News flash: You’re probably not washing your bras often enough

Very few people wash their bras correctly—seriously, how many women do you know who actually hand-wash their delicates? But regardless of your preferred method for cleaning your undergarments (even the gentle washing-machine cycle might deteriorate the materials), you’re almost definitely not laundering them often enough. In fact, an expert says that you should wash bras after every. individual. wear.

Your bra accumulates a pretty hefty serving of sweat, grime, and elements from the air, which can actually chip away at the longevity of your undergarment by affecting the elasticity and other materials.

Apartment Therapy reported this cataclysmic information after speaking with Jené Luciani, bra expert and author of The Bra Book. “You should wash your bras after every wearing, which is something a lot of women don’t realize,” she says. Like your underwear—or really anything that comes in contact with your skin every day—your bra accumulates a pretty hefty serving of sweat, grime, and elements from the air, which Luciani says can actually chip away at the longevity of your undergarment by affecting its elasticity.

For the sake of practicality, Luciani acquiesced that it’s acceptable to wash bras in the machine, so long as they’re safe in a garment bag, on a gentle cycle, in cold water, with a mild (clean!) detergent. That said, if you don’t accumulate enough dirty high-waisted undies and comfortable bralettes to warrant a daily cycle, you might become a hand-wash devotee after all.

Other things filed under “items you should wash more frequently” are your kitchen sponges and your activewear.