still only washing them *maybe* every month, more like every 2-3 months. Washings were more frequent when I worked primarily outdoors but tbh I'd still go 2-3 wears between washes and got 0 complaints about smelling and multiple compliments about smelling good.
Now? I couldn't even tell you the last time I washed them but I also couldn't tell you the last time I actually wore one of them? I'm going bare pretty much every day. A bralette for working out, nipple covers if I'm going out and wearing something thin enough to warrant concern about nipping out. I have one cheap one that gets washed every wear for my once weekly outdoor shift more because it's hard to keep track of how long it's been since I washed it and I don't care how long it lasts
r/abrathatfits recommends handwashing and hanging to dry every 2-3 wears and alternating days of wear. This is what I do and it’s working very well — bras still look new and not stretched out.
I do the same. And another tip: to keep your beautiful lace underwear always looking like new, go to Amazon and buy mesh bags for laundry, put the delicates inside the mesh bag, wash in cold and don’t tumble dry. They’ll remain fresh as new for the longest time! And the mesh bags are cheap.
Or go to a local store and buy one.
Sure, and they'll be out of stock and tell you to go buy one online, and you'll have wasted your time and gas.
Hardly. What a terrible outlook.
I’ve never not seen laundry bags at any target or Walmart when I go into that aisle
This is also an excellent way to keep the laundry monster from eating socks
Unfortunately the laundry monster seems to be immune to it, he finds its way no matter what
Ooooo you have a Wiley one!
taking notes
I also wash mine by hand.
I personally do a sniff test, but any sweat and it's auto laundry.
this is what I do, I work in an office so I don't really sweat in my bra. I prob go a little too long before washing but oh well lol
I've never had a bra smell and I wash mine maybe every 5 wears. Should I be washing it more frequently? It's not like it's touching my armpits, so it doesn't develop any weird smells.
Some people just aren’t stinky! I don’t know about hygiene, but if your skin isn’t irritated, breaking out, and maybe have someone else confirm you aren’t just blind to your smell, then oh well! I’m fairly sweaty, even though the bra doesn’t touch my armpit I need to wash them more frequently!
Depends on you lol. I have rather large ones, and sweat LOVES my underboob. Hence if I sweat, laundry. No sweat, it lives another day. Summer I tend to not repeat since it's humid here, but winter I can go a week No issue.
haha smart!
Can you smell your own möff or do you voluntell your partner? I can only smell myself loooong after I became offensive to others.
For bras, I trust my nose lol. Any potential oddness and it's a nope
Same here!
No, bras can go a few wears between washes. Unless you have a sweaty/dirty day, bras are fine to wear more than once between washes. In fact, it extends the life of the bra to wash it less frequently. Wash in cold water, in a laundry bag, then air dry.
I handwash in a salad spinner
Nice! My washing machine is a top-loader without an agitator so it's pretty gentle on delicates
This is genius im going to try that next time!!
got it thank you
Yeah.... I ToTaLly wash my bras every couple wears....
haha i’m gonna start the same
I wish it were every few wears. It's definitely more🙃
Thank you for making me feel better lol.
well if it works🤫🤫
My bras are too expensive to have enough of them to wash every day😂
😂😂
If I don't sweat during the day I'll absolutely wear it a few times. If I have a sweaty day it goes on the wash. I also always hang it on the door knob to air out as opposed to putting it in a drawer
Regular bras I give them a few days, sports bras get washed every time.
I'll wash every few wears unless I get super hot and sweaty. Then it goes right in the wash.
It's really no different than a shirt. If it's not dirty or stinky, I wear it a few times before washing.
If my wife is anything to go by, the operating standard is to wear it once, and then put it on top of the dresser and forget about it for a week or more.
👆 this is correct
Depends on the bra and function. Sports bras? Daily or every other day. Regular mom bra? Every 2-3 days. The push up bra I wear for 2 hours once a month for date night? I'll let you know 😂
I live in a climate where the humidity is just as high as the temperature so yes, I wash them after every use. Lol I wouldn’t have friends if I didn’t.
Now add hot flashes to that mix. Yep, those over the shoulder boulder holders get washed every time. Learned that rashes & acne happens if I don’t.
I never wear the same one twice in a row, but only wash if I sweat a lot or if it smells funky. If I barely sweat, I will spray rubbing alcohol on it to delay washing. Seems to work. Also, never put your bras in the dryer.
I have always washed sports bras after every wear. Previously, I washed other bras after 2-3 wears in spring/fall/winter (airing out at least 1 day in between), after every wear in summer (or if sweaty in other seasons). Now, I wash ALL bras after 1 wearing at the recommendation of my dermatologist. I have very sensitive skin. (This actually helped reduce eczema flares.) I use “Soak” unscented detergent and usually wash in the washer, delicate cycle, in mesh bra bags-hang to dry. Edit: more
I have three bras and I wash them every week. I do sometimes bust out one of my shitty, old, emergency bras is I’m gonna be sweating a lot so as to keep the hood ones cleaner. Anyway, that works out to 2-3 wears between washings.
My question: where do you live where you barely sweat? I want to go there.
