# I've ran out of clean underwear... need answer quick **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 25, 2020, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-ran-out-of-clean-underwear-need-answer-quick/846937 "2020-01-25T03:31:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Majestic\_Lee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Majestic\_Lee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Majestic_Lee)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2020, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-ran-out-of-clean-underwear-need-answer-quick/846937/41 "2020-01-25T23:07:16Z")
Borrow some. Does it matter if they’re male or female? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2020, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-ran-out-of-clean-underwear-need-answer-quick/846937/42 "2020-01-27T01:15:47Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > Just keep wearing your existing pair. Plenty of people go hiking, camping, on deployment, etc. where they have to wear the same clothing (including underwear) for days on end without changing, and they are fine. Yes, but those situations all occur largely out in the fresh air and/or among others who are similarly hygiene challenged. The OP is facing a long trip in the both close and closed confines of an airplane. Being fresh, clean, and unperfumed is de rigueur. ---
**Author:** ![Isosleepy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/isosleepy/32/479_2.png) [@Isosleepy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isosleepy)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2020, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-ran-out-of-clean-underwear-need-answer-quick/846937/43 "2020-01-27T01:52:13Z")
If your room has an ironing board & iron, you can significantly speed up the drying process. ---
**Author:** ![FinsToTheLeft](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/finstotheleft/32/2930_2.png) [@FinsToTheLeft](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinsToTheLeft)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2020, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-ran-out-of-clean-underwear-need-answer-quick/846937/44 "2020-01-27T02:01:04Z")
I’ve had this dilemma in real life. When quickly packing for a business trip, I grabbed three pairs of underwear for a three night trip. Upon showering on the last day, I discovered that unbeknownst to me, my wife had a pair of underwear which were a similar material to my briefs but cut for a woman. I chose the wear an aired out pair option. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2020, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-ran-out-of-clean-underwear-need-answer-quick/846937/45 "2020-01-27T02:30:34Z")
Why exactly are these underwear not usable for a couple of days in a row? What exactly are you doing to make using underwear unusable? TMI: I easily wear the same underwear two days in a row. I’m not shitting in them or anything. ---
**Author:** ![Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slow_moving_vehicle/32/291_2.png) [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slow_Moving_Vehicle)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2020, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-ran-out-of-clean-underwear-need-answer-quick/846937/46 "2020-01-27T02:38:01Z")
> [@Kropotkin](#): > > Being over exposed is not the worst wardrobe malfunction a guy could have Involving a zipper while going commando. PM for grisly details. Exactly the scenario that occurred to me. :eek: I’d still go commando, though. ---
**Author:** ![nate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nate/32/13085_2.png) [@nate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nate)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2020, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-ran-out-of-clean-underwear-need-answer-quick/846937/47 "2020-01-27T04:59:40Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > Why exactly are these underwear not usable for a couple of days in a row? What exactly are you doing to make using underwear unusable? > TMI: I easily wear the same underwear two days in a row. I’m not shitting in them or anything. My day-olds smell like testosterone while washed smells of dryer sheets. No I don’t shit or piss in mine either, but I definitely could pass a blind A/B test on the smell. ---
**Author:** ![nate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nate/32/13085_2.png) [@nate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nate)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2020, 5:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-ran-out-of-clean-underwear-need-answer-quick/846937/48 "2020-01-27T05:01:49Z")
BTW, the sink wash worked out great. Washed them that night in hot water + bar soap, wringed 'em out, hung them on a hanger (the kind with clips) over the shower. They were 99% dry in the morning. Took the blow dryer to them for a minute. Perfect. Thanks! I don’t know why it wasn’t obvious to me to do this, but whatever, we all have blind spots. ---
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2020, 7:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-ran-out-of-clean-underwear-need-answer-quick/846937/49 "2020-01-27T07:09:46Z")
If I was dirty enough that I wanted to wash my underwear, I’d probably wear them in the shower, as I’ve done before. But I’d probably do it before my last day: I like to have clean underwear for the trip home. ---
**Author:** ![si\_blakely](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d9b06d/32.png) [@si\_blakely](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/si_blakely)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2020, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-ran-out-of-clean-underwear-need-answer-quick/846937/50 "2020-01-28T22:37:43Z")
> [@Icarus](#): > > Or simply worn-for-a-day? Then flip them inside-out so you have a clean-er surface touching your skin. This always make me think of _Longfellow_ … > [@](#): > > You take the undies, skin-side in-side > Turn them through-side, inside, outside > With the former skin-side outside, > with the cleaner outside skin-side > wear the undies ground-side, air-side > said the mighty Hiawatha ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2020, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-ran-out-of-clean-underwear-need-answer-quick/846937/51 "2020-01-28T22:42:47Z")
> [@TruCelt](#): > > The OP is facing a long trip in the both close and closed confines of an airplane. Being fresh, clean, and unperfumed is de rigueur. While I agree that it certainly should be, in my experience it most definitely is not. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2020, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-ran-out-of-clean-underwear-need-answer-quick/846937/52 "2020-01-28T22:51:57Z")
