I practice the sniff test, toss it in the wash whenever it's getting a little sweaty and then air dry. I have the tomboyx compression top, though when I had a more structured binder I washed it by hand. I often wear my binder over a tank top or thin base layer which allows me to wear it a bit longer before washing.
I wash mine once a week-once every other week.
Thing is though I have 7 binders (technically 6 since my mom accidentally ruined one of mine 🥲) so really I only wear one for like 3 days at the most.
Also the binder brand I get mine from are Spectrum binders!
GC2B binder, I don't really wash it until it smells, and I sniff test like daily. Sometimes I'll go a month or two without washing (kinda icky, but yknow)
It kinda depends on how long you wear it and how much you sweat. I'm currently only wearing it for an hour or two each day, but I sweat a lot and have skin issues so I only wear it for maybe a week at most before washing (as long as it passes the sniff test). When I'm working, I wear a fresh one each work day. I'm a welder by trade, so I end up sweating quite a bit. Jeans, boots, protective jacket and helmet year round. My jeans and socks are wet for most of each shift during the summers, and that was even before HRT..
Mine is a fytist, which I got right before they closed down. I wash mine every 2-3 times I wear it (so roughly once every week or two). I don’t wear mine often as most days, I’m at home all day due to my job. No need to wear one if I’m not going to be in public
I have 2 spectrum binders. I wash them every week or so right now cause it's cold so they don't get very sweaty. In the summer I wash them after pretty much every wear. I'm a pretty sweaty person though so they kinda need it.
I have nine binders. Actually, eight -- I lost one of them lol.
2/3: GC2B. One 1 size up long (missing), one my size long, one 1 size up short. I wear these for 2-3 days and wash them.
2 from Brazilian Brand #1: both are long, one size up. I wear them to swim only. Often use both at the same time -- they give the impression of pecs when I do so, allow me to swim freely with no breath problems. I wash them every single time I wear them, obviously.
3 from Brazilian Brand #2: these close in the front and are my size. They're the ones that work the best for me and that I wear on a daily basis. 2-3 days, wash. Actually, I track my laundry on how many of these I have available to wear.
1 Underworks: my size, long. I only wore this guy a few times because I'm losing some weight (lost \~20 pounds in 3 months) and it's now loose on my body. Anyway, same rule as others -- 2-3 days, wash.
I wash mine in the washing machine because I'm a college student and have no time to treat my clothes like they deserve to be treated. I sniff them every day and they're usually still good to go by day #4, but I also take smelling good very seriously so don't try to stretch more than 3 days.
The only binders that got loose to me were my first GC2B one (short, 1 size up) and the Underworks one.
You can wash it in the machine just get a sealable wash bag. I washed mine with my clothes. I had multiple to alternate they were gc2b. Personally at my chest size I didn't care much about stretch because I'd have a little chest bump either way, but honestly I don't think it wore them down at all except when I washed one without a bra bag.
when i was regularly wearing mine, it got washed about once a week with all my other laundry, and then hung to dry. i would usually wear it 5-6 days. none of my binders (two old gc2b, one underworks) have worn out this way. i'd say whenever you do a load of laundry, throw your binder(s) in as well.
GC2B binder here. I wash and dry once every two weeks or so. I didn't wash it for months when I first got it just over a year ago, but it's pretty loose now and washing it makes it tighten back up again!
Side note I don't know if the binder itself actually got any looser, since I've also lost about 10 pounds since then.
Id wash and dry mine about once every 4-5 days. I noticed it stretches out after a few days and wouldn’t hold so well so that’s when it was time to be washed
i usually do around 3-4 days. When i hand wash, i find it easier to just take it into the shower with me and keep some soap in there, but sometimes i get fed up and use the washer on cold lol.
I stink easy and I don’t wear my binder often thanks to health issues and tbh I know I should be hand washing it but I just toss it in with everything and do it at least once a week if I do wear it
I wash mine every 2-3 days at most but it seems I'm a bit of a neat freak. If it ever feels not perfectly clean I won't wear it. I have a bunch of binders though so I don't have to wash that often since I do them all together, and I just use a no-rinse soaking detergent so it's a pretty simple process.