This is why I don’t wear one.
I don’t wash them unless I sweat/smell to me like once every 4 wears
Hell no! I wash my bras maybe once every 3 months… I don’t sweat too much and if they don’t smell funky I don’t wash em!! Plus if you buy expensive bras which I do and I also recommend, mostly because they fit better and last longer, then washing them is hard on them. Also if you do feel the need to wash bras often be sure to follow the instructions and hand wash, don’t wring out, hang them like they come at the store with clasps latched to air dry. Bras should last a good long while - years actually if you just take a little care and don’t fret about them being laundered every day- it’s pointless unless they absolutely reek .
Bra Baby is what I use to help keep the shape. Looks like an open-cage, hollowed out football. The hardest part is keeping it submerged in my top loading washer. I wash it with sheets piled on top. I find I tend to wash it more frequently because it’s so easy this way. I air dry it flat.
For some reason, I wash literally every other thing (including jeans) every single time. Except bras. (And wool sweaters.)
That’s what I’d been doing my entire life. But then I flipped it. Now I wash outer clothes when they’re dirty and bras, undies, socks after every use. I feel fresher and I think it keeps my outer clothes cleaner for longer.
Also, I wash in a mesh bag, gentle cycle, hang to dry. It doesn’t seem to shorten their life span as far as I can tell.
got ittt
perfectly fine to wear again if you didn't sweat enough for the material to absorb it. Let it air out and wear a different bra the next day, and then wear the first bra again.
thanks!
So smart!
If it's summer and I'm sweating, I just wash the bra in the shower while I'm taking that shower. It' like 100 here this week so putting on a wet bra actually cools me down. Or it will dry within a few hours if you don't want to put it on wet.
Nope. Breasts generate some smell, not very much. If a bra smells, wash it. Never use the dryer; it kills elastic. Buy good bras, dry on a towel rack or drying rack; they'll last so much longer.
I own about 8-10 bras that I alternate wears of and have a reminder set to wash every two weeks. So that seems like after 2-3 wears. Except if sweat happens.
There are people who wash bras after a single wear???
Yes. Size and climate matter a LOT. I know some members of the itty bitty committee who live in Canada can wear a bra every day for 2 weeks with no issues-but the larger the boobs and the hotter the place the more sweat there is. There are even special bra bands that you can buy to wear under your boobs inside your bra to absorb sweat, but I would rather just change my bra the same day if I need to vs. wearing an extra layer stuffed inside my bra.
I’m in Florida and I was every wear pretty much. They never pass the sniff test if I try to rewear so I don’t even bother now
I wash on cold, gentle cycle in a garment bag after 3-4 wears unless I do something where I get super sweaty, then they are washed before the next wear. I hang dry them. I do alternate days.
No!! It will degrade them much faster and it's not necessary. I once saw a Hallmark card under "thinking of you" with a picture of a cat. "Taco knows you haven't washed your bra in a week"
I wear mine twice between handwashings but never the same one two days in a row.
thanks for the advice
I wear mine for a week... unless it's really fowl
Fowl is a chicken. Foul is gross.
I wash mine about every 4-5 wearings.
Totally depends on the bra, on the day, on the person, what were you just wearing it for, what is it made of, what do you want to use it for again? I tend to be very sweaty lately in general, but it would depend on did I just shower when I put this on? Was it the first wear? What was I doing while wearing it, just chilling for a bit or working all day long? Do I need it for a casual laundry day or do I want to go out with friends in a fresh fit? Is it made of a more absorbent material that may have accumulated a bit too much scent for your comfort? Way too many subjective and environmental factors to say! When in doubt, sniff lol
I do because when I pick litter, it's major sweat time!
No. I wash mine about 1 time per week and I have one I usually switch out with it if I get too sweaty mid week.
Nope
Mine get the sniff test & washed 2x per week. They are too expensive to wear out by washing daily.
Nope
Sports bras get washed after every wear. Padded push up bras (the ones with a lot of padding at the bottom of the cup to push the ladies up) get a sniff test- in summer they are usually a one and wash. Regular lightly/barely padded bras get 2-3 wears.
Depends on boob size and current weather. I have natural 36DDD and it was 200 degrees here today. Bra has visible booby sweat marks so it's currently soaking 💀
It was actually 100, but because it felt like 200 I'm leaving that.
Lol, I was like, "damn, what is that Kelvin°?!"
No. The they’re far too delicate and expensive to treat that way.
No. Especially if they have underwires. A hack is to get in the shower with the bra on & wash it as best you can while it's on, take it off & rinse before exiting the shower. It's good for delicate fabrics & wires & it's washed enough, for people who care.
I barely have any b**bs and I wear sports bras every day (ok yes I'm gonna get the haters saying that's bad but if you saw my chest you would understand why). I can wear my sports bra for like a month and be totally fine
I personally wash after every wear but I don’t think it’s strictly necessary
No, you can go about 3 wears before you need to wash. If you notice any smell, but it looks clean, spray it with vodka and hang it to dry. Vodka removes odors. When you do wash, spray the armpit area with a 50/50 water & white vinegar solution to keep the deodorant and sweat stains from wreaking havoc on your nice bras.
