Why Some Bras Squeak

Some women will be only too aware of the frustration of a squeaky bra and lots of you will never have encountered one. For those of you who are plagued by the squeaky bra I'm going to explain why it happens and what you can do to stop the squeak.

The squeaking is caused by the underwire rubbing against the the tube of material it is sewn inside when you move around. The material tube has been pulled too tightly and has come into contact with the wire which causes friction and squeaks.

In a perfectly fitting bra the wire and it's material tube housing don't come into close contact, or at least not under a lot of tension. The reason the material tube is pulled tightly against the wire is to do with the shape of your torso and the shape of the bra wires.

Rounded Torso
If you have a round torso then you need a bra with wires that can wrap around the shape of your body. Most bra wires are pretty flat but flexible enough to accommodate the curve of an average torso. If your torso is more curved than your wires can accommodate then the material around the wires gets pulled extra tight as the wires are under more pressure to curve further than they're designed for.

Narrow Torso
If you try on a bra that is expecting to lie relatively flat against about 14 inches of torso but you have a narrow torso (again, most likely you have a round torso) then the wire are having to wrap around your body sooner and more dramatically than they were expecting. This causes the material tube to get over stretched, come into contact with the wires and squeak.

This is why some women regularly find their bras squeak and some women never experience it. Don't despair though ladies there is lots you can learn about the squeak so you can banish it from your life. Here are my top tips for getting rid of the squeak:

1) Look for styles with narrower wires (and/or more flexible wires) - the less wire that has to bend around your torso the less likely you are to hear the squeak.

2) If you love a bra but find it squeaks then you can try one band size up and one cup size down (assuming the cup volume was right for you on the squeaky bra). If this compromises your lift or band support too much then it's not a viable solution but sometimes this will alleviate the squeaky problem.

3) Spend some time with your new squeaky bra to curve the wires so that they are shaped more like your torso. Bra wires are tough so you can get yourself a tennis ball and start to mold the wires to be more curved.

4) New bras are very rigid so you might find that after soaking it for 20 minutes and letting it air dry that the squeak is lessened. It's still going to take a few wears to mold the bra to your shape and the squeak will happen until the bra forms to your body more.

It's best if you can find bras that don't squeak to begin with (and this means finding brands and styles that suit your torso shape). However, if you fall in love with a squeaky bra then bending the wires, softening the material and breaking it in a little could be rewarded with months of squeak-free wearing. If you need help figuring out your size or shape then our free size consultations are a great place to start xx