https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/kind-of-a-gross-question Style Advice for Fashion Lovers en-US Mon, 27 Apr 2026 08:17:05 +0000 http://bbpress.org/?v=1.0.2 q https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/search.php https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/kind-of-a-gross-question#post-1688085 Fri, 01 Jul 2016 12:50:20 +0000 Mochi 1688085@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>So detergent can be the culprit. Sometimes I throw the bras into the sink first and then run the water, but when I first fill the sink and pour in soap (before adding the bras), the water doesn't seem to get dingy. Part of me doesn't want to know how much grime (might) be coming from my body; the six-year-old kid in me finds it fascinating!</p> <p>Maneera, if I were in India I'd be showering and changing clothes a few times a day. Even here in Boston that could happen. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/kind-of-a-gross-question#post-1688083 Fri, 01 Jul 2016 12:44:45 +0000 Staysfit 1688083@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I'm not sure about the icky water when hand washing. I put mine on the delicate cycle in a mesh bag in my front load machine. I wear them 4 times between washes. Hang dry of course. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/kind-of-a-gross-question#post-1688076 Fri, 01 Jul 2016 12:33:50 +0000 Colette 1688076@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I was interested by the gross question title, (LOL) but I think this is normal. I hand wash my bras with lace details that are a bit more expensive and machine wash on delicate my less expensive bras. I've always used a special bra wash bag for the machine and thought they worked great. But, my Mom found this new, improved version that does an even better job because it doesn't collapse. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/kind-of-a-gross-question#post-1688063 Fri, 01 Jul 2016 11:59:52 +0000 Style Fan 1688063@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>My bras are pricey and I have a hard time finding my size.&nbsp; I still wash my bras in our washing machine using the delicate cycle.&nbsp; We have a front loading machine that does not have an agitator.&nbsp; What is the difference between the machine and the sink?<br />I wash my bras when they need washing.&nbsp; Probably after every 3 to 4 wears seems right.&nbsp; I think we wash too much.&nbsp; </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/kind-of-a-gross-question#post-1688011 Fri, 01 Jul 2016 06:20:50 +0000 Astrid 1688011@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>So you made me curious and I did a little experiment: I just added some of that travel laundry detergent to a bit of water in the sink and after swishing around a bit the water definitely had a tinge to it. Without anything else in it! Seems like some detergents color the water while others don't. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/kind-of-a-gross-question#post-1688010 Fri, 01 Jul 2016 06:13:09 +0000 Gaylene 1688010@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>My bras are pricey ($150+) so I always handwash them after every wearing. It's a no-brainer to put a few inches of water in the bathroom sink, add a couple of drops of Soak, toss in my bra for 5 minutes, swish it under the tap and blot the bra with a hand towel before hanging it over a towel rack. The whole process takes only a few minutes while I'm getting ready for bed. I also rotate between bras so I never wear the same bra for two consecutive days to give the bra time to restore its shape. </p> <p>I've never noticed any discoloring in the water and my bras easily last for 24+ months so I figure the CPW of those pricey bras is quite reasonable. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/kind-of-a-gross-question#post-1688007 Fri, 01 Jul 2016 06:05:46 +0000 Jane 1688007@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>The title was a magnet for me too! I wash my bras in the machine. Maybe if they are under wired, the wire contributes also to the water being discoloured. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/kind-of-a-gross-question#post-1688005 Fri, 01 Jul 2016 05:51:19 +0000 Astrid 1688005@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Agree that it's probably partly the laundry detergent. When I use the travel handwash stuff from the tube I have always dingy water, when I use the wool powder not so much (with the same items). I handwash my bras in the sink too. It doesn't take long at all, so I always wondered why people were so against doing it. I sometime throw my old ones into the machine wash on the wool cycle, but I need to wash my bras more often than my wool clothes! Oh and I also wear mine until they need a wash, not a fixed time. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/kind-of-a-gross-question#post-1688004 Fri, 01 Jul 2016 05:40:27 +0000 binkle 1688004@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>fellow hand-washer here! I also spend alot for a good fit. Prima Donna brand. They do last a LONG time! I also wear once before washing, however, as I do sweat. I don't notice any dingy color in the water, unless I'm washing a newer black bra. