Do you wash your new clothes before wearing?

[MichelleCarmen]

Date: 1/13/2010 1:12:07 PM
Author: Ara Ann
And with line drying jeans especially, I have to plan in advance so they have time to dry! I usually wash them in the afternoon and let them dry overnight, for the next day.

Ara Ann - you and I should set up a magazine article with all this info.

 

[Ara Ann]

Date: 1/13/2010 1:13:21 PM
Author: MC

Date: 1/13/2010 1:12:07 PM

Author: Ara Ann

And with line drying jeans especially, I have to plan in advance so they have time to dry! I usually wash them in the afternoon and let them dry overnight, for the next day.

Ara Ann - you and I should set up a magazine article with all this info.

One time, our dryer died (of course there was a clean load of bath towels washed and wet!) ... it was going to take a few days before we could get a new dryer delivered, so I hung the bath towels from our stairway banisters to dry, LOL! It wasn''t pretty, but it worked!

Thankfully we have a big banister!

 

[fleur-de-lis]

I wish more people washed their hands after using the restroom. Nearly everything tests positive because of this. New clothes, shopping carts, money, door handles, et cetera.

I bet men's clothing tests higher than women's clothing with the bacteria issue, though. Ever noticed that nearly all women's clothing is available on racks, but the powers-that-be have decided that men's underwear and button-down shirts have to be sealed in plastic???

 

[MichelleCarmen]

Date: 1/13/2010 1:31:56 PM
Author: fleur-de-lis
I wish more people washed their hands after using the restroom. Nearly everything tests positive because of this. New clothes, shopping carts, money, door handles, et cetera.

Food too. My MIL told me that most boxes of cereal and all that other stuff shoppers pick up to read the ingredients and then sticking back on the shelf is covered in bacteria. If one were to become very paranoid, they could wipe down *everything* with lysal wipes. lol

 

[MichelleCarmen]

Date: 1/13/2010 1:30:44 PM
Author: Ara Ann

Date: 1/13/2010 1:13:21 PM
Author: MC

Date: 1/13/2010 1:12:07 PM

Author: Ara Ann

And with line drying jeans especially, I have to plan in advance so they have time to dry! I usually wash them in the afternoon and let them dry overnight, for the next day.

Ara Ann - you and I should set up a magazine article with all this info.

One time, our dryer died (of course there was a clean load of bath towels washed and wet!) ... it was going to take a few days before we could get a new dryer delivered, so I hung the bath towels from our stairway banisters to dry, LOL! It wasn''t pretty, but it worked!

Thankfully we have a big banister!

hahaha I tried line drying a few towels once and they turned hard and crunchy like large potoato chips. I thought they were going to crack! lol They didn''t even soften up after putting in the dryer so they had to be rewashed.

 

[parrot tulips]

Yep, I wash everything before wearing. Lingerie, swimwear, bedding, towels, and pants were always a given for me (need to wash pants before taking them to the tailor to be hemmed - I''m a shortie). I never thought much of washing tops until I tried one on in a fitting room that smelled just horrid, so I began washing those too, bad odor or not (figured anyone else could be just as dirty, with or without the smell).

 

[MissMina]

Yes I always have.
Following Mom''s golden rule
"You don''t know where it''s been"
And she was just talking about the manufacturing process.

 

[soocool]

Date: 1/13/2010 11:29:29 AM
Author: Hudson_Hawk
I wash towels and bedding so it''s soft and/or absorbent the first time I use it, and I wash undies and bathing suits before I wear them. Other stuff I''m not so paranoid about.

I''m with HH on this. Towels, bedding, undies...oh and to add DH''s dress shirts (he doesn''t like them too stiff!)

 

[Tuckins1]

Oh my, I don''t usually (unless it''s intimate apparel)... I am afraid to read the article!

DH always does, no matter what it is.

 

[yssie]

Most definitely, people can be so gross sometimes and who knows who''s touched what

and I''ve converted FI, too.
My mum got me into wearing stockings and a tight shirt if I knew I was going to be trying clothes on at the mall for just this reason.