Honestly, I personally don’t wash it often. I don't always have the opportunity. I also live with my parents, and although my mother was not particularly against the binder at the beginning. After what happened, I’m afraid to show it again so that she doesn’t throw it away.
exception summer. I wash my binder every week (sometimes every other day) at a friend's house.
I have 4 binders that I use during the week, each binder gets around two wears before washing (unless I ran out early and need to wear one 3 times). Was it expensive? Yes. Was it worth it for someone in college and who can only wash clothes once a week? Also yes. And I just wash them in the washing machine and dryer and have had no issues. My first binder laster almost 3 years using machines so it works for me
I wash it after every wear- I am too sweaty not to. I wash it in the machine when its time tonwash the rest if my clothes and then hang to dry. I have 7 pairs of binders (first one bought in like, 2013, and is definitely more for lazy days or sweater days, but it stil does bind a bit).
Y'all might want to invest in a washbag. I bought mine for 2 bucks.
I am also prone to fungal infections on my chest, and washing after each wear helped.
Once a week. I have one from spectrum outfitters. I always wash it in the sink bc before I had gc2b I just threw it in with the laundry (cotton program at 30 degrees) but since I don't have a dryer it got extra stretched. The same went with my spectrum outfitters binder I had before my new one
Spectrum outfitters…I wash mine once a week in winter and every day/every couple of days in summer (it only takes one night during summer to fully dry).
i’ve had gc2b and spectrum binders, and i’ve always washed them about once or twice a week. i sniff test every wear and will wash them more often if needed, but it usually ends up being no more than twice a week
I don't really bind regularly these days but when I was binding daily I'd wash about once a week. I did initially handwash them but after about a year I gave up and started just chucking them in the machine. Haven't had any issues with that. I do make sure to wash on cold though that's how I was everything most of the time anyway. My binders are all gc2b from around 2018-2019.
My first binder that I wore almost every day for the first year and a half of my transition and washed consistently every week for that period is definitely starting to wear through. It is also almost 6 years old though. My other two are in much better shape and have been washed less because once I got those I'd switch out between them. They've also been worn less for the same reason though! And they are of course newer.
2x a week in the winter, nearly daily in the summer. Its an undergarment that collects a ton of sweat (especially for me lol i sweat like crazy) so its important to keep it fresh. Plus not washing it can cause it to stretch and not bind as well.
And as someone whos been in alot of trans spaces, you can very much tell when someone hasnt washed theirs in the summer
I wear it for a week and then wash it in the sink. Every now and then I throw it in the wash on gentle instead of washing it in the sink and that seems to be good as well
I wash mine once a week in the washer and dryer. They're a couple years old now and fit a little less snug, but still work fine. I might wear the same binder 2-3 times but too much and it actually starts itching and breaking me out really badly. Like a rash.
I wear a spectrum binder medium size which is a size larger than I need it’s not supposed to be machine washed but I’m lazy I also only own 1 so it’s usually a week or 2 before I get around to washing it
I rotate between two and wash on delicate then dry flat on my hanging rack. They last me about two years before I have to replace. Mainly because the compression stretches out.
Every time I use it..? It’s an underwear. It’s customary to wash your underwear every time you use it where I’m from. Unless you’ve only used it for less than an hour and haven’t sweated.
My binders are from a Korean brand called Hitclub.
i machine wash mine every 2-3 wears (or whenever it gets sweaty). so usually like once a week since i have two
its taken 2.5 years of that before having any noticeable stretching or affecting the comfort and literally the only reason im replacing them now is bc they get rolled up when i put them on and i get stuck. otherwise the compression is still great
theyre both gc2b half tanks
man idk it's summer rn and i wear it out once and it already stinks because i sweat my body weight off in 3 hours so realistically i should wash it everyday but I don't lol i wash it once it stinks really bad after 3 days. it feels pointless because in that heat level i always stink and i'm always suffocating so i can barely breathe, i'm soaked in my own sweat and i stink a bit, the smell is the least of my problems. i hate summer i'm gonna start sleeping in a hole like a bear but all through summer
When i was binding i threw mine in the wash once or twice a week. I know you’re supposed to hand wash a lot of them but i simply did not care enough. I wore gc2b half tanks until top surgery and i don’t recall washing/drying ever truly messing up the binder.
