bra care

Bra Care and Wear

Please keep these bra tips in mind!

1. One to wear,
        One to care,
             One to spare ...
   Or one on your body, one in the wash and one in the drawer. At a minimum, it is best to follow the rule of three and rotate. Invest in yourself and have several bras to properly rotate in your wardrobe. The same bra should not be worn two days in a row. The elastic will recover if given a day off to breathe and regain its shape.

2. Give this bra a hand
   It is ideal to hand wash your bra in a gentle lingerie soap. Everyday detergents and bleach destroy elastic and reduce the life span of the bra. Ask your EBW Representative about our specially formulated lingerie wash to help protect your investment.

3. Bag it up
   If hand washing isn’t possible, clasp the hooks and eyes on the bra band and place in a lingerie bag lying flat. Then place in your washer on the “delicate” cycle. The lingerie bag will protect it during the rinse and spin cycles.

4. Is it chilly in here?
   Yes! It is chilly and that is how it should be. Cold water will assist in shocking the elastic to restore its stretch memory. Warm/hot water will cook the residual soap into the bra and break down the fabric.

5. Feel the fresh air...
   Never put your bra in the dryer. Heat will break down the elasticity of the bra and destroy it. Always air dry your bras by lying flat or hang dry, but hang only by the centerpiece, not by the straps.

6. Bras need their space...
   Always store your bras flat. Never push Essential Bodywear bras cup into cup when storing. Our cups are molded and by inverting one cup into another it compromises the integrity of the mold. Over time, if stored or washed this way, it will cause the fabric to ripple and it cannot be repaired. It is best to store your Essential Bodywear bras flat in your lingerie drawer or on a shelf, laying one on top of the other or one in front of the other on end.

7. Never say Never...
   If you wear and love your EBW bras but something goes wrong outside of our 45 day guarantee (popped under wire, broken hook, etc.) contact your EBW Rep as soon as you notice it. We don’t want you to give up on the fit and never wear the bra again if it can be repaired. That’s why we’ll fix it fast and free!

Wash
The ideal way to wash a bra is to hand wash with our gentle Essential Wash designed for delicates and then lay flat to dry. Since most of us do not have that kind of time the recommendation is to machine wash in a lingerie bag in cold water using a gentle cycle. The cool water shocks the elastic, helping the bra retain its stretch and shape. Clasp the back of the band before placing into lingerie bag. Do NOT wash in warm or hot water as this will shrink the cotton felt that is sewn in as the underwire casing and the underwires may pop out. Do NOT use chlorinating agents or harsh detergents as it will break down the elasticity in the bra. Do NOT use woolite - it is made for natural fibers - wool - and not recommended for synthetic fibers. We recommend you wash all your intimates first before wearing.

Dry
Smooth out cups and lay flat to dry. Do not hang wet bras by straps as this will strain the fabric and cause the straps to lose elasticity. NEVER place bra in dryer. Heat breaks down synthetic fabrics such as the ones found in EBW products: microfiber, lycra and spandex and dramatically reduces the life span of a bra. The dryer actually cooks any residual soap left in the bra's fibers. This causes loss of firmness, which cannot be regained.

Wear
Rotate bras - every day. One day of rest for every day of wear. Bras relax with the warmth of the body and will lose firmness if worn everyday. A bra can be worn 3-4 times in between washings to help extend its shelf life. The more you wash a fabric, the sooner it breaks down and loses firmness and support. Start on the first hook placement and move in as needed. If cared for properly, a bra should last up to one year of wear.

Store
Store your bras flat, or standing one in front of the other. DO NOT press your cups into the other cup to condense for wash or storing garment. By inverting the molded cup it is compromising the integrity of the mold and will cause the fabric to ripple after repeated incidents. It is best to wash and store bras flat in your drawer or on a shelf for the bra to live its longest life. The molded cups do place on top of one another nicely and can be stacked or lined up along side of one another as well.