If you’ve been wearing the same bra for years and years, it’s time to toss that thing to the curb. Chances are, it’s not doing you any favors anymore. But how long should we keep our bras around? The time limit on our go-to lingerie is probably shorter than you think.
Ideally, you should be rotating through three to five different bras on a weekly basis. Wearing the same one day after day will result in stretched out elastic and worn out padding. As Victoria’s Secret website states, allowing bras to rest for several days after wearing is the secret to keeping bras around for longer periods of time.
The CEO of lingerie company Journelle, Lyn Lewis, told HuffPost in March 2018, “if you only have two favorite bras that you pretty much wear every day, after six months, [they] really need to be replaced.”
Building up your lingerie collection will ensure you’re not wearing the same pieces on the daily. And although it may be pricier up front to purchase several bras at once, your entire collection will last you a lot longer and you won’t have to buy new bras as often.
Get yourself a bunch of bras — you deserve it!
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To extend the life of your bras even further, proper care is a must. Bra and lingerie brand ThirdLove notes that hand-washing your bras with warm water and a gentle cleanser is the best cleaning method. But if you’re in a crunch for time, putting your bra in a lingerie bag and throwing into the washing machine set on a gentle cycle is an okay alternative.
Just don’t ever put your bra in the dryer. Ever!
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Even if you take great care of your lingerie, your bras are still going to reach a point of no return. Once you start to notice the elastic isn’t stretching as good as it once did, or if you see that the padding is pitted, or that the outer fabric is pilling, it’s time to let that bra RIP.
Switch up your favorites every six months to a year and you’ll notice you’ll feel perkier outside and in.