> [@needscoffee](#): > > After you wash the underwear, roll it up in a towel. Stand on the towel to press all the water out of the underwear and into the towel. Unroll. The underwear will be drier than if you’d wrung it, and it won’t be all stretched out. I roll in up in a towel and then wring the towel – I twist the whole thing up tight. Because the the structural strength of the towel, the garment inside doesn’t get stretched. I’ve done this after an emergency hand-wash for t-shirts and shorts as well as underwear. It also works for wet bathing suits. > [@Alessan](#): > > I’ve never considered it but then, I’ve never run out of underwear. It’s the least-bulky item in your suitcase - why not bring a few spares? Sometimes I intentionally plan to do some washing on a long trip. Sometimes I unexpectedly got my period. > [@nate](#): > > My day-olds smell like testosterone while washed smells of dryer sheets. No I don’t shit or piss in mine either, but I definitely could pass a blind A/B test on the smell. Yeah, my day-old underwear neither feel nor smell like clean underwear. I will wear pants and shirts and bras for a few days, but not underpants or socks, if I can possibly avoid it. ---
**Author:** ![amarinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3be4f8/32.png) [@amarinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarinth)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2020, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-ran-out-of-clean-underwear-need-answer-quick/846937/53 "2020-01-28T23:12:31Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > In the future, buy so-called “travel” underwear like Ex Officio (I prefer the Give-N-Go fabric). They can be washed in the shower at night and they’ll be dry by morning easily. I got a few pairs of these (Ex Officios) once and tried to quick dry both those and just normal underwear on a trip. The normal (reasonably priced) underwear dried; the (crazy expensive) Ex Officios didn’t. In other words, “quick dry”? my damp, uncomfortable ass. Be careful with the blow drier. While the obvious solution is to turn it on high, it’ll overheat and turn itself off. Medium will keep it going long enough to dry your clothing. ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2020, 5:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-ran-out-of-clean-underwear-need-answer-quick/846937/54 "2020-01-29T05:38:43Z")
> [@nate](#): > > BTW, the sink wash worked out great. Washed them that night in hot water + bar soap, wringed 'em out, hung them on a hanger (the kind with clips) over the shower. They were 99% dry in the morning. Took the blow dryer to them for a minute. Perfect. Thanks! I don’t know why it wasn’t obvious to me to do this, but whatever, we all have blind spots. Just for the record, it’s wrung them out, not wringed. Guess you have another blind spot! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2020, 6:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-ran-out-of-clean-underwear-need-answer-quick/846937/55 "2020-01-29T06:32:53Z")
> [@amarinth](#): > > Be careful with the blow drier. While the obvious solution is to turn it on high, it’ll overheat and turn itself off. Medium will keep it going long enough to dry your clothing. When a sock is damp (and not wet) I put the hair dryer air outlet inside the sock. The thing dries in like a few second. ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2020, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-ran-out-of-clean-underwear-need-answer-quick/846937/56 "2020-01-30T03:20:42Z")
> [@TruCelt](#): > > The hotel shampoo usually works great for this. Stretch them out on a hangar to dry. If they are hanging down in folds they’ll still have streaks of damp in the morning. > > Been there, done that, blow dried the t-shirt. 😃 If they’re all cotton, you’ll definitely need to blow them dry. I was in a similar situation a couple years back - and 36 hours later the damn things were still damp. I still had one clean pair that I wore… and left the other in the car during a long driving day, figuring that between the sunlight and the car’s A/C, they’d be dry enough for the following day (it worked). If I were doing a longer trip where I needed to have as little luggage as possible, I’d probably invest in some microfiber undies - they may not dry super fast like some of the adverts say, but they’d do better than pure cotton. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2020, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-ran-out-of-clean-underwear-need-answer-quick/846937/57 "2020-01-30T14:00:38Z")
I always carry a little (TSA-safe) bottle of liquid soap. I mostly use it for hand-laundry, but it also functions as hand soap or shampoo in a pinch. Before I carried that, I used the hotel’s shampoo for emergency laundry. ---
**Author:** ![Jasmine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jasmine/32/2964_2.png) [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2020, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-ran-out-of-clean-underwear-need-answer-quick/846937/58 "2020-01-30T14:11:08Z")
EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEWWWWWWWWWW! No, no, and definitely no. Instead, you swing by a store and buy a package. ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2020, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-ran-out-of-clean-underwear-need-answer-quick/846937/59 "2020-01-30T14:28:08Z")
> [@nate](#): > > My day-olds smell like testosterone while washed smells of dryer sheets. Sure, if you bury your face in them. Presumably the people around you will not be burying their face in your crotch on this particular day, so nobody is going to be alert to your mildly elevated level of crotch aroma if you choose to wear your underwear for a second day. If you know for a fact that such a presumption is wrong, then yes, it’s probably wise to take the trouble to hand-wash a pair of underwear for your final travel day. ---
**Author:** ![tricoteuse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tricoteuse/32/4334_2.png) [@tricoteuse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tricoteuse)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2020, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-ran-out-of-clean-underwear-need-answer-quick/846937/60 "2020-01-30T15:12:06Z")
And next time, pack a couple more pairs than you think you’ll need. I even shove a spare pair in my bag for day trips because if you get stuck for two hours on a bus with broken air conditioning in July you’re not stuck walking around with swamp-crotch all day. 😃 PS, And a Ziplock bag to put the dirties in, of course. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-ran-out-of-clean-underwear-need-answer-quick/846937.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-ran-out-of-clean-underwear-need-answer-quick/846937.md?page=4)