The Bra Baby

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Angie is co-founder of YLF and its resident fashion stylist.

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The Bra Baby

— by Angie

on June 11, 2007

The bra baby is a “revolutionary new washing system that protects your finest intimate apparel from the wear and tear of the washing machine”. It’s like a hard, plastic, oval egg shell that encages the bra and prevents it from being squashed, stretched and agitated during washer/dryer spin cycles.

This sounds like a good idea for the washing machine, but I’d still refrain from putting my bras in the dryer. Elastic does not like excessive heat no matter how well you protect it on the outside. The heat causes elastic fibers to contract and then break down, making them lose their elasticity (which is also why we should never tumble dry our jeans).

Good bras can cost up to $90 a piece and caring for them is essential. At $19.95 for two, the bra baby might be worth the expense (as long as you continue to hang-dry your bras). I’ve been using the bra bag for years, but perhaps it’s time to update the way I baby my bras. Have you tried the bra baby? If so, leave a comment and let us know how it worked out.

Clothing Care · Underwear

11 comments · Add a comment

Sihaya

I love this idea. Thank you, I’m going to try it out. I also always wash my bras with cold water. And I have a front loader washer so it doesn’t have the agitator that is so hard on clothes.

June 11, 2007 at 10:29 am

juicefairy

(website)

I may just be a little frugal but what is wrong with the mesh delicates bags that you can get in a pack of 2 or 3 at a dollar store? That is what I have been using for a long time and it keeps my bras from getting tangled or pulled for about $19 less than the bra baby.

June 11, 2007 at 10:36 am

Maya

My mum just got one of those. It works just fine but so far I don’t find that there is much difference between this and a lingerie bag. I think maybe the difference is in how long they will last, since the BB prevents the cups from warping and flattening out in the wash. I wouldn’t bother if you have a small cup size or don’t wear molded cups, but for me and my well-endowed mummy, it’s not a bad idea, especially since we need the absolute best (read: most expensive) bras available. Typically I wear out my bras in about a year, so I guess it will take that much time to see if this is worth it.

My only complaint is that it comes in a white box with “THE BRA BABY” written on it in big black letters. Not so nice when it’s left out on your front porch.

June 11, 2007 at 11:05 am

Nicole

I wash my underwire bras in the washing machine, but manually. I run some warm water into the tub, throw in a little liquid laudry soap and stop the filling when the water is deep enough to cover my bras. Then I toss in a few bras and swish them around with my hands. Then I turn the water back on and hold the bras under the running water of the washing machine to rinse them. I gently shake any excess water and hang them on a wooden rack to dry. My bras are expensive investments and hand washing them like this keep them in shape for a year or so. After that much time, the fabric starts to lose it’s elasticity and they don’t give me the support I need.

June 11, 2007 at 2:19 pm

Heather

This is actually a RIP OFF of another product, Bra Ball, marketed much earlier. The website is here: http://www.braballs.com/

I would HIGHLY recommend purchasing from this seller instead (and no, I’m not a friend or relative, I just have made a couple of purchases and they’ve all gone very smoothly). The product is great, and really does protect even my frilly victoria’s secret underwire stuff from being destroyed in the washing machine. Plus, even on the gentle cycle in the machine, bras get MUCH MUCH dryer, shortening the air dry time before you can wear them again.

Just some thoughts…

August 26, 2007 at 9:21 am

Jen

I bought a couple of the Tide brand bra balls, and I wear a C cup…and they didn’t fit The underwire was just too big. I get my bras from Cacique which is plus size so they may be bigger than an average C cup bra, but either way, I had to return them. I hand wash my bras.

June 14, 2008 at 4:46 pm

Bra drying contraption

(website)

Sounds great but something better is on the way.

June 28, 2008 at 11:27 pm

Tracy

I have both the Bra baby (which only cost about $6 at Walmart) and the compartment style bag, also made by tide. I like the bag for bras that are not padded or molded cups. I can fit 2 in there, or I can put a couple pairs of panties that I don’t want ruined, or pantyhose, which is why I bought both. I used to use the mesh bags, but bras that have molded cups, underwires, or padding/lifting still get ruined and lose their shape. At nearly $50 a piece, I’m not taking chances with my bras! I suppose the flimsy mesh bags are fine for shapeless bras, no underwire, no padding, C cup or smaller, but I pay a good chunk of change for my DD/F bras, and I don’t want them ruined in the wash. So far, I am VERY happy with the results of both the bra baby and the bag!

August 24, 2008 at 12:31 pm

Melinda

I tried the Tide brand but my bras just wouldn’t fit. I wear a 42DD underwire. The wires wouldn’t fit in the ball unless I bent them all out of shape, which is what I’m trying to prevent. I’ll keep looking for something better. Right now I’m using mesh bags but they are falling apart.

September 20, 2008 at 11:52 pm

Elly

Yeah it works if you have a small cup size I wear a size 38d my bra was mangled

April 6, 2009 at 4:42 pm

pat rasmussen

I have used the bra baby for about three years now.. I really like it and gave one to each of my daughters as well as a couple of neighbors. They need to design it better though. The hook comes undone in the washer, and I came up with my own clasp instead out of velcro. I got tired of finding my bra out of the bra baby and in with the rest of the wash.The idea is a really good one though . It just needs a little tweeking.

December 11, 2010 at 4:04 pm

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