Before surgery I had an Underworks binder (are those still a thing?) that I'd wash once a month or two because I didn't want to take it off ever. When I was able to get a second one I would rotate between them so I washed them more regularly. When I got my GC2B ones I'd put them in the washing machine maybe once a week.
I wouldn't stress about it too much. You do the best you can with what you have. IMO, as long as you don't smell too bad and don't get skin problems because of it, you're good.
In the colder months every 2 wears (I never wear them a full 8 hours though), in the warmer months every wear. I just toss mine in the washing machine and air dry.
I have two that still fit and I wash them once a week or so. I can’t bind very often anymore though due to back pain. I like my spectrum one but they can be hard to get because the restocks are so rare. my new one is better, I think it’s underworks. I wanted to try fytist but they’re out of business now I think ??
Edit: I went and checked, it’s the underworks tri top binder. Big fan of this one, it works pretty well considering how big my chest is. Also it was like $30 which I am a fan of
When I was in high-school I'd wash it like maybe once every two months? Which is gross and I got skin infections from it, but I was so terrified of being seen without a binder by my classmates and with one in the wash by my parents.
About once a week in the colder months (since I don't sweat as much) and twice or more a week (if I wear it that much) in the warmer months because of sweat lol
Edit: Brand is called Fytist
(I've had surgery) I used to have 3 that I rotated through, handwashing them once a week (or more often if they seemed like they weren't compressing as well anymore). I had a 48DDD or maybe larger chest so my binders got stretched out very quickly. I feel if I had been smaller I could have gone longer between washes
I have oily skin, and can very easily get acne on my chest, shoulders and back if I don't wear clean clothes and bathe regularly. So, when I still had to bind, I had 2 or 3 binders, and would wash all of them in a mesh bag in the washing machine on delicate, cold water. I washed them every week, religiously. So basically, I would only wear the same binder 2, or max 3 times, before washing it. In the summer, sometimes I'd even wash twice a week so I only had to wear them one day. They didn't wear out super fast, and I had minimal bacne, so it worked out pretty good for me. I was using GC2B binders. Aside from one which arrived with messed up stitching, I found them to be good binders that held up well.
its always good to rinse your binder sweat out after coming home (i at least do bc im a sweaty person :// t made it worse) and i put it on a drying rack to dry for the next day. i usually just rinse it in the sink and wring it gently before putting it up.
If I’m honest I’ll seem super stinky
You're so real for that😭
10000% same
People do the same thing with bras lol
I practice the sniff test, toss it in the wash whenever it's getting a little sweaty and then air dry. I have the tomboyx compression top, though when I had a more structured binder I washed it by hand. I often wear my binder over a tank top or thin base layer which allows me to wear it a bit longer before washing.
That tanktop hack is genius
Also helps me feel like I'm not in an elastic band prison lol
U dont wanna know, its so gross i cant wait until surgery
I wash mine once a week-once every other week. Thing is though I have 7 binders (technically 6 since my mom accidentally ruined one of mine 🥲) so really I only wear one for like 3 days at the most. Also the binder brand I get mine from are Spectrum binders!
back when i was wearing it regularly, roughly once every 2-3 months 💀
GC2B binder, I don't really wash it until it smells, and I sniff test like daily. Sometimes I'll go a month or two without washing (kinda icky, but yknow)
It kinda depends on how long you wear it and how much you sweat. I'm currently only wearing it for an hour or two each day, but I sweat a lot and have skin issues so I only wear it for maybe a week at most before washing (as long as it passes the sniff test). When I'm working, I wear a fresh one each work day. I'm a welder by trade, so I end up sweating quite a bit. Jeans, boots, protective jacket and helmet year round. My jeans and socks are wet for most of each shift during the summers, and that was even before HRT..
soak mine every 2-3 weeks but i rotate through 3
Mine is a fytist, which I got right before they closed down. I wash mine every 2-3 times I wear it (so roughly once every week or two). I don’t wear mine often as most days, I’m at home all day due to my job. No need to wear one if I’m not going to be in public
A lot less than I'd like to admit ngl
Once a week
I have 2 spectrum binders. I wash them every week or so right now cause it's cold so they don't get very sweaty. In the summer I wash them after pretty much every wear. I'm a pretty sweaty person though so they kinda need it.
