Your bra has probably seen a lot and you are hesitant to throw away your trusty old friend? That’s understandable, we all have favourites including in our bra collections. Your favourite bra has probably supported you literally through a lot and has been the perfect fit under all your outfits. But have you noticed it’s really showing some wear and tear now? It’s time to browse through Belle Lingerie for a new bra, but you can’t bear the thought of trying to find that snug fit again. The bad news is though that, that old bra is probably not supporting you enough anymore and a new bra will definitely provide better support, you will notice a big difference when you find a new perfect bra, we promise. The average life span of a well-fitted bra is only really 6 months and that’s if you are caring for it by the label, it will be a lot shorter when you are chucking it in the washing machine. While you look for a new perfect replacement here are a few hacks and fixes for your old bra.
Bent Hooks
Most bras have hook & eye fastenings at the back and sometimes these little bits of metal will become misshapen. If either the hook or the eye has bent, the quick fix is to grab yourself a pair of pliers (needle-nosed pliers are the best if you have them as they are slimmer) and carefully adjust the metal back into place. The fastening has probably twisted or turned in the wash or you’ve lent on it or it might be general wear and tear from clasping and unclasping regularly. Whatever the reason is, make sure you fix it quickly, so it doesn’t end up snagging on something or even undo while you’re wearing the bra! But keep track of how many times you’ve had to readjust the metal as the clasps are little the more you have to bend it the more fragile it becomes. If you have bent it back into place too many times it is likely to snap, then it’s time to browse through Belle Lingerie bras for a new one.
Underwire Sticking Out
The underwire of your bra coming up and out is quite a common problem, unfortunately, but thankfully one of the easiest fixes. Whether the underwire is poking out of the centre or under your armpit, it can be so annoying and so uncomfortable. Ideally, if you have bought the right size and looked after the bra it shouldn’t come out, however, now and again even with the best of bras it can happen. If you are out and about when it starts to slide out and dig at your skin, our quick fix would be to push the wire back in and get yourself a plaster to cover up the hole. The plaster will stop the wire from reappearing for a little bit and will ease the discomfort of the wire. When you get back home, here’s more of a long-term solution. Get yourself some tape (duct tape or masking tape preferably) and cover the ends. This will thicken the ends to hopefully prevent it from coming out again and will also help you thread the wire back into place. Once the wire is back in place you will need to close the hole. Now if you are an expert sewer then you can make sure you firmly close the hole up by sewing it or you can get some superglue and quickly glue it together (if you are glueing you will want to file the rough edges down with a nail file). Finally for a little more comfort and protection after closing the hole, cover it with a small strip of fabric. This reinforces the weak spot of the bra and will add a little more padding for comfort. If that doesn’t work and you are fed up with underwires, why not get yourself a non-wired bra from Belle Lingerie!
Stretched out Straps and Underband
At the end of the day, all these fixes are really short term and if your bra is having any issues, you should buy a new one. This is especially true if the elastic in your bra is stretched out, the bra will no longer be providing the support that it was originally designed to. However, there are a few ideas to temporality fix stretched out bra straps and underband. Firstly, make sure that it isn’t just the adjustable feature that is too loose or you aren’t using the tightest hook and eye fastening. The bra will stretch out over time and that’s natural. The best fix would be folding the loose part in on itself and sewing it up. If you are going to try this, make sure you, do it on both sides so you are even – either both straps or both sides of the back fastening. Or if the straps have really stretched try attaching themselves at the back for a racerback look. If the stretched-out parts are beyond repair, you could also attach the rest of the bra to a top or dress for extra structure in that outfit.
Discolouration
You will notice your bra will discolour over time especially your bright white bras. This can be caused by what you are chucking into the washing machine at the same time or your sweat, deodorant, body lotion or even the clothes colour you are wearing on top. If the bra is not too old, then all it really needs is a good clean. This can be done in a few ways. You could either try washing it twice, once the normal way and then giving it a good wash with Soak. Or deep clean by rubbing some baking soda mixed with water over the discoloured area and leave it to dry in then rinse and hand wash the whole bra.
Rips and Tears
Finally, if you are getting rips and tears it’s more than likely you should be looking to get a new bra however if you are wanting to get a bit creative you could redesign the bra into something special. You could get some extra lace, bows or sparkle to add to the bra and cover-up rips and tears. Keep in mind though, patching it up or redesigning the bra will look good but may not provide amazing support and shape.
There are just a few tips on how to fix your bra. However, as we have kept saying these fixes are quite temporary. If you are having issues with your bra, it may be your favourite, but it may be time to say goodbye. Rather than struggling to fix your bra and keep readjusting why not treat yourself to a new one. Belle Lingerie has such a wide range of styles, sizes and prices, you will be sure to find a new favourite.