Lingerie has been a very important part of a woman's wardrobe for centuries. Though the style of lingerie changed and evolved over the years, they still constitute the aura of allure and attraction.

Lingerie requires a lot of care as they are very delicate. It is important to read the note written on lingerie, which best describes the cleaning process. Lingerie should always be washed by hands, as they are usually made of lace, ribbons or very thin and delicate material which is susceptible to tearing easily. If you have to put it in the washing machine, make sure that it is on an easy cycle wash. Some delicate lace lingerie need dry cleaning to be washed carefully. Machine wash reduces or fades the elasticity of a garment. It is important to note that if your lingerie is machined washed or washed harshly very often, it will not last for a very long time.

While hand washing your lingerie, make sure that you use very mild detergent. Mild detergents protect the color of the lingerie from bleeding or fading away. Lingerie should be washed very carefully in Luke warm water; and it should not be rubbed too hard. If you wash lace or ribbon very harshly, it will tear. Wired or padded lingerie should not be washed in the machine for too long, as the wire may get detangled and the pads may get destroyed, making the lingerie useless. For best results, lingerie should never be put in a drying machine. You should always dry your lingerie on a string out in the open, to maintain the quality of the material.

Cotton is a very difficult material to maintain. If the cotton has not been washed with mild detergent it shrinks. Sometimes, they even loose their shape and get distorted, making it useless. The color of the cotton also fades away easily. So, make sure that you wash your cotton lingerie in Luke warm water, and not very hot water as that can damage the color and material, making the fibroids very weak. Cottons should be always dried flat or hung. Cottons shrink tremendously in drying machines. It is always advised to iron cottons when they are a little damp, to straighten out the wrinkles and creases. Ironing also softens the garment.

When it comes to silk, satins and synthetic, you should always dry clean them, as they are very delicate material. Dry cleaning also protects the material from shredding or loosing its color. If you are courageous enough to risk washing your silks at home then you should be very careful and use only mild detergents. The silk lingerie should be soaked in cold detergent water for about 20 minutes, to remove the dirt particles. Only cold water should be used, as it protects the color of the garment. If there are any stains or marks on the lingerie, you should rub it very gently, to remove them. Silk should be dried flat and then ironed very gently on minimum heat.