Bra clasp broken after a few washes: what now?

Your bra closure usually breaks because it's loose in the wash, tangled up with everything else, or because the hooks were still open when the drum started spinning. High heat and the dryer also wear out the elastic behind the hooks faster, so the closure isn't actually torn, it just feels loose. Change your laundry routine and the closure will easily last years again.

1. Your bra is loose in the wash with everything else

In the washing machine, everything tumbles together. Zippers, hook and loop tape, buttons, even a thong with a tiny hook. Your bra's closure spins right through all of that and quickly snags on something. Every turn of the drum then pulls at the fabric around the hook, until it tears or the hook itself bends.

You usually only notice this afterward, when you pull the laundry out and see a loose thread or a hook sitting slightly crooked. By then the damage is already done, and being careful won't undo it. All you can do is prevent it next time.

Quick check: think back to your last load. Was there a pair of pants with a zipper in there, or a top with hook and loop tape? Next time, pay attention to what goes in the drum with your bra.

What to do about it: wash your bra separately from clothes with hooks, zippers or hook and loop tape, or use a mesh laundry bag so the closure can't move around freely and snag on anything.

2. The hooks were still open when the drum started spinning

An open closure flaps around loose in the water. The hooks naturally find a gap in other fabric, or catch on the mesh of your own bra. The result: the fabric right behind the hooks stretches out of shape, or starts tearing away from the seam. Right where it needs to hold the most.

Quick check: do you always close the hooks before tossing the bra in the hamper? Be honest, most women don't do this every single time.

What to do about it: always fasten your bra on the middle hook before washing. It takes two seconds and saves a lot of wear over time.

3. You're washing on too high a heat or using the dryer

The elastic behind the hooks is what actually gives the closure its strength. At high temperatures, and especially in the dryer, spandex gradually loses its stretch. Nothing looks broken, but after a few washes the band just feels loose, even on the tightest hook.

This process can't be reversed either. Once spandex has stretched out, it doesn't tighten back up on its own, no matter how you wash or dry it afterward. The only way to stop further damage is to switch to lower temperatures for good and skip the dryer entirely.

Quick check: fasten your bra on the last, tightest hook. Can you easily slide a flat hand under the band on your back? Then the elastic has lost its stretch.

What to do about it: wash at 86°F, 104°F at most, and let it air dry on a line or drying rack. No dryer, not even on a low or gentle cycle.

4. The fabric behind the hooks is sewn too thin

This one's purely a quality issue, it has nothing to do with how careful you are when washing. On cheaply made bras, there's only a thin layer of fabric between the hooks and the rest of the band. That seam holds up for a few washes and then gives out, right when you need it most.

You can often spot this difference at purchase, if you actually look closely. On a well-made bra, the fabric behind the hooks continues into a wider strip, sometimes with an extra row of stitching for reinforcement. On a cheap one, the fabric stops right behind the hook, as if it was cut off there.

Quick check: gently pull on the fabric around the hooks, not the hook itself. Does the fabric give way right away, or do you see fraying? Then there simply wasn't enough reinforced fabric back there.

What to do about it: no laundry trick fixes this. Next time you buy, look for a bra where the hooks are sewn firmly into a wider, double layer of fabric, instead of loosely onto a thin edge.

5. You wash it after almost every single wear

A bra doesn't need to go straight into the wash after every wear. Every wash puts mechanical stress on the elastic and seams, even when nothing looks wrong. Wash it three times a week when you've only worn it at the office, and you're putting the closure through more wear than it actually needs.

Quick check: count how many times a week you wash the same bra. More than twice, even though you haven't been sweating heavily in it? Then you could probably cut back.

What to do about it: let a bra rest at least a day between wears and only wash it when it actually needs it, not out of habit.

Of the nearly 2,897 women we surveyed about their biggest bra frustration, 2% named the closure as their main problem. A small percentage, but if it happens to you, it's just as annoying as an underwire digging in.

Closure already broken: can you still save it?

If a hook has snapped off or bent completely out of shape, bending it back usually won't work. Metal that's already broken or bent tends to break again at that exact same spot the next time you try. If only the fabric around one hook has come loose while the other hooks still work, you can keep wearing the bra on the hooks that still hold.

Wondering if it's worth having a tailor repair your bra? Keep in mind the cost often isn't worth it compared to just buying a new one. It's usually only worth repairing a pricier bra that still has great cups and straps otherwise.

One little thing broke, so now I need a whole new one

Sound familiar? If you've still got one working hook left, you can bridge the gap until your new bra arrives with a bra extender. It clips onto your existing hooks and gives you a bit of extra room and hold, though it won't fix the broken closure itself, it's really just a temporary fix.

If the closures on your bras keep breaking fast, not just from washing but even shortly after you buy them, check out our guide on why bra closures and hooks break. It covers causes that have nothing to do with washing, like the size you fasten it on.

How to wash a bra without wrecking the closure

You can prevent most of this damage with a few simple changes to your laundry routine. Nothing complicated, just make these a habit:

• Always fasten the closure before putting it in the hamper or machine.
• Wash at 86°F and separately from clothes with zippers, hooks or hook and loop tape.
• Skip the dryer and just hang your bra on the line or over a drying rack.
• Don't wash after every wear, a bra can handle two to three wears before it needs a wash.

Want to make it even easier on yourself? Wash your bra in the Monavida bra wash bag. The thick honeycomb mesh keeps the hooks away from the rest of your laundry, so they can't snag or get tangled up with anything, which is exactly the problem this whole article is about.

Want to know how to keep the rest of your bra, from cups to straps, looking good after washing too? Check out how to stop your bra's quality from going downhill after washing.