New Style Idea

Once upon a time (OK, like two years ago), I threw my lace underwear, padded t-shirt bras, and bralettes in with the rest of my laundry. This is how I had done the wash for all of my life, or since my mother taught me "the rules" and I ran off to college in 2010. Yes, back in college, I only separated my wardrobe by color when doing the laundry, eventually finding that my delicate underthings were shredding and I had to reinvest in lingerie sets more often than what seemed normal. Then I started doing my research.

After talking to a DKNY lingerie spokesperson and learning that I should probably pick up a mesh lingerie bag to eliminate snares and pulls, I took things one step further and tapped my friends over at Lively, along with Erin Rittling, senior manager of Aerie styling, for even more tips and tricks. Dude, it was about time I became a bra-washing pro! Sure enough, the aforementioned lingerie separates bag changed my life and has prolonged my time with some of my favorite intimates - especially those beautiful lacy bralettes.

Now that I've heard advice from Aerie and Lively, too, I'm even saving money on my electric bill by opting for fewer cycles and cleaning my bras with cool water and mild detergent in the sink. But there are plenty more "did you know?" tidbits ahead. Keep reading to see how I've summarized my learnings both through my own experiences and through chatting with industry experts. Then you can start washing your bras the right way, which - spoiler alert! - basically just means not as frequently.