# Polyester bathroom rug. Wash before first use? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 9, 2018, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/polyester-bathroom-rug-wash-before-first-use/810289 "2018-03-09T17:43:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![DavidwithanR](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3bc359/32.png) [@DavidwithanR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidwithanR)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2018, 6:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/polyester-bathroom-rug-wash-before-first-use/810289/21 "2018-03-15T06:31:20Z")
> [@harmonicamoon](#): > > Well now, I don’t know. I mean right now it is so soft. And my feet are begging to walk on it. > > After washing, it may not be as soft. Polyester isn’t going to change much from being washed. It IS polyester, after all. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![harmonicamoon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/65b543/32.png) [@harmonicamoon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/harmonicamoon)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2018, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/polyester-bathroom-rug-wash-before-first-use/810289/22 "2018-03-28T18:41:03Z")
Thank you all for your time and replies to my dilemma. First of all, the bathroom rug is beautiful and came from Costco. After digesting all of your replies, I decided the only reason to wash before use would be if it wasn’t thirsty. Maybe washing it would remove excess oils and make it more absorbent? I tossed some water on it, and it drank it right up! It passed the test. Currently enjoying the unwashed rug. Thanks again, all. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2018, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/polyester-bathroom-rug-wash-before-first-use/810289/23 "2018-03-28T18:49:23Z")
Don’t stand on it for too long. It might also be hungry. ---
**Author:** ![Disheavel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e274bd/32.png) [@Disheavel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Disheavel)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2018, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/polyester-bathroom-rug-wash-before-first-use/810289/24 "2018-03-28T18:57:39Z")
> [@Melbourne](#): > > tangent: research in the last couple of years indicates that a _huge_ fraction of the plastics going into the ocean from first-world-countries-with-good-garbage-collection-services is --tiny fibers washed from fabric. > > And although the fabric industry is not permitted to wash dyes down river anymore, _there are no restrictions on what the fabric does after they sell it to you_. > > So of course they don’t wash it before they sell it to you… +1, seriously. The fabric industry is effectively viewed as a chemical industry site (including its pollutants) so they are heavily regulated on clean up but NOT on ship out as that is their product. Any water they use on site is reused and reused and reused before being cleaned and returned to the environment. Some of the largest fermenters on the planet are in use at chemical and other industry locations with the sole job of eating and processing anything they can in the chemical waste. ---
**Author:** ![DavidwithanR](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3bc359/32.png) [@DavidwithanR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidwithanR)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2018, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/polyester-bathroom-rug-wash-before-first-use/810289/25 "2018-03-28T19:05:41Z")
My question is why avoid washing it. I can’t think of a sensible reason not to. Don’t you have towels in this bathroom? Don’t you have to wash things anyway? There’s the outside chance it could stain things in its first wash, or the chance it could damage a delicate item - so, wash it by itself the first time, and always wash delicate items separately. But you knew that. ---
**Author:** ![harmonicamoon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/65b543/32.png) [@harmonicamoon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/harmonicamoon)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2018, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/polyester-bathroom-rug-wash-before-first-use/810289/26 "2018-03-28T19:56:35Z")
Well, DRavid, I don’t have a washing machine. Here we take our laundry to the lavanderia. They charge 12 pesos/kilo. Your laundry is returned dry and folded. And you don’t have control of the dryer temp. Their goal is to dry hot, and rapidly to make room for the next load. The rug had laundry instructions. Dry on low temp. That is the skinny on why I didn’t wash it. ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2018, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/polyester-bathroom-rug-wash-before-first-use/810289/27 "2018-03-28T20:27:27Z")
> [@DavidwithanR](#): > > My question is why avoid washing it. I can’t think of a sensible reason not to. Don’t you have towels in this bathroom? Don’t you have to wash things anyway? Feh. After I finish bathing, I’m the cleanest thing in the house. As I use them, the towels are getting cleaner. [😃](http://dilbert.com/strip/1995-11-24) (It’s an old joke from a Dilbert strip, which is the hyperlink hidden by the emoji.) ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2018, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/polyester-bathroom-rug-wash-before-first-use/810289/28 "2018-03-30T21:46:35Z")
> [@DummyGladHands](#): > > Oh yeah. I had a new vinyl tile bathroom installed. So pretty and white. I bought a very cute dark blue little rug set, you know the cut out around the toilet and in front of the sink. Sure as hell, that rug, which I had never laundered, stained that pretty white floor dark blue where the rugs were, and it was not ever coming out. Maybe I should read tags. Same here, but bright saturated green. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![DavidwithanR](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3bc359/32.png) [@DavidwithanR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidwithanR)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2018, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/polyester-bathroom-rug-wash-before-first-use/810289/29 "2018-03-30T21:58:33Z")
> [@harmonicamoon](#): > > Well, DRavid, I don’t have a washing machine. Here we take our laundry to the lavanderia. They charge 12 pesos/kilo. Your laundry is returned dry and folded. And you don’t have control of the dryer temp. Their goal is to dry hot, and rapidly to make room for the next load. > > The rug had laundry instructions. Dry on low temp. > > That is the skinny on why I didn’t wash it. This makes perfect sense now - thank you. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/polyester-bathroom-rug-wash-before-first-use/810289.md?page=1)