# Help settle a family dispute regarding laundry **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 18, 2008, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-settle-a-family-dispute-regarding-laundry/438091 "2008-02-18T12:44:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Eleanor\_of\_Aquitaine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a88e4f/32.png) [@Eleanor\_of\_Aquitaine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eleanor_of_Aquitaine)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2008, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-settle-a-family-dispute-regarding-laundry/438091/41 "2008-02-19T19:20:08Z")
After washing an enormous pile of little boy laundry over the weekend I realized that I must renew my campaign to convince my sons that a) jeans and pajama pants can be worn multiple times before washing but b) underwear must be changed _every day_. ---
**Author:** ![Skara\_Brae](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f0a364/32.png) [@Skara\_Brae](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skara_Brae)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2008, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-settle-a-family-dispute-regarding-laundry/438091/42 "2008-02-19T19:28:38Z")
[QUOTE=IntelSoldier] That’s funny. I thought she said “two years”. [/QUOTE] Me too! Glad I was not the only one… ---
**Author:** ![Santo\_Rugger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e95f7d/32.png) [@Santo\_Rugger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Santo_Rugger)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2008, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-settle-a-family-dispute-regarding-laundry/438091/43 "2008-02-19T20:02:55Z")
[QUOTE=Eleanor of Aquitaine] After washing an enormous pile of little boy laundry over the weekend I realized that I must renew my campaign to convince my sons that a) jeans and pajama pants can be worn multiple times before washing but b) underwear must be changed _every day_. [/QUOTE] So they wear their undies multiple times, but their jeans only once? :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Eleanor\_of\_Aquitaine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a88e4f/32.png) [@Eleanor\_of\_Aquitaine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eleanor_of_Aquitaine)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2008, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-settle-a-family-dispute-regarding-laundry/438091/44 "2008-02-19T21:03:36Z")
[QUOTE=Santo Rugger] So they wear their undies multiple times, but their jeans only once? :eek: [/QUOTE] They don’t always take a bath every night during the winter, so that’s mostly where the multiple wearings come from. But if they wear a pair of jeans for ten minutes, then into the hamper they go. ---
**Author:** ![Mame](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/858c86/32.png) [@Mame](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mame)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2008, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-settle-a-family-dispute-regarding-laundry/438091/45 "2008-02-19T23:11:53Z")
**Dung Beetle** , may I suggest a reply to your daughter along the lines of: “Well, **YoungBeetle** , I have learned something from this” “What?” “I never knew **GrandBeetle** didn’t wear knickers.” “What the heck?” “Well, only the layer of clothes next to the skin needs to be washed daily. So if she needs to wash jeans daily…” FWIW, I am in the wash after one wear camp. 2 wears if the first wasn’t a full or sweaty day. But I like the feel of newly washed clothes on my skin and I have a very acute sense of smell. And it is summer here - the answer may be different in winter 🙂 But this topic pushes one of my buttons. Yes, female vaginas produce moisture. THAT IS WHAT KNICKERS ARE FOR. Not panty pads. Not feminine hygiene sprays. Not freshness liners. If you are a normal healthy woman there will be moisture and it will require a daily wash and knicker change. It is not abnormal, dirty or icky. Heck, if you can do so in comfort and discretion, go commanda. (The female of commando, ya know?\*). You do not need daily sprays, or in general, panty liners. Only the multinational manufacturers of products designed to make women feel icky about themselves need you to use these items. Sorry - hijack over. \*OK, it was a typo, but I liked it and left it! ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2008, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-settle-a-family-dispute-regarding-laundry/438091/46 "2008-02-19T23:57:48Z")
The pants get washed when they either look dirty or they smell. That can be anywhere from one wearing (to a smoky place) to weeks between washes. Same with shirts. I’m not like my husband, who sweats through multiple layers of shirts in winter in our cold house - he washes shirts after one wearing. Well, I wash them, since I do the laundry. You know what I mean. (I too kept seeing “years” instead of “wears.” ) ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2008, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-settle-a-family-dispute-regarding-laundry/438091/47 "2008-02-20T01:55:06Z")
[QUOTE=Dung Beetle] My mom told my teenage daughter that jeans need to be washed every time they’re worn, “especially girl’s jeans”. [/QUOTE] Maybe if she wears 'em ‘camel-toe’ tight, but other than that, gimme a break. (Speaking as a guy, vaginas certainly aren’t inherently icky. Quite the opposite. :p) With me, it varies. But (aside from work - yes, I wear jeans to an office job :)) if I haven’t been doing anything particularly grungy, then usually 2-3 days. During the week, the pair of jeans I wear in the evenings usually lasts me all week, but it’s only getting worn ~3hrs a night. ---
**Author:** ![BwanaBob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bwanabob/32/2985_2.png) [@BwanaBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BwanaBob)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2008, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-settle-a-family-dispute-regarding-laundry/438091/48 "2008-02-20T21:09:03Z")
You wear underwear once. Despite the best hygiene it will be crawling with E Coli by days end. I have to assume some of those little creeps make their through the weave to the pants. Nuff said. 1 wearing, then wash. ---
**Author:** ![Ghanima](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Ghanima](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ghanima)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2008, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-settle-a-family-dispute-regarding-laundry/438091/49 "2008-02-20T21:54:29Z")
One to four times, depending on your activities in them. Wear them to sit behind a desk? Four times is good. Wear them on an all-day hike? Wash 'em. ---
