Do you wash your clothes before you wear them?

[RosieLemonade]

Someone’s just called me disgusting for not washing my clothes before I wear them for the the firs time. They were talking in general not just during covid.
Have I been doing it wrong? Happy to be told that yes I should be washing everything before I wear them.

God no.

If they are that dangerous, we'd have rashes every time we try them on.

Having said that, sometimes I do, but mostly underwear and swimming costumes.
Everything else is tags off and wear.

New clothes are routinely treated with formaldehyde to prevent mildew growth and wrinkling, for that reason alone I always wash clothes first, we're all exposed to so many chemicals already.

No, never. I don't care if people have touched it or it's fallen on the floor of the shop.

They are supposed to be sprayed with some quite serious insecticides/anti mould stuff for transport from the factories to the shops, and that can cause skin reactions in some people, but I've never experienced this personally and nor do I know anyone it's happened to, so I'm not sufficiently worried about it to bother washing things. I'm usually too excited to wear them/put them on the kids to wait!

I actually love it when I get second hand things and they smell like someone else's washing powder I love the smell of clean washing and you get used to your own! It also seems to be much stronger when people have a tumble drier, which we don't.

New: God, no - what an utter waste of time and headspace ! Second hand/ charity - yes, because unless new and unworn ( some are labelled as such) there is usually a mild odour.

I'm wearing a brand new top right now, unwashed naturally. It's lovely! Never occurred to me to wash it first.

Never occurred to me!

I always wash clothes before we wear them, we've had too many rashes in the past and so it's just a habit I've got into.

No never wash them - leave the tags on until I step out the door as have many regretted de tagged purchase! Sometimes I forget to take them off

I also think most clothes look best before the first wash. I don't think clothes wash very well any more (realise that makes me sound ancient - I'm 40)

When they have that vinegary smell or such 🤢

I do. I don’t like the smell of new clothes. Plus you don’t know who else has tried them on.

I never have and never will. What a huge waste of time and energy. Bollocks to that.

@Fuckingfuckssake

New clothes are routinely treated with formaldehyde to prevent mildew growth and wrinkling, for that reason alone I always wash clothes first, we're all exposed to so many chemicals already.

Yes, this!

And other people trying them on, they would have fallen on the floor, been in dusty factories touched by God knows who.

Yuk!

No. I have enough washing to do as it is!

No I don't but don't buy clothes online as a rule, and when buying in a shop try to find things that don't look like they've been tried on.

Never really occurred to me to wash them first, I feel I am building my immunity.

My DH does, and I think he is mad.

I know someone who is a buyer for a major retailer. This person told me if we saw/knew half of what happens in the manufacturing process, storage and transport afterwards we would want to wash them immediately.

It is seemingly worse than just a few grubby hands touching things yeuch.

scabies.

Nope

Only underwear or things that really smell of dye or preservatives. Otherwise, no.

So everyone washes their clothes after wearing them for 6 hours but don't care that the cotton was picked by one pair of hands, another pair sorted the cotton for the mill, another pair helped to weave ir, another pair packed it for the printers, another pair unpacked it and put it through the printing machine another pair got it ready to be cut, it was passed through maybe 3 or 4 pairs of hands during the manufacturing process all this long before it hits the shop floor.

I am baffled as to why people think new clothes are clean.

Yes, everything. I read an article about the amount of chemicals years ago and have done it ever since.

Five decades on this earth and I never knew this was a thing

I often do, as I had a bad rash from wearing a new bra without washing it first. If something is dry clean only, or outerwear, then I don’t normally bother, but everything else gets a wash first. I hate the way new clothes smell, even though they are never as pristine again once they have been washed.

I used to wash everything apart from jeans and coats. Then one my children came out in a rash on their legs which took months to get rid of and the doctor said it was probably from the chemicals on new unwashed clothing. So now I wash everything apart from coats.