# Do You Wash New Clothes Before You Wear them? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 10, 2021, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-wash-new-clothes-before-you-wear-them/946157 "2021-07-10T14:47:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2021, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-wash-new-clothes-before-you-wear-them/946157/41 "2021-07-10T21:36:22Z")
> [@Didi44](#): > > If your towels aren’t absorbent, wash them without softener (it may take a few washings) and the absorbency will return. Yeah, we never use softener on towels. I don’t 100% wash everything I buy, but some things really do give off an obnoxious chemical odor. Since odors can be a migraine trigger for me, I will always wash clothing that has a noticeable odor. Panties? Always. ---
**Author:** ![california\_jobcase](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@california\_jobcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/california_jobcase)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2021, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-wash-new-clothes-before-you-wear-them/946157/42 "2021-07-10T21:46:47Z")
I remember one time I wore a new pair of Levi’s to a church group thing. We had a water fight, the jeans got wet. My skin and underwear got blue. Mom got mad. That’s why you should wash new jeans before you wear them, kiddies! ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2021, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-wash-new-clothes-before-you-wear-them/946157/43 "2021-07-10T21:47:57Z")
> [@california\_jobcase](#): > > I remember one time I wore a new pair of Levi’s to a church group thing. We had a water fight, the jeans got wet. My skin and underwear got blue. Mom got mad. Proof you are a true Blue Blood? 🤪 ---
**Author:** ![carnut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnut/32/3531_2.png) [@carnut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnut)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2021, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-wash-new-clothes-before-you-wear-them/946157/44 "2021-07-10T22:58:12Z")
I have sensitive skin, which is only part of the reason I wash most things before wearing. But washing can have drawbacks for me, too. I stayed at a friend’s home and discovered very quickly that they had changed detergents since I had been there last and were now using Tide that had the softener in with the soap. I was covered in a prickly rash for the duration of my visit and a couple of days afterwards. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2021, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-wash-new-clothes-before-you-wear-them/946157/45 "2021-07-11T04:11:07Z")
No. And since my post must be at least five characters, I’m saying no again. ---
**Author:** ![snfaulkner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snfaulkner/32/433_2.png) [@snfaulkner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snfaulkner)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2021, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-wash-new-clothes-before-you-wear-them/946157/46 "2021-07-11T04:15:39Z")
Fuck no. Too lazy and apathetic. ---
**Author:** ![Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/face_intentionally_left_blank/32/288_2.png) [@Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Face_Intentionally_Left_Blank)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2021, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-wash-new-clothes-before-you-wear-them/946157/47 "2021-07-11T04:25:44Z")
Yes, always, except for things like heavy coats. I do it to rinse out the excess dye so it doesn’t stain my skin, and to wash out whatever chemicals may be used in the textile industry. Like others, I have sensitive skin. I use hypoallergenic detergent and NO softeners. For awhile, when I was ill and my sister did my laundry at her house, it was a problem because even if she didn’t use a softener sheet in the dryer, there was enough of that crap built up inside that I still got a good dose. ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2021, 6:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-wash-new-clothes-before-you-wear-them/946157/48 "2021-07-11T06:10:18Z")
Almost all the time. I remember being in Europe and having to buy new t shirts because it was so hot and I ran out out. I only had 3 days left so didn’t want to send my dirty clothes out to be washed and risk not getting them back. ---
**Author:** ![velomont](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/8491ac/32.png) [@velomont](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/velomont)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2021, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-wash-new-clothes-before-you-wear-them/946157/49 "2021-07-12T01:31:36Z")
> [@erysichthon](#): > > Also, clothes that have been previously tried on by other people are probably dirtier than they look Though I know not how dirty they are one never knows. I also knew someone who used to work in the clothing section at a department store, and what she told me was rather unsettling. So yes, I wash everything before wearing. ---
**Author:** ![snfaulkner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snfaulkner/32/433_2.png) [@snfaulkner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snfaulkner)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2021, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-wash-new-clothes-before-you-wear-them/946157/50 "2021-07-12T01:57:07Z")
Oooo, I wanna be unsettled! What did she tell you? ---