 

[HollyS]

I almost always do wash new clothes. Depends upon their fabric, and the intensity of the dye.

And here''s a great illustration: Lady client, at my workplace, stands around on the parking lot on a hot summer day, getting a bit moist, clad in her brand-spankin'' new denim capris. Goes to our bathroom, sits, and leaves a dark blue stain that defies removal from our commode!! It''s still there, albeit slightly less noticable!

Thank goodness she was an African-American lady, ''cause she must have been smurf blue from her waist to her calves.

 

[kittybean]

I usually just wash intimate apparel. I don''t mind a few germs here and there--they really are everywhere. I was watching Mythbusters the other day, and they did an experiment in which they found that bacteria found in fecal matter is on pretty much every surface in the bathroom (regardless of how clean it is), and it makes its way to stuff in the kitchen, too. They didn''t test stuff in other rooms, but I''m willing to bet that it''s all over even the cleanest of houses. It''s gross, but I try not to get too concerned about that kind of stuff.

 

[rierie26]

Yup. I''m kinda paranoid about who''s tried it on, what chemicals they used to finish it or whatever. Those thoughts make me toss the new clothes right into the laundry.

 

[JSM]

One of my favorite lines from my old microbiology professor:

we have 10^13 cells in our body... but 10^14 microorganisms living in or on us at ALL times. That is a very significant zero! I am not really concerned with a bit of bacteria here and there.

That said, I always wash clothes after I buy them (must be something I picked up from my mom!

)

 

[movie zombie]

yes. always have, always will. towels and sheets, too.

mz

 

[marcy]

Yes.

 

[curlygirl]

I haven't read the article but will admit that I do not wash clothes after I buy them. I do wash new sheets and towels and I wash all my kids' new clothes but not my own! DH washes everything first and I always made fun of him but I guess there is good reason to do so.

And I agree with line drying--especially jeans.

 

[snlee]

Yes, I always wash before wearing.

 

[vc10um]

Date: 1/13/2010 11:31:40 AM
Author: Bia

Date: 1/13/2010 11:29:29 AM
Author: Hudson_Hawk
I wash towels and bedding so it''s soft and/or absorbent the first time I use it, and I wash undies and bathing suits before I wear them. Other stuff I''m not so paranoid about.

same

Same here. The exception being if the clothing came from a store that has lots of scents floating around and they''ve stuck (like places where people can sniff test 15 different perfumes and colognes, and they''ve ALL ENDED UP ON THE GARMENT...). Those I wash before wearing because I prefer to not be smelly like that, for fear of suffocating myself or my officemate.

 

[Mara]

haha i am afraid to click on the link and read the article.

but i typically wash pants, underwear, bras before wearing...esp after hearing that a lot of people try stuff on in dressing rooms with no underwear on themselves?? i don't remember WHERE i heard that but it was so gross it stuck with me. so anything going near 'down there' gets washed.

for things like sweaters or a tshirt or tank or socks, i wouldn't wash before wearing probably. should i click the link? hahaa.

also i wonder on things like mail order aka from jcrew or banana, when they come 'sealed' in a plastic package. is it really SEALED and CLEAN or could it be a return and just 'sealed' in a new bag.

 

[partgypsy]

I didn''t read the article but yes I always wash new clothes before washing, just a cold rinse with detergent. It feel strange to wear clothes without washing all the sizing, etc out of them.

 

[perry]

As a general rule I wash them. Not specifically concerned about germs or chemicals (although in some cases I am).

Dress suits and jackets are one exception.

There have been a few cases where I literally went to a store and bought all new cloths (undies, socks, pants, shirt) and immediately wore them. That tends to be when I''ve really been working extreme hours and don''t have clean cloths - or when I''ve been on the road much longer than anticipated and I just did an unexpected "dirty" job. Sometimes if you want to be presentable - you just do what you have to do...

Perry