To wash all new clothes?

[Lis1992]

So many divided opinions on this! So it’s all in the title- AIBU to wash all new clothes? For adults, not babies! I have a pile of new holiday clothes and plan on washing all before packing case. Was talking to someone who said no way- total waste of time; she just chucks them in!

I do have the "home dry clean" stuff and would use that if I did buy something DC only.

😂

I don't understand this fear of unspecified 'chemicals'.

• you wash the clothes in chemicals?
• you then wear your washed clothes outside in the air and get more chemicals on them... and breathe some in too. And yet more from whatever you sit on or touch
• there's chemicals in the food you eat, the toiletries and things you use on your body, in your toilet paper

An uphill battle none of us can win.

And that stuff is chemical AF! Probably worse for your skin than anything originally sprayed on the fabric.

I actually don’t believe half the washers. It’s turning into one of those competitive cleaning threads.

How the hell do you cope with library books? You can’t wash those but you may want to read in bed or touch all sorts of things in the course of reading. Do you wear those surgical gloves? Or maybe no time to read as you’re snowed under with all the excess laundry!

My Mum washes all new cutlery etc - I can understand this because it's going in your mouth but I just LOVE the feeling of crisp new clothes (as it usually means I don't have to iron them)

‘Or maybe no time to read as you’re snowed under with all the excess laundry!’

It is the madness of people with not enough to do, physically and mentally.

What ?
No ! Never !

But its not unreasonable if it makes you feel better

New clothes are treated with formaldehyde and some other nasty stuff to prevent creasing. So yes, its best to wash new things, especially if its something that will be close to your skin. I would not wash most winter things as they are worn on top of something else usually but underwear and summer clothes - definitely.

The water usage of one extra item being washed with other regular wahing one extra time is about 1 litre in my machine. You use so much water and energy in your life, especially if you buy new clothes - the production of an item of cotton clothing uses a huge amount of water and energy. A single cotton t-shirt takes over 2000 litres, apparently.

I barely buy new items, personally, for environmental reasons. That makes a huge difference to my water & energy consumption.

If you fly, drive or buy new items, I'll take no lectures from you

If you think your 2000 litres is significantly better than my 2001, you need to brush up on your maths. If you buy new items, you're doing environmental damage. I understand and measure my environmental impact, that extra litre I use is within my excellent water usage.

I think you might have hit the nail on the head! Those of us with more important matters to occupy our time and minds seem to cope with not washing everything new, and don't seem to be suffering whatever ill effects others seem to think will befall us.

You’re awfully invested in trying to prove that washing more stuff doesn’t use more water/detergent/energy!

#downwithlogic

I only wash bedding and that’s after I got a mysterious rash all over from new bedding after getting married. It took a while to work out what caused it!

I haven 't read the other comments but my first thought is good for you. I would love to do the same, but I'm often too lazy to bother.

No, my position is people in glass houses shouldn't throw stones.

Environmental illogicality is frustrating.

Me being alive uses more energy/water/detergent than me being dead.

The type of person who thinks that single litre makes any meaningful difference is a fool.

Of course it uses a litre of water, once. But the logical response if you are bothered (which most people are not, really, they are just being pedantic) is to tell me not to buy it in the first place.

The type of person who thinks that litre matters, but still buys new clothes themselves is illogical.

Waffle all you like, but using resources unnecessarily is wasting them, no matter how prudent you are in other parts of your life. If you are so concerned about your environmental impact you would be concerned about it, so i can only think you are talking shite about how wonderful you are otherwise.

Well, it isn’t just “unspecified chemicals”. Shipping containers are sprayed with carcinogens like phosphines, formaldehyde and methyl bromide to comply with shipping fumigation regulations, for example.

All “chemicals” are not alike. I’d probably go with the chemicals in a bit of Persil rather than carcinogenic fumigants next to my skin!

We all 'waste' resources by being alive. Youre wasting them now, arguing on here, using energy and infrastructure. So am I.

I've made a conscious decision on my overall energy/water use and am a low user.

Those who want to undermine climate action take the approach you are - criticise those who do plenty for not being perfect.

You can say my approach is 'shite' if it helps you in some way.

Blah blah.

The point was, and it's telling about how defensive you are being about it , was that washing clothes unnecessarily is a waste of water and power.

This is an undeniable fact. Anything else is just you trying to justify it. Blah.

If I had to choose between wearing carcinogenic chemicals next to my skin, or "wasting" resources, then I'm happy to waste away.

I'm careful in general. I eat mostly organic food, I buy toiletries that contain the minimum of potentially problematic ingredients, so why wouldn't I? Just because someone on MN is upset about it?

Having worked in a well known clothes shop, and seeing the state of the storeroom where all the clothes live before they are put out for sale (and how absolutely disgusting and grim it was!) I absolutely wash everything before wearing it.

My god MN is an alternative universe sometimes!
No I wouldn't dream of washing brand new clothes before wearing them!

Why on earth would I? The best thing about new clothes is that new clothes feeling!

However I don't buy a lot of new clothes & I buy more expensive things & less of them, generally from small boutiques or higher end department stores which generally don't have peeing dogs or chocolate covered, snotty nosed kids running feral.

I've been in primark & new look & h&m & some branches of zara over the years & that's a different ball game. I can't imagine buying something in Maje or Sezane or Me+em & immediately bunging it into the washing machine!

Sometimes when I'm travelling I'll buy new knickers & socks & put them in my bag & I adore that fresh new feeling of wearing them!

People on here are strange

'blah blah' is an excellent point.

I don't feel defensive.

All I have done is point out that anyone who buys new clothes is being hypocritical pretending to care about 1 extra litre of water.

I waste 2720 litres of water when I buy a t-shirt. I waste an additional 1 litre if I chuck it in the wash for one additional wash.

The real issue is how much is bought.

Deflect away!

Washing more stuff= using more resources, irrespective of anything else.

Come on, you know that!

As I said, maybe you did not read the post you quoted: I waste 2720 litres of water when I buy a t-shirt. I waste an additional 1 litre if I chuck it in the wash for one additional wash.

All I have done is point out that anyone who buys new clothes is being hypocritical pretending to care about 1 extra litre of water.

Nope, never. I've survived to nearly 70 without ever getting a rash, lice or an infectious disease from a new garment. I also frequently buy charity shop items and will only pre-wash those if they have that odd "charity shop" smell about them. There are certain things for which life is definitely too short!