subject: Caring For Your Lingerie [print this page] Washing all of your lingerie warrants a delicate cycle in most people's minds. It is important that our expensive nightwear does not get ruined, snagged, torn, or stained in the wash. While many people think they can simply throw all of their lingerie into the wash, there are actually a few methods for washing your delicates: machine wash, dry cleaners, or hand wash. Which option you use obviously is based on the materials in your plus size lingerie.
Thin and light fabrics like rayon and silk are always to be sent out to be dry cleaned only, as usually stated on their tags. Dry cleaning is the easiest way to clean your lingerie, but it will cost you each time and can become very expensive if you have a lot to wash. Aside from those, all other basic plus size lingerie fabrics are machine washable like cotton or nylon.
For those items that you are putting into the washing machine, it is best to use a garment bag to keep your lingerie inside a protected space, away from the corners of the washer or dryer where the delicate fabric could be caught and torn. The garment bags are really cheap and you can find them at nearly any major store. If your particular lingerie uses more than one fabric, and both of them require different cycles, then you will have to wash them by hand. To do that you will want to fill a bucket or sink with water and then add detergent, let the pieces soak for a bit, and then use your hands to clean and rub any imperfections out. Once it has been washed, be sure to hang the pieces to dry, so that they don't lose their shape.
If your lingerie has chains or leather, you have to be very careful in cleaning it, just like any piece with multiple fabrics. Leather cleaner will often work just fine for the leather parts. Before you start cleaning all of your leather, tough, test a smaller area to make sure that it is the appropriate cleaner which won't stain the leather. Then wipe down the metal portions with disinfectants. You can also use warm water if you need to dampen and rinse the leather. When you are done, hang those pieces to dry.
It is important to keep your lingerie and toys washed and sanitized between partners or between evenings to avoid infection or the spread of diseases. Being that lingerie is not always inexpensive; you will want to prolong the life of yours as much as possible. Keeping the items cleaned, and stored properly after cleaning will greatly aid you.