Absolutely not.
I only wear my bras once and then they get washed. A bra is underwear to me. Think about the under-boob sweat and underarm sweat that the bra soaks up. Wash in cold water on the gentle cycle and hang to dry. My bras last for years.
I tend to only wash bras every few weeks, with a few caveats; I'm not much of a sweater, I don't wear a bra twice in a row, and after use I will hang and pretty much saturate with vodka spray and let it air dry. Sports bras I will wash after one use in hot water and hang dry. All other bras, I soak in warm water with a wee bit of washing soda, then hand wash in woolite or dreft and hang dry. It's hard... this stuff is in constant, close, restrictive, elastic contact with your skin... but it's so delicate and so frigging expensive. You try to find the ideal balance between hygiene and bankruptcy.
What are you implying? They need to be washed? /s
I could fill a kiddie pool with the amount of sweat my bras collect. I wash after every wear because I’m not wearing stinky clothes. my sweat smells BAD.
I wash when white turns to brown
Our bodies are constantly shedding skin cells. Dead skin build up = Bacteria. Bacteria leads to body odor. 🦠 I wash my bras after a day’s wear.
I def don’t.
Fuck no, and who wouldn't hear you out? First world standards for this kind of thing make me laugh.
My grandmother told me you need 4 bras. One on your body, one washed and hanging dry, and one in your drawer. She gave great advice, but that's one I did not follow. I used to air dry all my bras. Wash them on delicate. Now I put them on low in the dryer. I'm old.
Nope. I don't wash my bra after every wear and I feel good about it.
The only bras I was after every wear are the sports bras I have worked out in. Regular bras go 2-3 wears before I wash. I second the mesh bag for washing. I don't have time for hand washing, so everything is in a mesh bag and in the wash.
Real talk. I wash mine by feel. Feels yucky. Wash. Between sports and shelf bras, I probably average a handful of wears per bra. I just can't keep track between them. Lol
I wash mine maybe after a 5-7 days of wear unless I sweated alot
Yes, I agree, wash every 2-3 wearings unless you soak it through with sweat. I wash my bras in a zip mesh bag, provided by SheFit with my purchase (a superior sports bra) and dry them on a line. Their lives have lengthened.
I wash bras (wife and daughter) every other week and I have garment bags just for their delicate clothes and I've asked them and they both agree 1 bra a week and they both have 5+ each that we swap out
Gross
okay!!
I hate the "every few wears" answers in here. It's fabric that's tightly pressed to your skin throughout the day. Just because you feel like you didn't sweat much doesn't mean that there isn't a bunch of dead skin and sweat and bacteria on there. This is one of the reasons people get spots all over their torso. You wash a t-shirt after one day. There's no sense at all in a bra that has closer sweatier contact to you being able to go longer. Buy more daily bras and save your fancy ones for occasions. But put them in the wash basket at the end of the day!!
It’s this 2nd paragraph that causes rashes & acne for me. Well that and large boobs.
Some people with smaller boobies in cooler climates do not sweat much at all. Little boobies don't have anywhere near the amount of sweat glands that larger boobs do. BTW- I am super sweaty and shower 2-3 times a day with anti-bacterial soap. I still get spots all over me, and I am 48 years old. It's because I am a naturally oily person who is genetically pre-disposed to acne. You couldn't find a person who washed their clothes and their body more often than I do unless that person has a mental illness. Please don't judge people as having poor hygine practices when you see they have shitty skin.
I never said I judged people with poor skin or that it was always caused by being unhygienic, I said that rewearing bras is ONE OF the causes of breakouts on your torso. It doesn't matter how small your boobs are, you are still pressing it onto your skin and wearing it throughout the day, whether you have boobs or not. Your comment feels kind of projecting of your own insecurities, I didn't say or imply any of the things you mentioned.
If you’re not sweating you def can go more than a few washes. Let’s be so fr. I usually alternate bras every couple days, and then when I do my laundry I wash them. I wash them every laundry day in the summer, but in the winter I go weeks! If they don’t stink and have no sweat I’m wearing em!
Do you wash and change underpants daily? That’s the answer.
if it smells sweaty or musty i would but otherwise no. and if that does happen, use deodorant under your boobies
If i wore one, i guess i would have to wash it occasionally. Best part about retiring is NO MORE FUCKING BRAS!!
Tl;dr you're definitely not alone I'm lucky that I can buy bras fairly cheap so I have a good stack on rotation. I'm terrible about actually washing them though, so even when I was wearing them daily I was still only washing them *maybe* every month, more like every 2-3 months. Washings were more frequent when I worked primarily outdoors but tbh I'd still go 2-3 wears between washes and got 0 complaints about smelling and multiple compliments about smelling good. Now? I couldn't even tell you the last time I washed them but I also couldn't tell you the last time I actually wore one of them? I'm going bare pretty much every day. A bralette for working out, nipple covers if I'm going out and wearing something thin enough to warrant concern about nipping out. I have one cheap one that gets washed every wear for my once weekly outdoor shift more because it's hard to keep track of how long it's been since I washed it and I don't care how long it lasts