Now the warmer weather seems to be finally here to stay, are you still hiding under baggy tops as you know your bras aren’t great right now? Have your bras seen better days & is it time to hang them out to dry, (or just throw them out!)?
How long should a bra last?
That’s not an easy question to answer. Like many bra questions, it depends!
It will depend on some, or all of these things:
- how many times a week do you wear this bra?
- how many times a week do you wash your bra?
- do you always follow the washing instructions on the bra?
- has your body or breast shape altered? (our bodies change daily, so this isn’t just about weight or mensturation cycles)
- quality of the fabric and design of the bra
On average, if you have 3 or 4 bras you wear regularly, which you wash and care for following the bra manufacturer instructions, it’s likely your bra will last about 6 months.
After that the fabric will be stretched, (or shrunk depending on the fabric used in the bra), and it’s likely the shape won’t be the same as when you bought it.
Why doesn’t a bra last longer?
OK, we get asked this a lot when we see women at a home bra fitting.
Think about it. What is your bra doing? How many hours a day are you wearing it?
We often compare bras with shoes, when we talk about the fit of a bra, and how shoes support your body health in a different way to how a bra supports you. Now compare the fabric used in shoes to the fabric used in bras.
Notice a difference?
It’s not that bras aren’t designed, or built to last, like shoes are. It’s just that they’re designed and created to do a fantastic job of supporting your breasts, day in, day out, without the need for steel toe cap equivalent fabric! Maybe I’ve just created an image of steel scaffolding in your brain. Well, that’s exactly what a bra is doing – scaffolding your breasts to keep them supported and comfortable whilst you go about whatever it is you’re doing.
I haven’t met many women during my time as a bra fitter, who want to wear steel scaffolding around their torso! So, the fabric used in bras will be much softer, and easier on the skin than steel.
How often should I get a bra fitted?
If bras only last about 6 months, then it follows that you should have a bra fitting every 6 months. You’d be surprised how much our bodies and breasts change shape and size with the ageing and hormones which we all have.
A bra fitting will enable you to keep good shape and support from your bras, and have that excellent shape under any clothes you choose to wear. The bras should fit well enough that you want to show off your beautiful figure, not hide under loose fitting clothing.
If you’d like a bra fitting, and we don’t have a Bra Lady in your area, please use our Bra Fitting team who will be happy to give advice and offer bras via a mail order service.
Are you ready to spring clean your bra draw? Let us know in the comments below.
We recommend this type of wash bag if you’re washing bras in a washing machine as it prevents them stretching too much whilst being washed:
What do you do with your old bras? Many charity shops take bras which aren’t right for you to sell, or pass on to women’s groups. Any textiles unable to be reused are recycled. There are many bra banks around the country, or you could set up one in your work place with this scheme helping Against Breast Cancer. Our Bra Lady team collect old bras and add them to their local bra bank.
