Thanks to Jezebel and the UK Daily Express, I now have an answer to how often other women wash their bras: six times a year. This probably describes me as well. From the time I intend to wash my bras, to the time I actually do, an entire month can elapse. August was so hot, however, that I washed them after almost every wearing.

Which leads me to one more advantage of the strappy top: with its built-in bra, you can wash every bra in your lingerie drawer without having to go braless while you wait for them to dry! I discovered this last Saturday when, in a cleaning frenzy, I plunged everything under the water in my bathroom sink before knowing what I was going to wear that day.

I think my next laundry experiment will be to compare an underwire bra that I wash in the washing machine (but air dry) against the same bra that I hand wash. Any predictions? I’ll probably start the experiment after I get down to my old size and need new bras again, so if anyone else wants to try this experiment in the meantime, please let me know!

Finally, here’s one more item for our wish list: an easier way to wash molded cup bras. A couple of weeks ago, my friend Nicole reminded me of how frustrating this process is. Any suggestions? Her idea was two mounds that the bra fits over so that it retains its shape. If the mounds could agitate and shoot detergent into the cups, and then rinse and spin them, wouldn’t that be perfect?

Here’s a link to past entries on how to take care of your bras. I’m proud of my “how to dry an underwire bra” post, but it can’t apply to molded cups.