I have four wearable, everyday bras -- three "skin-coloured" (i.e., a pinkish tan) and one black. I never wear them more than twice before washing them. I usually wash them by hand in the bathroom sink, and let them drip-dry over the bathtub. I use lukewarm water and a special washing powder for delicate fabrics.

I also have three sports bras that I wear to work out at the gym or to go trotting outside. These always get soaked with sweat, so they get washed after every wearing, also in the bathroom sink with the special washing powder.

When dry, a bra goes at the bottom of the pile so that it does not get worn again for at least four days, thus allowing the spandex to "rest".

All seven of these garments were horribly expensive -- about Cdn$80 each for the sports bras and Cdn$130 each for the "wearable, everyday" bras. They are now almost two years old and look good for at least another year of wear -- no weak spots in the spandex panels, and no underwires poking out.

I never put a bra in the dryer. I sometimes put them in the washing machine, but only on the delicate cycle, and always in a mesh bag and with all their hooks fastened. I once wrecked one of my husband's kilt hose by putting it in the washer in the same load as a bra that sank one of its hooks into a cable in the stocking.

This maintenance program was recommended by the nice lady from London who runs Ottawa's very best ladies' underwear shop.