Elastic that has gone

Short answer: A broken elastic in a waistband can be replaced, but on underwear it is rarely worth the effort, because the elastic is usually sewn into the fabric. On trousers and sweatpants with a wide waistband, it can be well worth doing.

How to tell the elastic has gone

You can usually feel it before you see it. The waistband feels slack, it wrinkles when you pull it, and sometimes you hear a faint crackle as the fine threads in the elastic have snapped. The garment sits looser than before and slips down during the day. The problem is not the fabric but the elastic inside.

Underwear with broken elastic gets replaced

Once the elastic in underwear has gone, the garment will not hold its shape again. The elastic is usually sewn straight into the fabric all the way round, so replacing it means unpicking and resewing the whole waistband. It takes a long time and rarely looks neat, so retiring it makes more sense, see bamboo underwear for women.

Sweatpants can be saved

In a wide waistband, the elastic often sits loose inside a fabric channel. The old elastic can then be pulled out and replaced with a new one. It is one of the few repairs where a garment can be almost as good as new with very little work. Check first that the elastic sits loose, see bamboo sweatpants for women.

How to replace the elastic

Find or make a small opening in the channel on the inside of the waistband. Cut the old elastic and pull it out. Fix a safety pin to the end of the new elastic and thread it all the way round the channel. Hold the other end so it does not disappear inside. Sew the ends together firmly and close the opening.

Measure the elastic properly

The new elastic should be slightly shorter than the waistband, so it holds without pinching. The easiest guide is the old one, but remember it has stretched and is therefore too long. Try the trousers on before sewing the ends together, and adjust until they sit comfortably around the waist all day.

How to prevent it

Heat wears elastic more than anything else. Wash at forty degrees and avoid the tumble dryer, which is hardest on elastic. Hang the garment to dry or lay it flat instead. It takes a little longer, but the waistband keeps its grip much longer, especially on the pieces you wash most often, see bamboo panties.

Do not overstretch the waistband

Elastic also wears when it is stretched more than it needs to be. Do not pull the waistband wide when taking the garment off, and do not hang wet laundry by the waistband, where the weight of the water drags it down. These sound like small things, but it is the small daily strains that finally wear the elastic out.

When it is time for new ones

When the elastic goes in several pieces at once, it is often a sign that they have been washed hot or tumble dried for a long time. Replacing them is then a good moment to change your washing routine. New pieces last longer if they get forty degrees and a drying rack from the very start.

Frequently asked questions

Can you replace broken elastic

In wide waistbands, yes, by pulling out the old one and threading a new one through with a safety pin. It only takes a little patience and a steady hand.

Can you save underwear with broken elastic

Rarely. The elastic is usually sewn into the fabric itself, and then the garment will not hold its shape again, even if you try to take it in.

What wears elastic the most

Heat. A tumble dryer and washing above forty degrees noticeably shorten the life of the elastic, because the heat makes its threads lose their tension.