**Author:** ![velomont](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/8491ac/32.png) [@velomont](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/velomont)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2021, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-wash-new-clothes-before-you-wear-them/946157/51 "2021-07-12T02:17:15Z")
Somehow…underwear…stained…repacked…sold😱 ---
**Author:** ![snfaulkner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snfaulkner/32/433_2.png) [@snfaulkner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snfaulkner)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2021, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-wash-new-clothes-before-you-wear-them/946157/52 "2021-07-12T02:23:56Z")
Delightful. ---
**Author:** ![JaneDoe42](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/janedoe42/32/14104_2.png) [@JaneDoe42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JaneDoe42)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2021, 5:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-wash-new-clothes-before-you-wear-them/946157/53 "2021-07-12T05:05:23Z")
My mentioning children’s noses being wiped with clothing on racks was not hyperbole. I witnessed several children using hanging sleeves for nose wipes and the worse was when I watched a woman put a top in her cart, then pull it out to wipe her kids snotty nose, drop it on the floor and put a different one in her cart. (I picked up the shirt and tried to snitch the bitch out to a bored K-Mart clerk, but I seriously doubt anything happened except the shirt got trashed.) ---
**Author:** ![Brayne\_Ded](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Brayne\_Ded](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brayne_Ded)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2021, 8:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-wash-new-clothes-before-you-wear-them/946157/54 "2021-07-12T08:02:18Z")
I gave up using fabric softener after reading about the hormonal action. Do you use one of the sensitive detergents? Maybe you need to rinse the clothes more thoroughly than normal (easy with a twin tub, less so with a front loader)? Maybe do an occasional wash (after a normal wash) to remove the detergent? I don’t wash new clothes and have never had any allergy problems, but I can see how it could happen. Especially with cotton clothing, as the dye is not 100% fast. ---
**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2021, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-wash-new-clothes-before-you-wear-them/946157/55 "2021-07-12T13:09:36Z")
Reading about the strong smell of newly delivered clothing reminds me of a job I had in my youth. It was with a cloth wholesaler in Central London. I was taken on as a van driver/warehouseman and found that each day was split between the two jobs. This was partly because the smell in the cellar warehouse was so overpowering that a whole day in there would have been unbearable. The boss was sympathetic and allowed plenty of tea breaks as well. As an aside, I learned how steaming can get wrinkles out of material. I had to collect a load of evening dresses from a manufacturer which had been made for a well-known store but rejected because they were impossible to iron. We hung them on rails in a small room and left a bucket of boiling water on a low gas in there all day. He sold those dresses for a good profit once all the wrinkles were gone. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2021, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-wash-new-clothes-before-you-wear-them/946157/56 "2021-07-12T13:27:49Z")
To my memory and knowledge, I have never purposely done so. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2021, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-wash-new-clothes-before-you-wear-them/946157/57 "2021-07-12T13:41:09Z")
Yes. From the factory to my house, the clothes have been touched by many people any many things. I’ll wash 'em before they touch my butt. ---
**Author:** ![Didi44](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e47c2d/32.png) [@Didi44](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Didi44)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2021, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-wash-new-clothes-before-you-wear-them/946157/58 "2021-07-12T16:31:45Z")
I have to use scent free detergents and have to switch brands every so often since I get a rash if I use one too long. In addition to washing without detergent every so often, I sometimes chose an extra rinse. Doing a second wash after the first isn’t an option since I use the shared apartment washers. Fortunately, the rash usually comes on mildly at first, so I rewash the load without detergent or switch to another brand and rewash. ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2021, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-wash-new-clothes-before-you-wear-them/946157/59 "2021-07-13T00:34:15Z")
Generally no, not that I can remember. Clothes tend to feel and look the best brand new. ---
**Author:** ![Ulfreida](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ulfreida/32/8014_2.png) [@Ulfreida](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulfreida)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2021, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-wash-new-clothes-before-you-wear-them/946157/60 "2021-07-13T00:49:12Z")
> [@dalej42](#): > > Almost all the time. I remember being in Europe and having to buy new t shirts because it was so hot and I ran out out. I only had 3 days left so didn’t want to send my dirty clothes out to be washed and risk not getting them back. You don’t wash your clothes in the sink while traveling? Weird. I always do. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-wash-new-clothes-before-you-wear-them/946157.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-wash-new-clothes-before-you-wear-them/946157.md?page=4)