How to Care for Lace Lingerie: The Complete Washing, Drying & Storage Guide
Beautiful lace deserves a long life. Yet lace and mesh are among the most delicate fabrics in your wardrobe, and one careless spin in the washing machine can turn an elegant babydoll into a tangle of pulled threads and misshapen cups. The good news? Caring for lace properly takes less than ten minutes and no special equipment. Here's exactly how to wash, dry, store and repair your lace lingerie so it looks as lovely on its fiftieth wear as its first.
Why Lace Needs Special Care
Most modern lace lingerie — including our own sets — is made from fine polyester and elastane blends. These fibres are wonderfully soft and stretchy, but they're vulnerable to three things: heat, friction and snagging. Hot water and tumble dryers break down elastane, which is what causes lace to lose its stretch and shape. Friction from a machine drum rubs the raised lace pattern flat. And open-weave mesh catches on zips, hooks and velcro from other garments, causing pulls and tears.
Every care step below is really just a way of avoiding those three enemies.
How to Hand Wash Lace Lingerie (Step by Step)
Hand washing is always the safest method, and it's genuinely quick:
- Fill a basin with cool water — lukewarm at most, never hot. Around 30°C or below protects both the fibres and the colour.
- Add a small amount of gentle detergent. A teaspoon of delicates wash or even a mild, non-bio liquid is plenty. Avoid anything with bleach or fabric softener — softener coats and stiffens lace over time.
- Submerge and swish. Gently move the garment through the water for two to three minutes. Let it soak for ten minutes if it needs freshening. Never scrub, twist or rub lace against itself.
- Rinse in clean, cool water until the water runs clear of suds.
- Press, don't wring. Squeeze the water out gently between your palms, or press the garment against the side of the basin. Wringing is the fastest way to stretch lace out of shape.
Undo any suspender clips and loosen ribbon lacing before washing, so nothing catches on the delicate mesh.
Can You Machine Wash Lace?
We recommend hand washing only for lace and mesh sets — it's what the care label on our pieces specifies, and it's the only method that guarantees no damage. If you ever must machine wash a sturdier lace item, the risk can be reduced (though never removed) by using a zipped mesh laundry bag, a delicates cycle at 30°C, low spin, and washing it separately from anything with hooks or zips. But for underwired babydolls, stockings and anything with satin ribbons, stick to the basin.
Stockings deserve a special mention: they should always be washed by hand and never machine washed. One rough fingernail or washing machine snag is all it takes to ladder them, so handle with care and remove rings before washing.
How to Dry Lace Without Damaging It
Never tumble dry lace — heat is elastane's worst enemy. Instead, lay the garment flat on a clean, dry towel, gently reshape the cups and skirt, then roll the towel loosely to absorb excess water. Unroll and leave the piece to finish drying flat, away from radiators and direct sunlight (which fades delicate pinks and creams). Underwired pieces should always dry flat rather than on a hanger, as the weight of wet fabric can distort the cups.
Lace dries quickly — usually overnight — so you can wash a set the evening before you plan to wear it.
Storing Lace Lingerie Properly
Storage is where most snags actually happen. Keep lace pieces folded flat in a drawer, ideally separated from everyday underwear by a divider or kept in the soft pouch or box they arrived in. Tie ribbon lacing and fasten suspender clips loosely before folding so they can't catch on the mesh. If you're storing a special set long-term — bridal lingerie you're saving for the honeymoon, for example — wrap it in acid-free tissue paper and keep it somewhere cool and dry.
For stockings, fold rather than ball them, and store them away from velcro, jewellery and anything with rough edges.
Quick Fixes for Snags and Pulls
Caught a thread? Don't cut it — that can unravel the weave. Instead, turn the garment inside out and use a fine crochet hook or needle to gently pull the snagged loop through to the inside, then smooth the lace flat from the outside. Small holes in mesh can be stabilised with a few tiny stitches in matching thread before they grow.
The Five Golden Rules
If you remember nothing else: wash cool, wash gently, never wring, never tumble dry, and store snag-safe. That's the entire secret to lace that lasts for years.
Treat Your Lace Well From Day One
All Laven & Ivory pieces come with care instructions, and every set is designed to reward gentle handling — from the Pink Floral Lace Babydoll 5 Piece Set to everything in our Lingerie & Nightwear collection. New to babydolls? Read our guide to why babydoll lingerie flatters every figure next.
Laven & Ivory is a UK-based lingerie and nightwear brand offering elegant, affordable pieces in UK sizes, with free UK delivery and discreet packaging as standard.