You know that, as long as you got your sizing right when you bought it, how good mens underwear feels when it’s brand new. All the elastic is taut, the fabric is soft and smooth and any elastic is nice and taut. When you put them on your new mens underwear looks great and feels even better.
Then you wash them a few times. The elastic starts to get embarrassingly loose, the colors stand to look washed out and dingy rather than vibrant and fabulous and the fabric itself seems to be getting very saggy, and you didn’t even know that was a thing.
All the above points to a classic case of improper washing. Which can be the death of even the best made, best fitting gay mens’ underwear. The good news is that proper washing is not rocket science and does not call for you to drop a small fortune on special laundry detergents or to spend too much of your valuable time perfecting a skill you never really wanted to.
Laundering your lingerie properly will extend its useful life, help it stay brighter – and tighter – longer and basically just protect the investment you made in it. And doing things the right way only takes a few minutes longer. Cool wash, cool tumble dry and no harsh detergents. And whatever you do, avoid doing any of the following at all costs.
Avoid the Three Deadly Sins of Mens Underwear Care
The Too Hot Dryer
The average ‘standard’ setting on a home dryer generates heat that can reach temperatures of up to 180F. This means if you use that setting to dry your undies you are, in essence baking them, so it’s little wonder they come out saggy and the elastic is basically half boiled away. In addition, in that high heat environment extra unwanted friction is created as clothes rub against each other which results in faded colors and roughened fabrics.
It is OK to put most gay mens underwear in the dryer, but only on the lowest settings possible. Most home dryers have a low heat/fluff button that’s ideal. Yes, it’ll take a little longer for your load of laundry to dry but those extra few minutes really are worth it.
Bleach and Heavy Fabric Softeners
With apologies to your Grandma, who probably told you differently, no, you don’t need to drown your clothes in bleach to get them clean and sanitary. Even ‘color safe’ bleach will weaken the fabric in gay mens underwear far too quickly and that is the last thing you want.
Then there’s fabric softeners. While they might leave your t-shirts super soft and smelling great they are a nightmare when used on fabrics like nylon, silk and the very popular microfiber fabrics. Not only do they eat away at the fibers they leave behind a sticky residue on these delicate fabrics, and that is icky rather than alluring.
Line Drying in Direct Sunlight
‘Line drying your underwear makes it smell fresh’ say many homemaking gurus on Instagram and the like. Um, that really depends on where you live, for starters, and the fact is that drying your delicate underwear in direct sunlight will do for it what it does for skin; damage it and make it wrinkled and aged looking.
If you need to line dry – not everyone has a dryer and home and heading to the laundromat just to wash a few pairs of briefs is kind of dumb – do so in a shady spot outside or, better still, indoors.