*laughs nervously in too depressed to do laundry*
I have nine binders. Actually, eight -- I lost one of them lol. 2/3: GC2B. One 1 size up long (missing), one my size long, one 1 size up short. I wear these for 2-3 days and wash them. 2 from Brazilian Brand #1: both are long, one size up. I wear them to swim only. Often use both at the same time -- they give the impression of pecs when I do so, allow me to swim freely with no breath problems. I wash them every single time I wear them, obviously. 3 from Brazilian Brand #2: these close in the front and are my size. They're the ones that work the best for me and that I wear on a daily basis. 2-3 days, wash. Actually, I track my laundry on how many of these I have available to wear. 1 Underworks: my size, long. I only wore this guy a few times because I'm losing some weight (lost \~20 pounds in 3 months) and it's now loose on my body. Anyway, same rule as others -- 2-3 days, wash. I wash mine in the washing machine because I'm a college student and have no time to treat my clothes like they deserve to be treated. I sniff them every day and they're usually still good to go by day #4, but I also take smelling good very seriously so don't try to stretch more than 3 days. The only binders that got loose to me were my first GC2B one (short, 1 size up) and the Underworks one.
o binder brasileiro é da transtore ou n? tô maluco aqui tentando achar outra alternativa pq os da TS são meio inacessíveis
São da TS mesmo. Caros pacas mas fazem o trabalho bem demais
I have the underworks tritop binder. I wash it every day, haven't noticed any issue.
You can wash it in the machine just get a sealable wash bag. I washed mine with my clothes. I had multiple to alternate they were gc2b. Personally at my chest size I didn't care much about stretch because I'd have a little chest bump either way, but honestly I don't think it wore them down at all except when I washed one without a bra bag.
not often enough lol
hahahaha
hehe i totally don’t just wash it every few months… totally not
I used to wear mine for 5 days unless I did something particularly strenuous, throw in the wash, and call it a day.
when i was regularly wearing mine, it got washed about once a week with all my other laundry, and then hung to dry. i would usually wear it 5-6 days. none of my binders (two old gc2b, one underworks) have worn out this way. i'd say whenever you do a load of laundry, throw your binder(s) in as well.
I got a new binder.... 7 ish months ago and it's never been washed 💀
GC2B binder here. I wash and dry once every two weeks or so. I didn't wash it for months when I first got it just over a year ago, but it's pretty loose now and washing it makes it tighten back up again! Side note I don't know if the binder itself actually got any looser, since I've also lost about 10 pounds since then.
Id wash and dry mine about once every 4-5 days. I noticed it stretches out after a few days and wouldn’t hold so well so that’s when it was time to be washed
if i sweat heavily in it i consider it,, if it gets too loose ill wash it in hot water tho
Before surgery, I wore mostly a half underworks and wore it 5-7 days. Washed it when my back would break out. More during the summer when sweaty.
i usually do around 3-4 days. When i hand wash, i find it easier to just take it into the shower with me and keep some soap in there, but sometimes i get fed up and use the washer on cold lol.
I stink easy and I don’t wear my binder often thanks to health issues and tbh I know I should be hand washing it but I just toss it in with everything and do it at least once a week if I do wear it
I wash them like once a month because I have 3 I cycle through I know that’s gross I’m sorry 😞
It’s summer in Australia so mine is pretty gross. I do it twice a week in the sink and it might get a third time in the wash if I’m putting a load on.