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/kind-of-a-gross-question#post-1688000 Fri, 01 Jul 2016 05:05:02 +0000 MsGreer 1688000@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I totally agree with Nebraskim<br /> laundry detergent is full of fillers and chemicals. Some are worse than others. These fillers, Water hardness etc can change the water color. I machine wash my bras on delicate in mesh bag n air dry every 2-3 days but in summer heat wash every wear..hot and sweaty !!! </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/kind-of-a-gross-question#post-1687997 Fri, 01 Jul 2016 04:28:42 +0000 Nebraskim 1687997@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I also machine wash bras in lingerie bags but they hang to dry. Re; dingy water...part of that is the detergent. I use All Free and Clear for all my laundry, even things I hand-wash and the water always looks dingy, no matter what is being handwashed. I hand-washed a white linen shirt and the water looked dingy.&nbsp; </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/kind-of-a-gross-question#post-1687989 Fri, 01 Jul 2016 03:54:02 +0000 Diana 1687989@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I wash my bras in mesh bags in the machine. Regular cycle in a top loader even (on cold). They do just fine. I never put them in the dryer though. </p> <p>I hand wash lots of things, most of my hand knits for example. But the difference is that I procrastinate a lot on my handwash items and I can't do that with bras because I need to wear them! Anyway, I also wash every 2-3 wears on average. I think the dingy water is just normal. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/kind-of-a-gross-question#post-1687988 Fri, 01 Jul 2016 03:49:43 +0000 Maneera 1687988@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I wash in the machine too (on hand wash setting). I don't think black bras leave any dye though, because I wash all colors together. The water that leaves the machine is 'dingy' too. </p> <p>Mind you, I wash after EVERY single wear and actually change my bra twice a day. I put on a fresh pair of undergarments after I shower in the morning and another fresh pair after my evening shower. I do this even in winter when I don't sweat. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/kind-of-a-gross-question#post-1687984 Fri, 01 Jul 2016 03:44:34 +0000 Echo 1687984@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I agree that I wash mine in a delicates bag in the washer. However, I do handwash scarves. Granted, I don't wash them every three wears, but the water can be incredibly dingy when I wash them, and they often are only worn in cold weather, so no perspiring. I even rinse them twice and the water can still be dingy. It definitely is not the colour or dye leaching out with mine, so I have to conclude that things simply pick up more dust, skin particles, pollution, etc. than I would have guessed.</p> <p>Oh, and I also agree with runcarla that the water that comes out of my washer looks awful! I don't know if it is the soap or the clothing, but sometimes I know the clothing in there is not "dirty" by any stretch of the imagination. DH even tosses his whites in with his other clothing when he does his own laundry, and the whites never get tinted, so it cannot be dye from the other clothing. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/kind-of-a-gross-question#post-1687982 Fri, 01 Jul 2016 03:38:01 +0000 Jaime 1687982@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I hand wash as needed and the water does not stay clear. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/kind-of-a-gross-question#post-1687981 Fri, 01 Jul 2016 03:30:12 +0000 Mochi 1687981@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I feel like some kind of a relic for washing them by hand! </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/kind-of-a-gross-question#post-1687952 Fri, 01 Jul 2016 01:36:32 +0000 Anonymous 1687952@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>With Viva on the magnetic quality of the word "gross", and also her assessment of the likely explanation including how normal that sounds.</p> <p>I wash mine after a few wearings too, in those mesh bags with delicate wash on the machine's hand wash setting and they last very well.</p> <p> </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/kind-of-a-gross-question#post-1687944 Fri, 01 Jul 2016 01:22:18 +0000 Anonymous 1687944@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Body lotion , perfume , antiperspirant , body oils etc etc - I think it's all pretty normal . I gave up on handwashing though and am that bad person who chucks everything in the washing machine . Sigh . I treated my $150 bra properly about three times then got over that </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/kind-of-a-gross-question#post-1687943 Fri, 01 Jul 2016 01:19:46 +0000 Anonymous 1687943@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I wash my bras in the sink, usually after each wearing. The ones that are dyed do turn the water, although even after many washings they don't look faded. I usually wash my undies at the same time so the color may be coming from them. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/kind-of-a-gross-question#post-1687936 Fri, 01 Jul 2016 00:44:25 +0000 JAileen 1687936@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I doubt the coloring is from you. It's probably dye. I wash my bras in a net bag in the washing machine, and air dry. I just put them in with the white load, nothing special. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/kind-of-a-gross-question#post-1687876 Thu, 30 Jun 2016 22:32:50 +0000 Carla 1687876@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Another one who washes bras when needed, and in the washing machine (gentle cycle, clasps closed, etc.). Before we moved, I had a laundry room where the water emptied into a sink. I was amazed with how dingy the water was that came out of the machine. The soap you use can contribute to the appearance. i make a habit of running an extra rinse cycle </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/kind-of-a-gross-question#post-1687865 Thu, 30 Jun 2016 22:11:28 +0000 Suz 1687865@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I agree with Aziriphale. I wash mine when I think they are dirty. That might be one wear or it might be four or five, depending how long, how hot it is, where I wore it, etc.&nbsp;</p> <p>I also wash in a mesh bag in the washing machine but when I travel, by hand in a sink, and the water is often a bit dingy esp. if the bra is black. I do use cold water which reduces the "dinge."&nbsp; </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/kind-of-a-gross-question#post-1687863 Thu, 30 Jun 2016 22:05:52 +0000 Aziraphale 1687863@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Not gross at all. Washing your bra every three wears seems perfectly reasonable. I wash mine after more wears than that, providing it hasn't been hot (in the summer, my bras only make a couple of wears before needing to be washed!). Bras are not like underpants -- you don't wear them against a part of your skin that has openings! I don't see it as being any different than wearing jeans a bunch of times before you wash them. I also think that the world has become way to germaphobic. </p> <p>As for the dingy water, I strongly suspect that's just the dye colouring the water, although there are no doubt some skin cells, oils and a bit of dirt, too. &nbsp; </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/kind-of-a-gross-question#post-1687803 Thu, 30 Jun 2016 19:40:59 +0000 MTBGirl 1687803@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I think that's normal for the water to turn "dingy", what with our body heat and the depositing of skin and oils on the bras. Start with a cleaned sink and let them air out between wearings. I wash mine in the delicate's bag on the delicate cycle and hang to dry. I always snap the hooks closed first! </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/kind-of-a-gross-question#post-1687792 Thu, 30 Jun 2016 19:07:25 +0000 El Cee 1687792@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Hmmm… good question, and one for which I do not have an answer. Like Viva, I throw my bras in the washer (in a mesh bag and run on delicate cycle/cold water) -- so I have not been aware of any dye leaching. And, like you, I generally wash them after about 3 wears -- with the exception of sports bras that are worn for workouts. Those get laundered after one use. I will be watching your thread to see what other fabbers think about this concern. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/kind-of-a-gross-question#post-1687785 Thu, 30 Jun 2016 18:56:20 +0000 viva 1687785@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Hmmm. I really don't know. (I could not resist a "gross" question, BTW. haha). I wash mine in the washing machine. (I know.) But, on the handwash setting at least! I'm just too lazy to be bothered with stuff in the sink unless it is <u>absolutely</u> necessary.</p> <p>But heck, washing after three times seems perfectly reasonable to me and is about my wear-and-wash cycle too. And we all perspire to some degree. And there's all the other stuff we slough off. So the greyness doesn't really surprise me.</p> <p>Will be interested to see what others have to say. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/kind-of-a-gross-question#post-1687779 Thu, 30 Jun 2016 18:45:07 +0000 Mochi 1687779@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>But where else can I ask?&nbsp;</p> <p>While handwashing bras in the sink--if the water turns a dingy color, is that dirt or some of the dye leaching out? I'm talking about black bras or beige-y "nude" ones.&nbsp;</p> <p>I usually wear three times before I wash. Sometimes four if I'm busy/lazy/it's winter, etc. I honestly am not a perspirer. Obviously, though, sweat is not the only thing on our skin and I'm not making excuses. I should probably wash them after one or two wears...I'd need to buy a few more, and also be much more organized. And I don't want to wear them out faster, either. I spend a&nbsp;<i>lot&nbsp;</i>on each one (due to my size).&nbsp;</p> </p> <p>TIA</p>