Lingerie Care - Washing Bras

"When I said 'I do' I didn't mean laundry."  Anon

Washing

According to the Internet, which has become the voice of the Almighty, the average woman owns nine bras and wears only six of them.  That would be one at a time we imagine.  Additionally, women worldwide spend around $16 million annually on bras.  That comes to about $92 per woman per year if  half the population is female and every one of those females is purchasing bras.  I know that my three month old granddaughter has not yet purchased her first bra so the above information is totally useless except to validate math teachers around the world who claimed that someday math would prove to be important to our lives.

Rinsing

This leads us to a word about the care of the $16 million worth of bras.  The word is, hand wash.  And it's not really that difficult to do.  I started the whole process of hand washing my bras with a tote placed in one of my sinks.  You could also wash your bras directly in the sink,

Next I added my favorite delicate fabric wash, Forever New.  I love the fragrance.  One of my friends said she doesn't like Forever New because of the fragrance.  Whatever.  After the Forever New is dissolved in a bit of hot water fill the container or sink with COLD water.  Then add the bras, swish them around, and allow them to soak undisturbed for 5 to 10 minutes while you go off and write the great American novel or clean the grout in your shower.

Happily Drying

After the allotted soak time rinse until the water in the sink or tote is clear.  I then gently squeeze each bra, place them onto a clean, fluffy towel, and softly roll the towel, gently squeezing out a little more water.  Finally, I hang my freshly washed bra onto my Bra-tique to dry.  On a particularly sunny day (we're in the middle of a drought) I hung the Bra-tique on a hook at the back of the house.  You could also hang the Bra-tique back to the location from whence it came.

Note:  I own eleven bras and regularly wear five.  One at a time.  You can purchase your own Bra-tique for however many bras you own on ETSY.  Search word, bratique.  A website is on the way!

Storage - The Ultimate Undie Organizer

"Domesticity has to mean nesting. Otherwise, six months go by, and you don't know where your underwear is."  Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio

Before Bra-tique

So maybe you do know where your underwear is and it looks like this!  Hang on.  We're hear to help.

Although there are many ways to correctly store your precious bras and panties and avoid a mess, most of these storage methods require time to fold or stack or set your undies just so in order to give them the best of care.  And so millions of women simply toss panties into drawers.  Bras oftentimes get even less respect as they're hung over doorknobs or bedposts or, horror of horrors, stuffed into a drawer where they become a terrible tangle.

This in-the-drawer storage method is hard on costly undies.  Worse yet, a bra doesn't have the benefit of airing out between uses if it's confined to a drawer.  Selecting bras from a tangle also slows things down in the morning when it's time to get dressed for the day.  Solution?  Bra-tique!

With Bra-tique all your panties can be folded, rolled, and slipped into one of the panty pockets, while your bras will happily hang straight and free.  So unless you have time to hand-wash your bra after every wearing, which is not recommended, we suggest a Bra-tique as the ideal way to give your undies a long and happy life!

With Bra-tique!

The Bra-tique on the right holds eight (count them) eight bras and a dozen pairs of panties.  You'll have to trust us on the number of panties because they're neatly tucked into panty pockets, sticking up just a bit so you can select the correct color to co-ordinate with your bra and your outfit of the day.  Needless to say, this is not my collection of undies.  All of my panties are beige.

This Bra-tique in the picture is also hung from a magnetic hook because the picture was taken on Mary's lovely front door.  Mary is the best when it comes to choosing colors to give a lovely accent to the inside and outside of her home and this colorful door proved to be just the place to photograph any number of Bra-tiques.  There are rumors, however, going around Mary's neighborhood about the woman with the teal front door who keeps hanging underwear on it for all the world to see.  Go, Mary!

In order to avoid such notoriety we suggest that you hang your Bra-tique on the back of your closet or bedroom door.  Or you can use the two grommets and hang the Bra-tique on hooks on a wall.  Don't you just love choices!

Lingerie Storage - Show Your Style!

"If you've got it, flaunt it!"  Auntie Alice

Sheena Bra-tique

Emily Bra-tique

One of the great things about Bra-tique, besides the fact that it keeps your undies from getting in a bundle, is the number of choices.  I love choice.  I'm so happy that I don't have to wear a uniform and look like everybody else.  I'm ecstatic that I can paint my kitchen purple (yes I did) so that I can live and work in a space that I love.  And I'm delirious that I can choose accessories for myself and for my surroundings.  What a sneaky way to work Bra-tique into the conversation!

Whether your taste runs toward the bold or the soft or the floral or the striped, there's a Bra-tique just for you.  And if you can't find what you're looking for just contact us and let us know what you'd like. 

Maria Bra-tique

Yes, we do special orders.  Or if you have a yard or two of fabric left over from the curtains that you made for your bedroom we can also use that to perfectly match your mood and decor.

