Good lingerie isn't cheap. And even when it is, the pieces you love — the ones that fit exactly right, that make you feel a certain way — deserve better than being thrown in with the rest of the laundry and hoped for the best. Most delicate lingerie doesn't wear out. It gets ruined. Stretched elastic, torn lace, pills on satin, faded color. Almost all of it is preventable.
Here's how to keep the pieces you love in the condition they deserve.
Washing: hand wash first, machine wash carefully
Hand washing is always the safest option. Fill a basin with cool or lukewarm water — never hot — add a small amount of delicate lingerie wash or mild soap, and gently work the fabric through the water for a minute or two. Don't scrub, wring, or twist. Rinse thoroughly and press the water out gently with your hands.
If you machine wash, use a mesh laundry bag — always. The bag prevents straps from tangling, hooks from snagging on other fabric, and delicate lace from being abraded against the drum. Use the delicate or hand-wash cycle, cold water only, and a detergent formulated for delicates. Never use regular laundry detergent — it's too harsh for fine fabrics and will break down elastic over time.
Never wash lingerie with jeans, towels, or anything with zippers or hooks. Even in a mesh bag, the weight and texture of heavy fabrics damages delicate ones.
Drying: stay away from the dryer
The dryer is where lingerie goes to die. High heat destroys elastic, shrinks fabrics, and weakens lace. Even a low-heat setting will shorten the life of most delicate pieces significantly.
The right way to dry: press (don't wring) excess water out with a clean towel, then lay the piece flat on a dry towel or a drying rack. Reshape it while it's still damp — cups back to their original shape, straps straightened, lace edges smooth. Let it air dry away from direct sunlight, which can fade color and weaken fabric over time.
Don't hang wet lingerie by the straps — the weight of the water will stretch them out of shape permanently.
Storage: flat or hanging, but never compressed
How you store lingerie matters almost as much as how you wash it.
Bras should be stored flat in a drawer, one inside the other with the cups nested — not folded in half, which crushes the cups and misshapes them over time. If you have the space, hanging them by the center gore works well too.
Sets and separates can be folded flat and stacked loosely. Don't compress them under heavier items — the weight flattens lace and distorts elasticated edges.
Garter belts should be stored with the clips fastened, so they don't catch on other pieces in the drawer.
One practical tip: keep delicate pieces separate from everyday underwear. A small dedicated drawer or divider means they're not getting roughed up by the pieces you're pulling out every day.
By fabric: what each material needs
- Lace and embroidery — the most delicate. Always hand wash or use a mesh bag on the gentlest cycle. Avoid fabric softener, which breaks down the fibers and flattens the texture over time. The floral lingerie collection — with its embroidered details and botanical prints — especially rewards careful handling. Air dry flat, and store without compression.
- Satin — more resilient than it looks, but still needs care. Hand wash in cool water, or machine wash in a mesh bag on delicate. Press dry with a towel and hang or lay flat to dry. If satin gets creased, use a cool iron on the reverse side with a cloth between the iron and the fabric. Never iron directly. The satin lingerie collection stays smooth and lustrous longest when kept away from rough surfaces and washed without twisting.
- Sheer and mesh — the most susceptible to snags and runs. A single catch on a rough surface or a hangnail can pull a thread and create a ladder. Hand wash exclusively, handle gently, and store away from anything that could catch the weave. The sheer lingerie collection is worth the extra care — air dry flat, never in the dryer, and store loosely without folding the mesh tightly.
- Elasticated fabrics — elastic is the component that fails first in almost every piece of lingerie that's been worn a while. Hot water, the dryer, and harsh detergents all accelerate elastic breakdown. Cold water, gentle detergent, and air drying are the three things that extend elastic life the most. When elastic starts to go, it can't be reversed — prevention is everything.
The simple version
Cool water. Gentle detergent. Mesh bag if machine washing. Never the dryer. Flat to dry. Stored loosely without compression. That's most of what you need to know.
The pieces in the lingerie collection are made to be worn again and again — treat them accordingly, and they will be.