How to Wash and Care for Lingerie So It Actually Lasts

The short answer: hand wash lace and delicate lingerie in cold water with a mild detergent, skip the dryer, and lay it flat to air dry. Machine washing and heat are the two things most responsible for a set losing its shape after just a few wears.

Hand washing, step by step

Fill a basin with cold water and a small amount of mild detergent, ideally one made for delicates rather than regular laundry detergent. Submerge the piece and gently swish it around for a minute or two. Skip scrubbing or wringing, especially on lace or anything with embroidery, since twisting the fabric can pull threads loose. Rinse in clean cold water until the water runs clear, then press out excess water with a towel rather than wringing.

If you machine wash anyway

We get it, hand washing everything isn’t always realistic. If you’re going to machine wash, use a mesh lingerie bag, cold water, and the gentlest cycle your machine has. Hook any clasps closed first so they don’t snag on other fabric, and skip the dryer entirely. A mesh bag won’t protect delicate lace from a full spin cycle the way hand washing would, but it’s a reasonable middle ground.

Drying

Lay flat on a clean towel, away from direct sun or heat. Hanging wet lingerie by the straps can stretch and distort the shape over time, especially on anything with underwire or structured cups. Heat from a dryer, a radiator, or direct sun can also break down elastic fibers faster than normal wear does, which is usually why a set starts feeling loose sooner than it should.

Storage

Store sets flat or gently folded rather than crushed into a drawer with everything else. Underwire pieces in particular hold their shape longer when they’re not bent or stacked under heavier items. If you rotate between a few sets rather than wearing the same one repeatedly, each piece gets more time to recover its shape between wears, which extends how long it looks and fits the way it did when it arrived.

When something still doesn’t hold up

Normal wear and washing will eventually soften any set, that’s expected. If something arrives with a manufacturing defect, that’s a different situation, and it’s covered separately under our return and refund policy if you catch it within three days of receiving your order.