How To Care For Your Lingerie

Caring For Your Lingerie

Properly washing your lingerie is essential to maintain its quality, softness, and durability. To keep your delicate pieces in pristine condition, explore this guide on how to care for your lingerie.

When caring for your lingerie, it’s important to recognise that frequent washing can stress delicate fabrics like the lace and embroidery within your underwear, ultimately diminishing their softness and longevity. This guide will help you care for your lingerie to keep it looking and feeling its best for as long as possible – taking you through how best to wash, dry and maintain your Lounge lingerie.

How To Care for Your Lingerie?

The Lounge Product Design team recommends reading the label before washing your garments – taking care to follow the washing instructions will help maintain quality.

To preserve the luxurious feel and longevity of your lingerie, the Product Design Team recommends exclusively hand-washing your items. This gentle method ensures that your lingerie maintains its flawless texture and impeccable fit without the risk of damage caused by other washing techniques.

However, hand-washing may not always be practical. That’s why, where possible, washing machine instructions are provided on the care labels located in the waistband of your bottoms and the band of your bras.

Care Label Symbols Explained

When reading the care labels, you will notice symbols explaining the dos and don’ts when caring for your Lounge lingerie.

• (Bucket Symbol) The bucket symbol displays “30”, indicating that machine washing should be set to a maximum of 30°C. This lower temperature is essential, as it is gentler on the fibres, and will help to preserve the elasticity of your lingerie.
• (Crossed Triangle) This symbol warns against using bleach. Bleaching can make lingerie fibres harsh and cause colours to fade.
• (Square with Crossed Circle) This symbol recommends against tumble-drying your lingerie. High temperatures can shrink and distort your garment, reducing its quality and shape.
• (Iron with Cross) An iron with a cross indicates never ironing your lingerie: doing so can lead to visible marks, burns, and a decrease in softness.
• (Circle with Cross) The final symbol advises against dry cleaning. Dry cleaning can cause shrinkage and misshaping, potentially damaging the structure of your lingerie.

  

What Happens If I Machine-Wash My Lingerie?

While hand-washing your lingerie is always the preferred method, a 30-degree machine wash may be suitable if hand-washing isn’t an option. As with any item, Lounge strongly recommends checking the care label before washing to ensure the best results.

Machine cycles often spin your clothes throughout the washing process and, due to the delicate nature of the product’s construction, can create abrasions in the fabric and cause detailing to come loose or fray. To help prevent damage, Lounge recommends using an Underwear Care Bag to safeguard your delicate lingerie during the washing process.

Similar to machine-washing, roughly scrubbing your lingerie while hand-washing can cause the fabrics to pill, fray, and lose their shape. Therefore, it’s important to use a gentle approach, taking your time and handling your lingerie with care.

It’s always important to check the care labels within your lingerie before washing, but if you do hand- or machine-wash your lingerie incorrectly, the most common mishaps include:

• Shrinkage
• Stretching
• Colour fading
• Fraying
• Fibre damage
• Loss of softness

In order to ensure the most gentle hand-washing process, the Lounge Product Design Team recommends:

1. Fill a clean bowl with some lukewarm water, ensuring it’s not too hot. Failing this, cold water is always a preferred alternative.
2. Add a gentle detergent to the bowl and let your lingerie soak for a couple of minutes.
3. Rinse and gently clean the garments a few times in this process.
4. Rinse and leave to air-dry.

How To Dry Your Lingerie?

The next step in the lingerie washing process is knowing how best to dry your garments.

The Lounge Product Design Team recommends avoiding tumble-drying altogether, as it can cause stretching, fibre damage, and shrinkage. Instead, the best method is to lay your lingerie flat to air-dry, helping it retain its shape and soft texture.

How To Remove Stains From Your Lingerie?

Another important part of caring for your lingerie is knowing how to remove stains when they appear. If you find a stain on your lingerie:

• Act quickly – The sooner you treat the stain, the easier it will be to remove.
• Blot – Blot the stain gently with a clean, dry cloth or paper towel to absorb as much liquid as possible.
• Avoid rubbing – This can push the stain deeper into the fibres, permanently ruining your lingerie.
• Use cold water – Rinse the stained area under cold water, allowing the water to flow through the fabric from the back of the stain.
• Apply a mild detergent – Use a gentle detergent or a stain remover specifically designed for delicate fabrics. Apply a small amount directly to the stain and gently work it into the fabric with your fingers. Avoid harsh chemicals or bleach, which can damage lingerie.

If these steps do not work, take your lingerie to a professional cleaning service.