As radio broadcasters, they are used to discussing issues that divide public opinion. But the BBC’s Fi Glover and Jane Garvey can’t have been prepared for the controversy sparked by their latest hot topic: The art of washing a bra.

The question of how, when — and if — to wash bras excited even university professors, who weighed in to the debate triggered when Glover joked on a podcast that she was washing her “upper support garments by hand” because co-host Garvey was “horrified” that she didn’t already. Garvey, 54, who presents Radio 4’s “Woman’s Hour” with Glover, said she was “delighted” — but their light-hearted banter soon sparked a flurry of responses from other women.

While many agreed that hand-washing is the only safe way to clean delicate bras, others insisted “life was too short” and a spin in the washing machine would do. Meanwhile some women confessed to having washed them in the shower, or not at all.

One in the machine-washing camp wrote on Twitter: “They go in the machine. But to be fair, they get really angry in there, and turn into Siamese Fighting Bras, and I have to untangle their claws and teeth when I take them out.”

Another told how she washed one in the machine only for a guest to later find it hidden inside a duvet cover. Responding to Glover, 49, on Twitter, Rebecca Watson, an early-modern historian, said, “Really? Life is too short for doing that. Surely one of the great successes of millennia of human progress is not to have to hand-wash our clothes? Sorry ladies but you both need to get out more!”

BBC colleague Samira Ahmed even joined in with a popular suggestion. “Hands-free handwashing: You’re supposed to do them up, put them in a pillow case and then put them in the washing machine,” she wrote.

Sarah Churchwell, a University of London professor, agreed. “I use a mesh laundry bag. Then line-dry. Makes life so much easier! Gentle cycle, do up clasps first. Then hang to dry. Voila.”

According to Good Housekeeping, hands-free washing is the best method. It advises filling a basin with enough warm water that a bra can be fully submerged, adding a teaspoon of detergent before swirling it around and letting it soak for 10 to 15 minutes.

Words to Learn 相关词汇

【玩笑】wánxiào banter good-humored, playful, or teasing conversation

【整理】zhěnglǐ untangle bring out of a tangled state

电台主持人惯于讨论引起公众意见分歧的话题。但BBC的菲•格洛弗和简•加维可能没想到她们最近讨论的话题会引发如此广泛的争议，她们的话题是：胸罩洗涤方法。

格洛弗女士在一期播客中开玩笑说，自己“手洗胸罩”，因为搭档主持加维女士对她之前并不这样做表示“惊骇”。随后，关于如何洗、何时洗以及是否洗胸罩的问题就引发了人们的热议，连一些大学教授也参与进来。

54岁的加维女士主持英国广播公司4台这档《与格洛弗在一起的女性时间》节目，表示自己的建议被接受“很开心”，但两人轻松愉快的玩笑很快就引发了其他女性的热议。

尽管很多人认为，手洗是清洗脆弱的胸罩的唯一安全方式，但也有一些人坚持认为，“人生苦短”，这活儿洗衣机就能代劳。还有些女性坦白说，她们在淋浴时洗胸罩，或者根本不洗。

支持机洗的一名女性在推特上说：“我的胸罩是洗衣机洗的。但说句公道话，它们在里面非常愤怒，变身为连体战斗款胸罩。每次我把它们从洗衣机里取出时，它们都缠成一坨，我要解半天。”

还有一名女性说，有次她为一位客人在洗衣机里洗了胸罩，洗完后发现胸罩绞进了被套里。

早期现代史历史学家丽贝卡•沃森博士在推特上回应49岁的格洛弗时说：“真的吗？生命短暂，不值得浪费在洗胸罩上。人类在一千年中取得的一个最伟大的进步难道不就是不用再手洗衣服吗？对不起女士们，你们俩真需要开拓一下视野！”

英国广播公司的同事萨米拉•艾哈迈德也加入了争论，她提出了一个很受欢迎的建议：“免手动手洗：你只需把胸罩整理好，放进开口式枕套中，然后扔进洗衣机。”

伦敦大学教授萨拉•丘吉维尔也表示同意：“我用的是网眼洗衣袋，之后挂在晾衣绳上晾干。这让生活如此简单！选择温和洗涤模式，先扣好胸罩的挂扣。洗好后晾干。就是这样。”

据《好管家》杂志介绍，不用手搓洗是最佳方式。该杂志建议说，在水池中注满足够多温水把胸罩完全浸泡进去，加入一勺洗衣液，之后搅动，浸泡10到15分钟。 (Chinadaily.com.cn)