White bras are perfect for summer time, for wearing under pale and sheer clothing to avoid seeing lines, or for any woman who likes a clean look when it comes to lingerie. White bras look best when at their brightest, which is generally right after you buy them. With regular wear and washing, white bras can quickly lose their lustre and turn dingy or yellow. If you want to keep your white bras white, it is important to wash them correctly from the moment you buy them.

  • White bras are perfect for summer time, for wearing under pale and sheer clothing to avoid seeing lines, or for any woman who likes a clean look when it comes to lingerie.

Close your bras. Open hooks and closures can snag the delicate material.

Put your white bras into a lingerie wash bag. Lingerie wash bags protect your delicate undergarments from snagging on the buttons and zippers of other clothes, or the interior of the washing machine.

Put the wash bag in the washing machine or sink if washing by hand. If your washing machine does not have a delicate cycle, opt for washing by hand.

  • Put the wash bag in the washing machine or sink if washing by hand.

Fill the washing machine with cold water. Hot water causes bras to shrink and can wear down the material.

Add one cup of white distilled vinegar. Vinegar has many household uses, one of which is disinfecting laundry and keeping whites bright.

Stop the cycle and let soak for 20 minutes. This will allow the vinegar to fully penetrate the fabric fibres.

Start the cycle and let it finish, without adding detergent.

Run your bras through an extra rinse cycle. You want to remove any remaining vinegar from your white bras before adding washing powder.

  • Start the cycle and let it finish, without adding detergent.
  • Run your bras through an extra rinse cycle.

Set your washing machine to a delicate or cold water cycle. Delicate cycles help preserve your bras and give them a longer lifespan, regardless of the colour.

Add one cup of baking soda to the machine. Baking soda will help remove any yellow stains near the armpits of your bras, increase overall whitening and remove odours.

Add gentle washing powder and run your delicate cycle. Choose a washing powder that is specially formulated for wool and cashmere; these tend to be the most delicate.

Run your bras through an extra rinse cycle a second time to remove any remaining baking soda.

Hang dry. Putting your bras in the dryer sets stains and can cause them to shrink and yellow.

WARNING

Using bleach can cause whites to yellow and can also wear down the thin fabric on bra straps and cups.