When to Replace Your Bra

A bra wears out at the elastic first, and the hooks show it. A new bra fits on the loosest hook, and you move inward as the band relaxes. Once you are on the tightest hook and the band still rides up, the band has nothing left to give.

Signs it is time

You are on the tightest hook and the band still rides up

The hooks are there so you can tighten the band as it stretches. When you run out of them and the band still lifts in back, the elastic has stretched past what it can hold. That one is done.

The band sits higher in back than in front

A band should stay level all the way around. Raise both arms over your head and lower them. If the band slides up or stays up, it has lost its grip on your ribcage.

The underwire is poking through

Once the channeling that holds the wire wears through, the wire moves out of place and the cup's shape goes with it. Moleskin or a few stitches can buy time, but the support is already gone.

The straps slip even at their shortest

If the straps are fully tightened and still slide off your shoulders, their elastic has given out.

The cups have lost their shape

Foam that has creased, dented, or flattened no longer holds tissue where it belongs. Heat from a dryer speeds this up.

Marks that last hours after you take it off

Some marks after a full day are normal. Deep grooves that linger usually mean something has shifted: a band that has gone loose so the straps are doing the lifting, or a band that was too tight to begin with. Re-check the fit first; if adjusting does not fix it, replace it.

Your body has changed

Size moves with weight changes, hormones, pregnancy, and age. A bra in great condition can still be the wrong size now. If the fit has changed and the bra has not, measure again before you buy the same size.

How long a bra lasts

There is no fixed date. A bra worn a few times a week, washed gently and rotated, should still feel snug on the loosest hook for most of its first year. Wear it every day or put it through a dryer and the band gives sooner. Go by the hooks and the fit checks, not the calendar.

Worn out, or the wrong size?

If a bra less than a year old already needs the tightest hook, the band was likely too big from the start. A sister size one band down and one cup up keeps the same cup volume on a firmer band. If the cups are what changed, start from the fit checks instead.

How to make bras last longer

Start on the loosest hook. It leaves room to tighten as the band stretches.
Rotate. Elastic recovers between wears, so a day off helps each bra last.
Wash cool and gentle. Hand wash, or fasten the hooks and use a lingerie bag on a delicate cycle.
Air dry. Dryer heat wears elastic and compresses foam.
Store cups in their shape. Stack molded bras cup into cup, facing the same way. Turning one cup inside the other creases the foam.

Quick answers

How often should you replace your bra?

Go by the bra, not the calendar. Replace it when you are on the tightest hook and the band still rides up, when a wire pokes through, when the straps slip at their shortest, or when the cups have lost their shape. A bra that is rotated and washed gently should still feel snug on the loosest hook for most of its first year.

How do I know if my bra is stretched out?

Fasten it on the tightest hook and raise your arms. If the band rides up in back or sits higher in back than in front, the elastic is stretched out.

Can you fix an underwire poking out of a bra?

Only temporarily. Moleskin over the end or stitching the channel closed can hold for a while, but once the channeling has worn through, the wire has moved and the cup no longer supports the way it was built to.

Does putting bras in the dryer ruin them?

Heat wears down elastic and compresses foam cups, so dryers shorten a bra's life. Wash cool and gentle, then air dry.

Why does my new bra only fit on the tightest hook?

If a bra under a year old needs the tightest hook, the band is likely too big. Try the sister size one band down and one cup up, which keeps the same cup volume on a firmer band.

Start the next one from your measurements

Radical measures you from two photos on your phone, then cuts the band to your ribcage and each cup to its own side, so the next bra starts on the right hook.

Start your fit