Hooked on You!

The secret, of course, is the metallic ribbon that runs along the top of the Bra-tique where bras easily attach.

Find Bra-tique by going to ETSY.com and entering, bratique, in the search. And when your bras are hung and your panties are safely tucked in the pockets at the bottom of your Bra-tique, you'll have an empty drawer for your other clothes.  Or as one woman observed, "Save your drawers!  Get a Bra-tique!"

Bra-vo!

Lingerie Storage Secret

"Get Hooked on Bra-tique"  Mary

Metallic Mesh Ribbon - The Secret

Is there a secret to having a great system for storing your lingerie?  We think so. 

First, lingerie storage should be easy and take no more than one second to put your bra or panties in place.  It should also take no more than a second to select and retrieve the bra that you want to wear for the day.  Second, your bras should be straight, not folded, twisted, or tucked inside each other. Third, your bras should be in a position to breath between wearings.  Fourth, your lingerie storage should be beautiful and reflect your impeccable taste.

And because we're showing you a way to achieve all of these secrets for great lingerie storage, it's no longer a secret.  It's Bra-tique with its metallic mesh strip along the top where bras can be easily hooked, or you can make an awesome bouquet with a bunch of the strips!  There's also three or six pockets along the bottom or each Bra-tique for storage of panties, sports bras, extra straps, or your private stash of chocolate!  You decide how many pocket you might need.

Another wonder of the Bra-tique is its versatility.  Yes, you can hang the Bra-tique right in your closet with your other clothes because it comes tied with pretty ribbons to a hanger.  Let me restate that.  Maybe YOU could store a Bra-tique in your closet, but my closet is rather stuffed with clothes that I might someday be able to wear again.  You get the picture.  I use one of the other Bra-tique options.

 

Metallic Ribbon Prettily Trimmed

My Bra-tique hangs on the inside of my closet door attached to an over-the-door hook that I picked up at Bed Bath and Beyond, but I also saw them available at Staples.  If you have a closet door that slides or folds you can place your Bra-tique on the back of your bedroom door.  Then when you close the door in the morning to get dressed all your bras and panties will be happily waiting for you!

Finally, you can also remove the hanger and use the two grommets at the top to hang the Bra-tique on hooks fastened to a door or closet wall, for those of you lucky enough to have a walk-in closet.   

You can get your very own Bra-tique by going to Etsy.com and putting in the search word, bratique.  And for each Bra-tique ordered between now and Mother's Day (2012) we're going to ship each and every Bra-tique absolutely free.  After Mother's Day we're going to add back on that $8 shipping and handling fee.  

If you wait too long you're probably not going to get your Bra-tique in time for Mother's Day, but get Mom a pretty card and tell her that her gift is on the way!  Or order now for those birthdays or bridal showers that are coming up.  Or just get one for yourself!

Bra-tique - A lovely way to store lingerie!

Lingerie Storage - Bra-tique

Happy Bras on a Bra-tique

"Eureka!  I've got it."  Archimedes

 This is about how our company, Bra-tique, started.  It's about a woman, me, who lives in the southwest corner of a Midwest state.  It's about the frustration felt when my lovely lingerie didn't get no respect.  My bras got folded in ways that they didn't want to be folded and often tangled with their drawer mates.  It wasn't good for my bras and it wasn't good for my attitude when I was getting dressed in the morning.

Added to that, bras are a rather pricey purchase even during sales events.  Bras are also a clothing item that get a lot of wear.  There's a large segment of the population unwilling to go through life "unsupported".  And so, in order to save my precious undies from unnecessary wear and tear I began to hang them by their hooks from a ridge along the top of a shoe bag on the back of my closet door.  That's because the bag held a dozen pairs of shoes and I only had six pair, which left the top half free and clear to accommodate my bras.  The system worked great.

Then the unexpected happened.  I bought more shoes!  This led me to go on line and try to find a closet organizer that would allow me to hang my bras in this happy state of storage.  I couldn't find such an organizer.  So I thought that I might have to invent one. 

Good news, bad news!  I knew that such an item would have to be sewn together and while I was overflowing with good ideas I was completely lacking in sewing skills.  That's when I called my good friend, Mary, and asked her if she would help me with a little sewing project.  Translation: START A COMPANY.   Mary is an incredible seamstress and believed that I was looking for someone to hem a skirt or mend a seam.

Long story short, Mary said yes.  Bra-tique was born.  Truth be told, the first prototype didn't work.  But I'm no quitter, especially when it comes to dessert at the end of a large meal.  But the second prototype was inspired.  Want Happy Bras?  Go to Etsy.com and put in the search word, bratique.  We have a plethora (love that word!) of fabulous fabrics to fit almost any taste or decor.

Bra-vo!

Pat and Mary