**Author:** ![AngelicGemma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/439d5e/32.png) [@AngelicGemma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AngelicGemma)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2008, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-settle-a-family-dispute-regarding-laundry/438091/50 "2008-02-20T22:02:27Z")
Two wears before a wash. Maybe 3 if it’s a weekend and I’m feeling lazy. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2008, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-settle-a-family-dispute-regarding-laundry/438091/51 "2008-02-20T22:18:56Z")
My jeans get two to three uses before being washed unless they get dirty. My wife seems to follow the same rule of thumb. My sons only get one use, but then he is a 7 year old boy and we can count on them being dirty. In fact the kids clothes only get one use. For myself, shirts are all one use, pants are all 2-3 uses, with docker type tending towards only two and jeans tending to 3. ---
**Author:** ![nashiitashii](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7c8e57/32.png) [@nashiitashii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nashiitashii)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2008, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-settle-a-family-dispute-regarding-laundry/438091/52 "2008-02-20T23:03:08Z")
[QUOTE=Mame] But this topic pushes one of my buttons. Yes, female vaginas produce moisture. THAT IS WHAT KNICKERS ARE FOR. Not panty pads. Not feminine hygiene sprays. Not freshness liners. If you are a normal healthy woman there will be moisture and it will require a daily wash and knicker change. It is not abnormal, dirty or icky. Heck, if you can do so in comfort and discretion, go commanda. (The female of commando, ya know?\*). You do not need daily sprays, or in general, panty liners. Only the multinational manufacturers of products designed to make women feel icky about themselves need you to use these items. Sorry - hijack over. [/QUOTE] I have to admit that I never understood the rules of commando that one of my female friends had in college. She’d go commando in pants but not in skirts, whereas if I were to go commando at all, it’d have to be in a skirt (mostly knee length or longer) because I’d stain my trousers if I didn’t wear panties with them. Either way, there’s no reason to be afraid of one’s own vaginal aromas unless they indicate that you need some medication down there. But yeah, my general rule of thumb (as I’d mentioned above) is that I can wear trousers (with panties) for as many times as needed until they’re stained, smell like vaginal secretions, or are too wrinkly to steam/febreeze the wrinkles out. ---
**Author:** ![Cardinal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cardinal/32/4000_2.png) [@Cardinal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cardinal)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2008, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-settle-a-family-dispute-regarding-laundry/438091/53 "2008-02-20T23:49:53Z")
[QUOTE=Sleeps With Butterflies] I’m a bit of a clean freak so I wash all clothes after one wearing. I think I’d crawl out of my skin if I waited 5 wearings to wash anything. [/QUOTE] I’ve worn the same pair of pants for three weeks straight. I didn’t drip anything on them, so they weren’t “dirty”. ---
**Author:** ![Southern\_Yankee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/southern_yankee/32/2800_2.png) [@Southern\_Yankee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Southern_Yankee)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2008, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-settle-a-family-dispute-regarding-laundry/438091/54 "2008-02-20T23:52:25Z")
Every time. But I go commando. :o ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2008, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-settle-a-family-dispute-regarding-laundry/438091/55 "2008-02-20T23:54:47Z")
[QUOTE=BwanaBob] You wear underwear once. Despite the best hygiene it will be crawling with E Coli by days end. I have to assume some of those little creeps make their through the weave to the pants. Nuff said. 1 wearing, then wash. [/QUOTE] Yeah, but I don’t eat off of the seat of my pants. Or the seat of my chairs. ---
**Author:** ![jackdavinci](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackdavinci/32/3259_2.png) [@jackdavinci](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jackdavinci)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2008, 8:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-settle-a-family-dispute-regarding-laundry/438091/56 "2008-02-22T08:51:42Z")
This is a very private and personal matter, that is every woman’s God given right to decide for herself. ---
**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:** [February 22, 2008, 9:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-settle-a-family-dispute-regarding-laundry/438091/57 "2008-02-22T09:05:02Z")
I wash mine after three wearings. Occasionally four. ---
**Author:** ![Cazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cazzle/32/75_2.png) [@Cazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cazzle)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2008, 10:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-settle-a-family-dispute-regarding-laundry/438091/58 "2008-02-22T10:05:54Z")
I briefly dated a guy who believed you should never wash jeans because it fades them. He would put his through the dryer from time to time to “freshen them up”, but that was all. Personal hygiene wasn’t his strong point. ---
**Author:** ![ouryL](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ouryl/32/6067_2.png) [@ouryL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ouryL)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2008, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-settle-a-family-dispute-regarding-laundry/438091/59 "2008-02-22T18:46:18Z")
If you wear undies, once a week, barring any untoward stains, such as peeing on your self, sitting on a cow pattie, etc. If you don’t wear undies, :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![Sleeps\_With\_Butterflies](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bb73d2/32.png) [@Sleeps\_With\_Butterflies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sleeps_With_Butterflies)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2008, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-settle-a-family-dispute-regarding-laundry/438091/60 "2008-02-22T19:26:09Z")
[QUOTE=Cardinal] I’ve worn the same pair of pants for three weeks straight. I didn’t drip anything on them, so they weren’t “dirty”. [/QUOTE] Well, you’re welcome to come over to my house to discuss it, just please don’t sit on my couch 😉 I kid! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-settle-a-family-dispute-regarding-laundry/438091.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-settle-a-family-dispute-regarding-laundry/438091.md?page=4)