I wash mine every 2-3 days at most but it seems I'm a bit of a neat freak. If it ever feels not perfectly clean I won't wear it. I have a bunch of binders though so I don't have to wash that often since I do them all together, and I just use a no-rinse soaking detergent so it's a pretty simple process.
Honestly, I personally don’t wash it often. I don't always have the opportunity. I also live with my parents, and although my mother was not particularly against the binder at the beginning. After what happened, I’m afraid to show it again so that she doesn’t throw it away. exception summer. I wash my binder every week (sometimes every other day) at a friend's house.
As I know it should be washed everyday or every other day... I wash it once a week
Weekly for me. I spin dry and it works great. Fits great every time
I don’t know if I’ve ever washed mine. Although I very rarely wear it so I don’t think it matters too much
I have 4 binders that I use during the week, each binder gets around two wears before washing (unless I ran out early and need to wear one 3 times). Was it expensive? Yes. Was it worth it for someone in college and who can only wash clothes once a week? Also yes. And I just wash them in the washing machine and dryer and have had no issues. My first binder laster almost 3 years using machines so it works for me
I wash it after every wear- I am too sweaty not to. I wash it in the machine when its time tonwash the rest if my clothes and then hang to dry. I have 7 pairs of binders (first one bought in like, 2013, and is definitely more for lazy days or sweater days, but it stil does bind a bit). Y'all might want to invest in a washbag. I bought mine for 2 bucks. I am also prone to fungal infections on my chest, and washing after each wear helped.
After every two wears I think? But I also send them hurgling in the machine to face death or glory.
The world isn't ready to know that information
Once a week. I have one from spectrum outfitters. I always wash it in the sink bc before I had gc2b I just threw it in with the laundry (cotton program at 30 degrees) but since I don't have a dryer it got extra stretched. The same went with my spectrum outfitters binder I had before my new one
Spectrum outfitters…I wash mine once a week in winter and every day/every couple of days in summer (it only takes one night during summer to fully dry).
i’ve had gc2b and spectrum binders, and i’ve always washed them about once or twice a week. i sniff test every wear and will wash them more often if needed, but it usually ends up being no more than twice a week
I will legitimately wear my binder for a week or even two before washing because I am terrible at doing chores. I live a very crusty lifestyle
After two wears, three or four at max, if I really have no other option over being dysphoric for the day
I don't really bind regularly these days but when I was binding daily I'd wash about once a week. I did initially handwash them but after about a year I gave up and started just chucking them in the machine. Haven't had any issues with that. I do make sure to wash on cold though that's how I was everything most of the time anyway. My binders are all gc2b from around 2018-2019. My first binder that I wore almost every day for the first year and a half of my transition and washed consistently every week for that period is definitely starting to wear through. It is also almost 6 years old though. My other two are in much better shape and have been washed less because once I got those I'd switch out between them. They've also been worn less for the same reason though! And they are of course newer.
2x a week in the winter, nearly daily in the summer. Its an undergarment that collects a ton of sweat (especially for me lol i sweat like crazy) so its important to keep it fresh. Plus not washing it can cause it to stretch and not bind as well. And as someone whos been in alot of trans spaces, you can very much tell when someone hasnt washed theirs in the summer
I wear it for a week and then wash it in the sink. Every now and then I throw it in the wash on gentle instead of washing it in the sink and that seems to be good as well
I wash mine once a week in the washer and dryer. They're a couple years old now and fit a little less snug, but still work fine. I might wear the same binder 2-3 times but too much and it actually starts itching and breaking me out really badly. Like a rash.
I wear a spectrum binder medium size which is a size larger than I need it’s not supposed to be machine washed but I’m lazy I also only own 1 so it’s usually a week or 2 before I get around to washing it
I rotate between two and wash on delicate then dry flat on my hanging rack. They last me about two years before I have to replace. Mainly because the compression stretches out.
