Have you just received your order or are you just wondering how to look after your pretty lingerie every day?
If you've just received your order, it's essential to wash your lingerie once before wearing it, as with any garment that comes into contact with your skin!
All our period panties are made from organic cotton and contain no chemical solvents. However, our pretty black cotton is dyed with skin- and mucosa-friendly dyes, which can sometimes bleed during the first few washes. What's more, for reasons of hygiene, we obviously recommend machine-washing our products before use. What's more, a first washincreases the absorption capacity of our eucalyptus fiber absorbent fabric.
How to wash your menstrual panties
STEP 1: PRE-WASH
Rinse with cold water
To care for your lingerie, we recommend rinsing it in a basin ofcold water until the water runs clear. But there's no need to soak your lingerie - a quick rinse is all you need. If stubborn stains persist, it's time to use our stain remover stick and leave for 15 minutes.
STEP 2: WASHING
The choice of detergent
We strongly advise you to use our special menstrual-panty detergenthypoallergenic and without added glycerine for Elia lingerie, and in general for all garments worn close to the body. It prolongs the life of your menstrual panties , preserving their absorbency for years to come.
To soften your laundry, don't use fabric softener: if your water is hard and chalky, usewhite vinegar, whichhas anti-chalk properties and helps combat the dry appearance of clothes after washing. It also neutralizes unpleasant odours. You'll avoid having to use commercial chemical and perfumed products, which aren't recommended for underwear worn close to the body anyway!
STEP 2: WASHING
Machine washable
Once you've rinsed your lingerie in clear water, you can put it in the washing machine with your other clothes: no risk of stains! We recommend putting your lingerie in our washing net: zippers on other garments can quickly snag our lace or seams.
Preferably wash at low temperature and in our ecological washing net Elia recommends machine cycles at 30° or 40°.
If you wish, you can wash your menstrual lingerie by hand, but we recommend at least one machine wash at the end of each cycle to be sure of eliminating all traces of bacteria.
STEP 3: DRYING
Drying your lingerie
As with all fine lingerie, we advise you not to tumble dry your underwear to avoid damaging the fabric fibers. This is especially true for Elia lingerie, to prolong the life of the natural, delicate materials that make up the absorbent zone.
Air-drying is also better for the environment!
For the same reasons, we don't recommend ironing your panties. Drying flat should suffice! Otherwise, set your iron's temperature to the lowest setting and place a bath towel between the iron and your lingerie to prolong its durability.
WATERPROOFING
Why avoid detergents with glycerine?
Avoid detergents containing glycerine, which clogs absorbent fibers and makes them waterproof in the long run: liquids are likely to bead up on the surface, and that's less effective! Discover the difference in detail in our video below.
Beware, for example, of the composition of Savon de Marseille: only a tiny amount of glycerine from the natural saponification process should remain in the original recipe.
For the same reasons, we advise against the use of fabric softeners, as these are greasy compositions formulated to limit static electricity and soften laundry, but which reduce absorption efficiency and clog up machines in the long run! In fact, you shouldn't use them on all absorbent household linen: towels, tea towels... as well as sportswear and menstrual panties!
PROTECT LACE AND EMBROIDERY
Focus on our eco-friendly wash bag
Our wash net is perfect for holding your menstrual lingerie and other delicate items during machine washing.
It can hold up to 3 menstrual panties. Its pretty black color makes it an elegant wash bag, which won't wash out over time or fade.
Your most frequently asked questions about menstrual panty care
Can menstrual panties cause unpleasant odours?
With our eucalyptus fiber absorbent zone, there are no unpleasant odors: it has anti-bacterial properties and provides a fresh sensation to neutralize odors.
We recommend, however, that you rinse it in cold water after wearing, and put it in the machine quickly: any garment that remains wet for too long can develop a damp smell.
If an odor persists, you can always use a few drops of essential oils when machine-washing, but if you follow our care instructions, this shouldn't be necessary.
I washed my period panties at over 40°, is that a problem?
If your lingerie has been washed at over 40° or accidentally tumble-dried, don't worry! However, we recommend washing at low temperature for the following reasons:
The absorbent zone made of eucalyptus fibers tends to shrink slightly under the effect of heat. It's still as absorbent as ever, but you may notice that the cotton on top, which hasn't moved, wrinkles under the effect of the slightly shrunken absorbent layer. The problem lies mainly in repeated use in very hot conditions (washing above 40°C, drying, etc.), which may be responsible for perforation of the waterproof membrane, no longer fulfilling its anti-leakage role!
Blood "cooks" at high temperatures, so stains are harder to remove once they've been heated: that's why it's best to rinse by hand in cold water first. However, the inside of our panties is all black, to avoid unsightly stain residues.
The lifespan of your panties (and that of classic lingerie) is reduced by high-temperature washing, so it's best to avoid it!
I have a discoloration stain on my panties that doesn't go away after washing.
It's a discoloration phenomenon that can occur when some of us have more acidic vaginal secretions. This only discolors the cotton, but in no way affects the panty's functionality.
To minimize them, rinse them in cold, soap-free water as soon as possible after wearing them! And then put them in the washing machine, but that's just for appearance's sake!
It's a problem that's specific to all black-bottomed panties (menstrual or otherwise), because it depends on our personal acidity (white discharge like blood), which can vary and be more or less important during the same cycle.
This does not spare organic cottons and Oeko-tex-certified fabrics, and is by no means a sign of poor-quality materials. Don't worry, it doesn't affect the effectiveness of our products!
In general, we advise you to change your underwear more regularly and to rinse it quickly after wearing if you don't want to alter the aesthetics of the inside of your panties.
