How to Wash Underwear to Kill Bacteria and Looks New?
Undershirts made of fine silk, boxer shorts made of organic cotton and bralettes made of lace - what we wear on our skin should be particularly high-quality, soft and breathable. However, these fabrics are usually the most sensitive, but we wash underwear too often. We tell you how to make underwear still looks new after several washes.
Washing underwear: It requires a delicate touch.
Washing underwear presents several challenges:
Since the underwear must contact the skin directly, the process must remove sweat, stains, and bacteria.
Everyday cotton underwear or fine lace lingerie - the underwear range is wide, and not every piece tolerates the same amount. Therefore, not all underwear is suitable for the washing machine.
We tend to wash underwear the most: we change briefs and boxer shorts every day, bras usually after four to five wears at the latest. So, underwear does the most rounds in the washing machine of clothing items. To ensure that they last for a long time, they should be washed as gently as possible, despite their thoroughness.
Washing underwear - depends on the material.
Which treatment is the right one in each case depends on the material. Especially with briefs and bras, the slips with the washing instructions often fall victim to convenience or wearing comfort and are cut out. In such cases, you should roughly stick to the following guidelines in terms of temperature and wash cycle:
Boxer shorts, briefs and undershirts made of cotton can be washed in the washing machine without any complications. For colored garments, choose a temperature of 40 to 60 degrees, depending on the degree of soiling, and use a detergent with color protection. You can also wash white cotton underwear as a boil wash, but 40 to 60 degrees is usually sufficient.
More delicate textiles made of viscose or with lace are not quite as resistant: For them, you should set 40 degrees in the delicate wash cycle and clean them with a suitable mild detergent. To ensure that all bacteria and odors are reliably eradicated, there are special hygiene rinses that have an antibacterial effect or serve to neutralize odors. However, the dryer should always be taboo for such delicate underwear.
Particularly fine fabrics - such as lingerie made of pure silk - should be washed by hand. Soak the garment for a few minutes in lukewarm water and some (antibacterial) liquid detergent. Then rinse it with clear, cold water and let it air dry, preferably on a towel.
In order for functional and sports underwear to become both clean and retain their sweat-absorbing and temperature-balancing properties, they require special treatment. The water-repellent membrane of such sports underwear remains intact at low temperatures, a low speed, and a special sports detergent.
Fabric softener has no place in a machine with sportswear. If, on the other hand, you wash normal underwear, fabric softener makes it feel even more comfortable, especially with cotton.
More delicate textiles made of viscose or with lace are not quite as resistant: For them, you should set 40 degrees in the delicate wash cycle and clean them with a suitable mild detergent. To ensure that all bacteria and odors are reliably eradicated, there are special hygiene rinses that have an antibacterial effect or serve to neutralize odors. However, the dryer should always be taboo for such delicate underwear.
Particularly fine fabrics - such as lingerie made of pure silk - should be washed by hand. Soak the garment for a few minutes in lukewarm water and some (antibacterial) liquid detergent. Then rinse it with clear, cold water and let it air dry, preferably on a towel.
Washing underwear - you should pay attention to these special features.
As a rule, bras can also be washed in the washing machine - 30 to 40 degrees is perfectly adequate. However, you should not simply put bras in the drum: With underwire bras, a special laundry net prevents the wire hangers from coming loose and damaging the washing machine or other laundry items. It would help if you always closed the hooks before the wash cycle. Printed or embroidered underwear can also be placed in a laundry net and should also be turned inside out - this protects the elaborate decorations from wear and tear.