How often do you change/wash your bra?

[macassi]

My brother (don't ask) recently asked me how often I wash my bra and was surprised when I said every couple of days, unless I find myself heavily sweating or leaking milk... am I abnormal? Should I be laundering my bras more frequently?

[mudder17]

Well, I didn't vote, because it depends on whether you're talking my nursing bras, Post-partum (basically the first 4-6 months when I was leaking a lot) or now. Back then, I had three nursing bras and I usually leaked in them once a day (at least). So I would wash one of them at the end of the day, or at least rinse out the milk and let it dry. As time passed, I was washing it more like every couple days. Now? Umm...whenever I happen to do the baby clothes laundry...

Eileen

http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/candle.gif

http://www.gynosaur.com/assets/ribbons/ribbon_gold_12m.gif , 15 months & counting
Kaya's cousin, due October 9th!!!

[babystuffbuff]

Well, I said weekly, but all that means is that I do laundry once a week and whatever bras are in the hamper get washed then. I probably have about 8 bras that I wear regularly for work and at home, and I will wear each one 2-3 times before washing it unless, like you said, I sweat a lot or spill something on myself (like the other day when a bottle of Coke exploded all over my shirt). I usually have 2 or 3 bras in the weekly wash loads, but how often any particular bra gets washed depends on how often I wear it. Now that the weather is warmer, I am wearing lighter colored shirts more often, so my cream-colored bras (which don't show through) are getting more use, and will therefore be washed more often.

Geez, that got complex. :)

Sarah

[DebbieJ]

I am strongly favoring one (nursing) bra over my older ones lately, so it hardly gets washed because I'm always wearing it. Oh well. I suppose I should suck it up and buy another, but seeing as how ds is 18 months, I'm not sure how much more use I'll get out of it.

~ deb
DS 12/03
And a niece or nephew arriving in early August!

http://www.windsorpeak.com/dc/user_files/10029.gif

[mudder17]

Hmm...I guess I should add that I've been wearing camisoles with shelf bras a lot since I stopped leaking and I have about 6-8 of them. So like you, I probably wear them 2-3 times before chucking them in to the baby laundry hamper, but I only wash once a week or so, depending.


Eileen

http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/candle.gif

http://www.gynosaur.com/assets/ribbons/ribbon_gold_12m.gif , 15 months & counting
Kaya's cousin, due October 9th!!!

[Melanie]

I've never had enough that fit at any one time to wear a new one each day.

[candybomiller]

I'm a daily girl. For some reason reusing a bra is like reusing underwear, and I would NEVER do that. Ick. I probably have about 30 bras. They just get rotated.

[new_mommy25]

Wow, I only have 4 :)

[candybomiller]

I have a neurosis. In high school I only had two, then it was just one (we were really poor). Quite frankly, high school girls are cruel about certain things, and wearing the same clothes more than one day is one of them. :( It takes a long time for wounds like that to heal, so now I buy an overabundance of everything to prove that I'm no longer that poor girl everyone made fun of.

[bostonsmama]

Usually, when I buy a bra, it's pretty expensive, so I don't have a lot. I think I have 4 bras that I wear regularly, mainly Olga and Victoria's Secret bras, although I own at least 10. Like my jeans, they get worn 3 or so times before being tossed in the laundry. If it smells dirty....it's in the hamper pronto....but in the winter I can almost get a week out of each bra (especially since I stagger use and no bra gets worn more than one day in a row, so it airs out on my bathroom towel bar). I voted once/week just because that's how frequently I do laundry.

[psophia17]

I voted 2-3x per week, but that's not really accurate...

My super-supportive daily use granny bras, of which I have 3, get work 2-3 days each, depending on when I do laundry that week. I also have two sports bras that get washed after every time I wear them.

I try to do laundry only one day each week, so I have to be careful about what bra I wear when, so that I don't have to fish one out of the hamper...

[trumansmom]

With DS I developed serious yeast issues and HAD to wash my bras after each wearing. I sort of got in the habit of it and never stopped. FWIW, I haven't had a yeast issue since I started doing this.

Jeanne
Mom to Truman 11/01 and Eleanor 4/04
Independent Consultant, Do-Re-Me & You!

[bostonsmama]

I just wanted to add that like you, I wash all cotton underwire and cotton sports bras after each use. Cotton tends to make me sweat, and sports bras are only used for my jogging and workouts, so I totally wash them after each use with hot water and strong detergent...yuck...otherwise they'd stink.

[amp]

Well, I voted daily, but that's not entirely accurate. I only wear a bra once, sometimes not even the whole day (summer, sweat, ick), and then it goes in the laundry. That doesn't mean I wash a bra everyday. I used to wear them for about 2 days, but found myself getting an itchy rash under my boobs, so I took to washing them after every wear, or after sweating on them, and that has prevented the rash from returning.