Underwear in the washing machine and how to keep it from wearing out

Short answer: Underwear wears out from heat and from being twisted around other clothes in the drum. A laundry bag and 40 degrees solve both and noticeably extend its life, without making your underwear any less clean.

A laundry bag protects the edges

In a laundry bag, briefs cannot wrap around zips, buttons and underwires from other clothes. That is where most edges get stretched and pulled out of shape. A bag costs little and makes a big difference over time. Fill it only halfway, so there is room for water and detergent. See bamboo underwear for women.

What happens in the drum

The drum lifts the laundry and drops it again and again, and heavy items like jeans and towels pull at light underwear. A waistband twisted around a trouser leg gets stretched in a way it does not recover from. It does not happen in one wash, but over many. Wear depends a lot on what you wash it with.

40 degrees is enough

Oils and skin cells come loose at 40 degrees, and that is all underwear needs. A higher temperature does not make it cleaner day to day, but it wears out the elastic faster. So wash at 40 degrees as standard. If someone at home is ill, 60 degrees can make sense. See washing and care.

No fabric softener

The film from fabric softener settles on the fibres and blocks moisture transport. That makes your underwear worse at exactly what you bought it for. Underwear in bamboo viscose is soft already and needs no help. Leave the softener out and use a mild detergent in the right amount.

Sort by weight and colour

Wash underwear with other light clothing, not with jeans, towels or heavy sweatshirts. Then it is not dragged around by the heavy items. Sort by colour too, so white and light pieces do not turn grey from dark ones. It takes a minute longer and keeps shape and colour looking good for longer.

Choose a gentle programme

A programme with a lower spin speed is kind to elastic and thin edges. The underwear comes out a little wetter, but it still dries quickly on a line. Many machines have a delicates or wool programme that works well for underwear at 40 degrees. Try what your machine offers.

Low heat when drying

Elastic loses its stretch from heat. Hang your underwear up or tumble dry on low heat. A single hot dryer cycle can cost half a year of stretch in the waistband, so this is where you save the most. Hang briefs by the waistband, so the weight does not pull on the leg edges. See bamboo briefs.

Signs that something is wrong

If the edges roll or the waistband has gone wavy, heat or twisting is often the cause. Look at your laundry routine before blaming the fabric. Small changes like a bag, a lower temperature and air drying solve most problems. Underwear that is treated gently keeps its shape much longer.

In short

Use a laundry bag, wash at 40 degrees and skip fabric softener. Wash underwear with other light clothing, choose a gentle programme, and dry on a line or on low heat. These few steps keep your briefs in shape instead of wearing them out early.

Frequently asked questions

Should underwear go in a laundry bag?

It is a good idea. In the bag it cannot wrap around zips, buttons and underwires, and that is exactly where most edges get stretched in the drum.

What temperature for underwear?

40 degrees for everyday washing, since oils and skin cells come loose there. 60 degrees is only needed during illness and wears out the elastic in the waistband faster.