Ecosalon offers detergent alternatives (baby shampoo, fabric wash and lingerie wash powder) for washing your intimates.
Tired of that thong song when your sexiest undies collapse from too many wash machine beatings? One way to lessen the damage is my mom's method of washing her lingerie in a mesh bag on the delicate cycle of the wash machine. [...] Sadly, Mom still uses Tide detergent on everything. I wheeze from the chemical odor and wince at the notion of wearing tender garments marinated in Tide!
eHow lists tips for washing your undergarments in the washing machine.
- Connect bra hooks and eyelets together before machine washing and avoid washing these garments with other clothes to minimize twisting and tangling. When washed on the delicate cycle, unpadded bras without underwire generally fare well. Padded bras are best washed by hand or machine wash on the gentle cycle. Be sure to remove before the spin cycle.
- Wash delicates and bras using cold or cool water whenever possible. Soak for 15 to 30 minutes and rub together durable areas, such as bra elastic, when needed. Optionally, agitate the lingerie in a washing machine for five minutes.
CBS interviewed Kris Connell of Real Simple Magazine about the best techniques for washing your delicates.
Not using a lot of detergent; being sure to just swirl the clothes around instead of rubbing them back and forth; not wringing the garment out but folding it and pressing it against the side of the basin to get the water out; not running water over the garment (that can stretch delicate fabrics). Once you take the garment out of the soapy water, transfer it into a basin of clean water to rise it off. Then, squeeze it and lay it out on a white towel to dry.