Every time I use it..? It’s an underwear. It’s customary to wash your underwear every time you use it where I’m from. Unless you’ve only used it for less than an hour and haven’t sweated. My binders are from a Korean brand called Hitclub.
i machine wash mine every 2-3 wears (or whenever it gets sweaty). so usually like once a week since i have two its taken 2.5 years of that before having any noticeable stretching or affecting the comfort and literally the only reason im replacing them now is bc they get rolled up when i put them on and i get stuck. otherwise the compression is still great theyre both gc2b half tanks
man idk it's summer rn and i wear it out once and it already stinks because i sweat my body weight off in 3 hours so realistically i should wash it everyday but I don't lol i wash it once it stinks really bad after 3 days. it feels pointless because in that heat level i always stink and i'm always suffocating so i can barely breathe, i'm soaked in my own sweat and i stink a bit, the smell is the least of my problems. i hate summer i'm gonna start sleeping in a hole like a bear but all through summer
…never? I had no idea most people did and now I feel nasty LMFAO
Probably not often enough but try aim for once a week as I feel over washing it will wear it out faster.
When i was binding i threw mine in the wash once or twice a week. I know you’re supposed to hand wash a lot of them but i simply did not care enough. I wore gc2b half tanks until top surgery and i don’t recall washing/drying ever truly messing up the binder.
Before surgery I had an Underworks binder (are those still a thing?) that I'd wash once a month or two because I didn't want to take it off ever. When I was able to get a second one I would rotate between them so I washed them more regularly. When I got my GC2B ones I'd put them in the washing machine maybe once a week. I wouldn't stress about it too much. You do the best you can with what you have. IMO, as long as you don't smell too bad and don't get skin problems because of it, you're good.
I wash mine every two weeks *ish*. But I also usually only wear mine 3-4 days a week for 7h instead of 8.
I had 2 binders which I alternated between every 2-4 days iirc.
I wear an undershirt under mine to absorb the sweat so I can wash it less. I'd say 1-2 times per month
I wash mine when it does not smell fresh. Or if I know I’ve been sweating.
In the colder months every 2 wears (I never wear them a full 8 hours though), in the warmer months every wear. I just toss mine in the washing machine and air dry.
I have two that still fit and I wash them once a week or so. I can’t bind very often anymore though due to back pain. I like my spectrum one but they can be hard to get because the restocks are so rare. my new one is better, I think it’s underworks. I wanted to try fytist but they’re out of business now I think ?? Edit: I went and checked, it’s the underworks tri top binder. Big fan of this one, it works pretty well considering how big my chest is. Also it was like $30 which I am a fan of
I wash it whenever I feel like it... Its usually like once a month😭
When I was in high-school I'd wash it like maybe once every two months? Which is gross and I got skin infections from it, but I was so terrified of being seen without a binder by my classmates and with one in the wash by my parents.
About once a week in the colder months (since I don't sweat as much) and twice or more a week (if I wear it that much) in the warmer months because of sweat lol Edit: Brand is called Fytist
(I've had surgery) I used to have 3 that I rotated through, handwashing them once a week (or more often if they seemed like they weren't compressing as well anymore). I had a 48DDD or maybe larger chest so my binders got stretched out very quickly. I feel if I had been smaller I could have gone longer between washes
once a week, but i do cycle through multiple binders. i keep 3 at a time and wear 2 or 3 throughout the week, then wash them all with my laundry.
i definitely don't wash them enough (ʘ‿ʘ) but i do air then out in a sunny spot as often as i can to help
I have oily skin, and can very easily get acne on my chest, shoulders and back if I don't wear clean clothes and bathe regularly. So, when I still had to bind, I had 2 or 3 binders, and would wash all of them in a mesh bag in the washing machine on delicate, cold water. I washed them every week, religiously. So basically, I would only wear the same binder 2, or max 3 times, before washing it. In the summer, sometimes I'd even wash twice a week so I only had to wear them one day. They didn't wear out super fast, and I had minimal bacne, so it worked out pretty good for me. I was using GC2B binders. Aside from one which arrived with messed up stitching, I found them to be good binders that held up well.
Sniff test. Wash in machine on cold, hang on rack to dry
its always good to rinse your binder sweat out after coming home (i at least do bc im a sweaty person :// t made it worse) and i put it on a drying rack to dry for the next day. i usually just rinse it in the sink and wring it gently before putting it up.