White bras are something most women tend to stay away from because it seems like no matter how hard you try, white bras always end up turning gray after a few washes!
Not only is this frustrating, but it can also put some people off from buying white bras, as they feel like there’s no point if they’re only going to turn gray in the end.
Thankfully, there are ways to counteract this and keep them bright and white for much longer. But first, you need to understand why they turn gray in the first place.
Why Are My White Bras Turning Gray?
One reason that white bras turn gray is that they get wash with clothing that has colors.
While some people think that it’s no longer as important as separating your clothes by whites and colors, color bleeding is still a common incident.
Optimally, it would be best to always wash your white bras with other white bras, preferably in either warm or cold water, never hot.
Sweat can also discolor your white bras and leave stains along the sides and underwire.
Although sweat doesn’t have a color, when it mixes with the bacteria on your skin or the aluminum from your deodorant, it can turn a yellow color, which is how it stains whites.
If you’ve been sweating in a white bra, the best way to counteract the staining is to wash it in cold water as soon as possible.
Hot water will lock the stain in place, so you want to avoid that!
How Can I Keep My White Bras White?
While washing white bras with other white undergarments can help minimize color bleeding, that alone isn’t always enough to stop them from turning gray, although the process can be slower.
To keep your bras white for longer, you should wash them using a delicate wash cycle with warm or cold water.
You can use your usual detergent, but you should also add a cup of lemon juice or a cup of white vinegar.
If you don’t want to wash a full load, you can hand wash them using detergent and lemon juice or vinegar.
Just remember to let them soak for around 20 minutes before rinsing.
Lemon juice can naturally whiten your bras and add a pleasing scent, while vinegar is a natural disinfectant and deodorizer.
You can even use a mixture of half lemon juice and half vinegar to combine the benefits of both!
Although it may be tempting to add a bit of bleach into your wash to help lighten your white bras, this can be too harsh for long-term use and can cause your bras to wear out faster than these natural alternatives.
Additionally, you can use the sun to your advantage.
Sunlight can brighten whites due to its bleaching capabilities, so hanging your bras out to dry on a laundry line can also help them stay whiter for longer.
But, be sure to remove them as soon as they are dry because sunlight can also cause fibers to degrade if they get exposed to it for too long.
If you have been putting off buying a white bra because you’re tired of them turning gray after only a few washes, don’t worry any longer.
By identifying the most common causes of graying and taking steps to brighten your whites while washing, you can keep your white bras brighter and whiter for much, much longer.
- How to Wash Bras
- What happens if you don’t wash your bra?
- What Is a Water Bra?
- How to measure bust
- Underbust
