Bras can be essential for us ladies, but they aren’t as straightforward as they seem. There’s straps, hooks, cup sizes and all the types to choose from. When it comes down to it though, we all just want bras that fit and feel good.

So how can you make it easy to wear your bra comfortably? Here’s some of the most clever bra hacks we found, and we think you’ll love them.

Common bra complaints and how to solve them

Too much uplift or ‘four boobs’: This means the cups and back are too small. Increase your cup and band size.

Drooping breasts: This means the back of the bra is too loose and so are the straps. Try adjusting your straps, otherwise pick out a bra with a smaller back size.

Bra stands out and off breasts: If the front of your bra doesn’t sit flat on your sternum, the back is too big. You may need to go down a size.

Saggy cups: If the cups are wrinkling, this means the cups are too big. Instead, try a smaller cup size.

High riding back: If the back of the bra is riding up, it is too big. Again, you need a smaller back size.

Side boob: If the wires of your cup are digging into the breast, your cup size is too small. So you can try a bigger cup size instead.

Too tight/Too loose: If you can’t fit two fingers under the back strap, it’s too tight. If you can fit your whole fist, it’s too loose.

Equivalent sizes

Have you ever wanted the same size cup, but just slightly smaller band size? This chart from Target can help.

Basically, if you are a 12B, you can try the same cup in the 14A or 10C, but it will change the length of the band. This is also handy information when your normal bra size isn’t available.

Proper storage

Do you just put your bras in the drawer without thinking? This can make undergarments lose their shape. Instead, stack your bras instead of folding, as pictured above!

Hand wash bras

Did you know that hand-washing bras is much better than throwing them into a machine? Here’s a quick and handy guide on proper hand-washing:

1. Fill a sink with warm water, and a small amount of washing detergent.
2. Soak bras completely for a few minutes.
3. Work suds into bras.
4. Drain water and rinse.
5. Pop bras into salad spinner (yes really!) and spin dry.
6. Hang up to dry!

Fix your underwire in 10 seconds

Has your underwire come out of your favourite bra? This is quite common, however it doesn’t have to mean the end is night. To fix it, all you need is a pair of scissors, Dr. Scholl’s Moleskin Plus padding and your soon-to-be-mended bra:

1. Work the wire back in to the casing with your fingers.
2. Some holes are so big that you need to apply super glue. Let it dry first if you do.
3. Now that you’ve expertly wrangled the wires back in the casing, cut a small strip of moleskin, about 2cm long.
4. Smooth the moleskin over the wire’s exit point a few times to make the adhesive glue adhere to the fabric.

Get a bra extender

If you’ve gain weight or your old bra simply doesn’t fit anymore, then a bra extender could be what you need. You can either make these out of an old bra, by cutting off the square hook side of the back, or by purchasing one for a few dollars.