..to think its ok to put clothes back in wardrobe after wearing?!

[tinklykeys]

Ok so it's my first AIBU and I'm scared, so be nice. I'm just intrigued to know others thoughts are on this...

My DH is a very naturally clean, neat, organised person. I'm not, but I've worked at it since we got married 12 years ago and things are in a reasonable state now..

So, the crux of the problem. DH believes that once clothes have been worn, they can't be returned to the wardrobe/chest of drawers until they've been washed, as they might contaminate the clean clothes in there. I've gone along with this as he did the laundry when we first got married and both worked. Now I do mine and the DCs as I'm a SAHM I've been thinking about it more and it bugs me because...

1. There are some clothes that don't need washing immediately, such as jeans, woollies, maybe a t-shirt. I can't put these clothes away at the end of the day so they end up in a pile on the sofa, or on the floor, or over a chair.

2. I end up wearing the same clothes (especially jeans) as I'd rather wear something that is already out than pull out something else.

So, AIBU to think it would be ok to put clothes that have been worn but are not visibly dirty, back in the cupboard at the end of the day? What does everyone else do??

Sorry if it makes no sense..

Well I am clearly a skanky unhygienic bitch.
Underwear gets put in the laundry basket each day. Other clothes get worn for two days on the trot unless I get dinner down them or make them really smell.

Other than mucky handprints, bogeys, dinner from DC can someone please explain what it 'unhygienic' about clothes that have been worn once.

I wore a dress tonight for 4 hours.

I had a top on under it hiding massive pregnancy boobs

I spent those 4 hours sat in a car/restaurant/cinema

It smells of washing gel and perfume

Damn right it went back in the wardrobe. I'm not going to add to my endless washing pile just for the sake of it.

YANBU.

I feel the same as your DH, but I have serious OCD and I recognise that it is a problem. Until I started reading this site I never knew that people without mental health issues had a problem with putting worn clothes back in the wardrobe. Absolutely everyone I know does. The word 'contaminate' is a bad sign. I use it all the time. Actually if you are living in this country and not coping with a serious infectious illness/immune suppressed person, the circumstances that require its use are very rare.

Are people seriously saying that if you wore a jumper for a few hours around the house, over a t shirt - it can't go back in the wardrobe? That is how I feel, but it really is my illness.

I would say around 80% of the clothes in my wardrobe currently have been worn once or more.

If I didn't put them back in my wardrobe my bedroom would be buried under piles of clothing.

It is utter wastefulness to wash clothes after every wear (unless they are actually sweaty or stained). People are ridiculous sometimes.

I reckon people most people who are saying they wash after every wear aren't talking about stuff like jeans, jumpers, cardis or things that have only been worn for a couple of hours, just stuff that's been worn all day and really does need washing?

When I was at school (when God was a boy), I used to wear one school shirt for two days and the other for three. My skirt was dry cleaned at half term, and my (wool) jumper was washed at half term too. Stains got sponged off when they happened. I don't remember my blazer ever being dry cleaned in the 5 years I was at school. I looked clean and presentable. I didn't smell.

PE kit used to come home at half term too. It used to walk home on its own by then, admittedly.

What on earth is this bullshit about it being unhygienic to keep worn clothes and unworn clothes together? Madness. People need to look up the meaning of unhygienic.

Also, some people sweat more than others, for all kinds of reasons. Eg. More active lifestyle, medication, illness, or just naturally sweat more.
I really can't always wear pyjamas more than once because of night sweats caused by medication (I think).

I never buy dry clean only clothes and everything is washed after one wear in my house. However we live on the Equator where it is hot and humid so doing anything else would be pretty gross.

Well, YANBU! I have managed to get to 58 without suffering from moth infestations or smelly clothes even though I put all my clothes in my wardrobe whether they are clean or worn a few times before needing to be washed.
What a lot of tosh some people talk! I'd much rather have my clothes away tidy than in little piles all over the bedroom just incase they are to be worn again. As for contaminating clean clothes - ha!
I still have plenty of friends, ( not put anyone off me yet by wearing twice worn clothes) I don't smell, my clothes don't smell and my kids don't smell either (well my 19 yr old Ds might ...!) and they have been brought up to do the same.
Some people are so fickle it's unbelievable.

Another team DH here. I will re wear certain clothes but they don't go back in the wardrobe. The go on the floor on my 'worn clothes' clothes rack.

I don't put them back in the wardrobe, but I wear them again. Thats what the bedroom chair is for!

I don't have a wardrobe - I have a California Closet. Is it OK to hang worn clothes with clean clothes as it's not dark in there? Just thought I'd check. Not that I'm going to be doing any more than the minimal washing I'm doing ATM...

How can you hygienic people keep up with the washing?

OP, I have realised since joining MN that I'm an utter slattern. I am totally with you on this. My washing machine is on daily as it is. It we all washed after one wear, the machine would never be off.....

If it is top half next to my skin, or underwear, it is washed after one wear. Otherwise, it's if it looks OK - it's back in. Have never had moths (although have nice herbal sachet things to keep them away).

Shamefully, I let the kids wear tops that have been next to their skin two days since they are very little and don't sweat (much).

I thought I was normal until I became a MN-etter. I am, however, saving the planet and my time by being a minger.

If we didn't have automatic washing machines and had to stand at the sink and hand wash it all, we would wear clothes for much longer.

Washing clothes does wear them out.

I'm amazed at how finicky some people are.

The only reason I don't put them back in the wardrobe after wearing is because I am paranoid of moths even though I've got moth sachets everywhere. Half worn cardigans get laid on a chest of drawers and trousers/skirts get hung on the back of the spare bedroom door. Tops and underwear get washed.

I have a 'half way house' chair in my bedroom for clothes that are not completely clean, but that are not dirty enough to warrant a wash. I always have a couple of tops and a pair of leggings on it for example, that I have worn for maybe half a day, that I can't throw on if the ASDA delivery man turns up. I also allocated a half way house chair for my husband and he loves it. It looks messy in a stylish way if you get a nice looking chair and just have a few strategic items on it (not a massive pile).

I am not a great Green supporter, but I seriously wonder about the amount of electricity and water being wasted by all this excessive washing, and presumably drying and ironing, apparently taking place.
Since the Clean Air Act and cessation of smoking in communal areas, very few clothes worn for a few hours are dirty or smelly.
My washing machine died recently and I did a fair amount of laundry by hand whilst waiting for its replacement; it was surprising how little dirt there was in the water; most of the clothes were simply being 'refreshed'.

Euphemia

But the moths don't lurk in the open air of the bedroom chest top, they lurk in the deepest darkest crevices of the wardrobe and drawers sniffing out my woollens

No wonder some people reek of detergent all the time.

If it's dirty, smelly or underwear goes in the wash. If it's not put it away.

I've never had any moth problems from using my common sense.

I think if moths were going to be anywhere surely they would go in the laundry basket, where all the sweaty clothes are.
There's hand wash or dry clean only items in mine that have been there for ever weeks.

YANBU!!

Your husband is bu definitely! I think of myself as a clean person (often two showers) a day but would think nothing of wearing something more than once unless it's socks/pants/ tshirts. Skirts particularly can go a week without a wash- they don't touch any skin whatsoever because I wear tights- they normally get washed because I have spilt something before I actually think to wash them. Sniff test is all it needs!
Washing and ironing is a horrible horrible job- why would I add to the load unnecessarily?! And clothes deteriorate every time you wash them!