How Do You Wash Period Underwear? Here’s What the Women Behind Period Care Brands Recommend

There’s nothing like putting on a fresh pair of period underwear—not only does it make your cycle feel a little more manageable, but knowing you have a clean pair ready to go gives you one less thing to think about when the time comes. Once laundry day rolls around, though, you might start wondering whether you’re supposed to rinse them first, throw them straight in the wash, or treat them differently from your regular underwear.

According to care instructions from period-underwear brands, most recommendations boil down to a handful of basics: wash them in cold water, use a gentle detergent, and skip fabric softener, which can reduce absorbency over time. Some companies also recommend rinsing the underwear before washing, while others say it isn’t necessary.

And if your period underwear seems to be losing absorbency or holding onto odors, it might be how you’re washing and drying it. So here, we’re breaking down the laundry habits that can help keep your period underwear clean and working the way it should.

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Meet the Experts

Nina Smith is the founder of Fri Period, a period underwear brand she launched in 2023 after wanting better options for managing periods. She helped develop the brand around period underwear that is made free from PFAS, designed for leak protection, and produced through a transparent supply chain.

Arielle Loupos is the founder of Flower Girl, a Los Angeles-based period underwear brand. She spent two years researching materials, testing fabrics, and working with local manufacturers before launching the company.

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Rinsing Period Underwear Before Washing

If rinsing period underwear sounds like one more chore to add to laundry day, we have good news: Loupos suggests bringing them into the shower with you. Let cool water run through the gusset until it runs clear, then it can go into the laundry with everything else. “It’s really not that scary. It’s not that hard,” she adds.

Smith is on the same page about giving period underwear a cold rinse first, mostly to flush out excess flow before washing. Once that’s done, you can move right along to the machine (no separate load required).

Washing Period Underwear

From there, you can wash period underwear much like the rest of your intimates. “A cold rinse followed by a regular machine wash cycle is all it needs,” Smith explains. Loupos prefers using the delicate cycle for the best long-term care, so if your machine has one, that’s a good place to start.

You can also wash period underwear with your other clothes. Just don’t pack your washing machine to the brim. Everything needs enough room to move around and get washed properly, and if your care label says otherwise, follow that instead.

Drying Period Underwear

When it comes to drying, both experts prefer air drying. Loupos recommends hanging period underwear to dry “for optimal care,” while Smith notes that skipping the dryer can help protect the absorbent layers over time.

That doesn’t mean one trip through the dryer automatically means they’re done for. Loupos has put period underwear through regular washes and tumble drying herself and found that “it also holds up just fine.” That said, if we’re talking about the gentlest option for regular care, air drying wins (and requires basically no extra work).

What to Avoid When Washing Period Underwear

Bleach, fabric softener, and high heat are the three things we’d keep away from period underwear. Smith warns that they can “break down the absorbent layers over time and shorten the life of the underwear,” which is not ideal when absorbency is kind of the entire point.

Fabric softener can also leave residue behind on the fabric, which may interfere with how well it absorbs liquid. So, if you normally add it out of habit, skip it when period underwear is in the wash. Smith also likes to give her own period underwear “a brief soak in water with a splash of vinegar” once per cycle, though that’s something she does personally and not a requirement for every wash.