Who can forget the famous line in Hedwig and the Angry Inch when Hedwig loses her mind at the laundromat:
“How many times do I have to tell you? You don’t put a bra in a dryer! It warps!”
If you like campy musicals with heart and haven’t seen the film do yourself a favor and watch it this week (it’s wonderful). What makes that quote so hysterical is that as females we’ve all been there (and men you can relate too because chances are you’ve experienced the wrath of your pissed off girlfriend when you tried to help out but f*cked up by washing her hotties in hot).
Yep, you pretty much cannot have gone through life as a woman without experiencing the horror of spending $70 on a bra then accidentally throwing it in a hot dryer and ruining your investment. Take it up a notch if you’ve ever wrecked that Agent Provocateur that cost you a whole paycheck.
Therefore, in honor of these wonderful naughties that get all the likes on your photos and keep your fans coming back for more, read below for some general tips on how to care for your delicate items.
HANDWASH, DRYCLEAN, OR MACHINE WASH?
Silk tags often say dry clean only, however handwashing works if you know what you’re doing. For detailed instructions on silk check out this article by The Lingerie Addict. Lace, cotton, wool, and other blends in general are good to go for handwashing. Corset care is covered here.
What about using a machine?
Often the tag will say you can put them in a laundry bag and throw it in the wash on gentle cycle… and you can. However, you’re going get more life out of these delicate items if you just suck it up and hand wash.
REMOVE JEWELRY AND WATCH YOUR NAILS
Sounds like a no-brainer but how many of you have snagged the lace with a ring you forgot to take off or ripped a hole in your fishnets with a long nail? Be careful and attentive to jewelry and talons!
WASH LIKE COLORS TOGETHER
I know it’s tempting to throw it all in the same sink… but don’t. Just don’t. Ever washed your black silk undies with your pink ones and ended up with dead salmon-hued britches that look like they’re going to spawn? Yeah me too.
WATER TEMPERATURE MATTERS
Be sure to read the tag but a rule of thumb is silk, cotton, and wool goes in the cool category whereas nylons, fishnets and blends can usually hang out in lukewarm. By and large, hot water is a no go.
USE MINIMAL AND THE RIGHT DETERGENT
We’re talking a capful of soap, don’t overdo it! This is one of the biggest mistakes people make, you’re stuck with tons of suds and unable to get them out; so, don’t go overboard – less is more.
As for the type of detergent, check out these picks by Discover Magazine to find the 25 best brands for handwashing.
SOAK
Let items chill out for 10 to 15 minutes in the water. Then, you can use a little GENTLE friction by rubbing the material against itself to remove stains that haven’t come out – just be GENTLE.
Did I mention be GENTLE?
Silk as discussed by The Lingerie Addict should never be rubbed together unless you want to ruin it.
RINSE
With heartier items you can scrunch them into a ball to squeeze the water out as you rinse them under the faucet. Silks you need to put between two towels to remove moisture as manhandling them is going to wreck the weave.
DRY
A good practice is to lay your items on a towel to dry vs. hanging which can distort the shape.
CAVEAT!
This is a generalized article to get you thinking on how to wash your high maintenance items. All fabrics have different rules so it’s best to do a little extra research on the particular blend that you’re washing to be safe.
Main photo credit: iStock.com/LightFieldStudios
First photo credit: iStock.com/Vovchyn Taras
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Alyssa Collins hails from Minnesota, where snowy days were the perfect excuse to stay warm inside and write. Over the years, she turned that joy into a career and has authored numerous articles for various publications (under pen names). Email Alyssa via alyssa@ynot.com.
