How to Clean Men's Underwear and Keep Them Looking New

While a quality pair of men's underwear can last you for many months, there are things you can do to prolong the life of your new underwear and keep them looking new as long as possible.

A good pair isn't exactly cheap, so taking the time to learn how to wash your underwear properly can help you get the most out of your new drip.

In this men's underwear care guide, we'll go over some general guidelines, explain how to wash underwear in a washing machine, how to hand wash underwear, how to get rid of stains, what you should do when it comes to drying your briefs, and end with some FAQs.

Pro-Tip: Bookmark this page of handy tips for the next time you're cleaning underwear.

First, let's go over some guidelines that you should follow for both hand washing and washing machines.

Remember, this is a general guide that applies to all Drawlz as well as a vast majority of other brands - but you may have a pair of underwear made of a delicate fabric that has specific washing instructions. So before you toss 'em in the wash, check the tag.

Seeing as hot water sets stains and can prematurely wear out the fabric and colors, always wash underwear in water that's cold - especially for delicate fabrics.

Washing dark colors with light colors can cause the dye from the darker colored clothing to bleed into the lighter colors and permanently stain the lighter pair. (Say that 5 times fast)

When washing underwear, always wash with like colors.

If you notice pilling (little tiny balls off fabric), splitting, or fraying, take some to tidy them up. You can use a fabric shaver to get rid of pilling and any pair of scissors to cut the splits or frays.

It's always a safe bet to wash underwear with a mild detergent. Using detergent with fabric softener or bleach can prematurely weaken fabrics over time, especially polyester based microfiber fabrics, synthetic fabrics, and other similar delicate fabrics.

It goes without saying that your underwear soaks up the most sweat out of any pair of clothing when you're at the gym, so it's a good idea to assign certain pairs of underwear that you only wear when working out or if you expect to get really sweaty.

This reduces wear and tear on your other underwear and contains all of the bacteria to only a few pairs, instead of all of them. The best underwear for going to the gym is breathable cotton underwear; here's our top picks:

The best way to get rid of underwear stains is to pre-treat the stains with either vinegar, baking soda, or stain remover.

Head to our How to Remove Underwear Stains guide for a more detailed overview.

Last but not least, always turn your underwear inside out before washing. Doing this cleans the underwear better and reduces wear and tear on the exterior fabric and designs, keeping them looking better for longer.

Machine washing underwear is pretty straightforward and simple, but I highly recommend that you follow the instructions exactly for best results.

• Gentle detergent

• Washing bags with a zipper (also called a lingerie bag)

1. Turn all pairs of underwear inside out

2. Place each pair in a separate washing bag, and put them in the washing machine

3. Set the wash cycle to delicate (or gentle) with cold water. Avoid cycles of heavy duty washes.

4. Add the gentle detergent and turn the washing machine on. Be careful to not add too much detergent.

5. Leave out to air dry immediately once the cycle ends

If your washing machine is broken, or you really want to preserve the quality of your underwear for a long time, you can always hand wash underwear. It's the most gentle option that puts minimal wear and tear on the fabric.

• Mild detergent

• Some clean towels

• Washing container (sink, bucket, or tub)

1. First, clean whatever container you're going to wash the underwear in, have it be a clean sink, bucket, or tub.

2. Fill the washing container with cold tap water - not warm water - and add about a penny size drop of detergent.

3. Add your underwear to the soapy water and move it around to loosen up whatever's in there.

4. Gently squeeze and scrub every inch of the underwear with your hands, paying extra attention to the groin, gooch, and crack areas.

5. Once they're clean, remove them from the washing container and rinse under cold tap water until all of the soapy residue is gone. If the sink is spitting out lukewarm water, wait for it to get cold.

6. Do not ring excess water out the underwear, this will lead to wrinkles and folds. Instead, place one towel on a flat surface, lay the underwear on the towel, lay a different towel down on top of the underwear, and gently pat dry.

7. Hang the underwear up to air dry

There are four ways you can get rid of underwear stains; vinegar, baking soda, soaking, and stain remover pens. You can learn all four methods in this underwear stain removal guide.

For this post, we'll focus on using a stain remover pen as it's the quickest and easiest way to get rid of stubborn stains.

• Gloves

• Sink

• Towel

• Stain Remover Pen

1. Lay the towel down on a nearby flat, clean surface

2. Put on the gloves and rinse the stain under cold tap water

3. Turn the underwear inside out and rinse the other side as well

4. Lay down the underwear on the towel and follow the instructions on the stain remover pen

5. Wash the underwear as you normally would

Never, under any circumstances, for any reason at all, put your underwear in the dryer. Not only does the average home dryer shrink your underwear, but it also destroys elasticity, ruins the softness, and wears out the colors like you wouldn't believe.

Instead, always air dry your underwear somewhere out of direct sunlight. Leaving them to dry in the sun can damage the coloring as well.

But, if you're in a time crunch and absolutely have to use a dryer, always set it to the lowest heat setting for the shortest amount of time possible.

A man should buy new underwear once every 6-12 months, depending on how worn out the underwear is.

Yes, it's OK to wash underwear in the washing machine. Just use a mild detergent and set the machine wash to a gentle cycle, or delicate cycle, with cold water.

A man should wash his underwear after he takes it off for the day. Never wear the same pair of underwear before washing it - that's nasty as hell.

To get stains out of underwear, first rinse the stain under cold water on the inside and outside of the fabric. Lay the underwear on a clean towel and use a stain remover pen to get rid of the stain. After that, wash the underwear as you normally would.

If you ever need anything or have any questions at all, shoot us an email at info@drawlz.com.

Thank you for reading, stay confident. 

Anthony

Founder, Drawlz