To worry about not washing new clothes before wearing them?

[strawberryjeans]

I usually wash everything that we buy new. I haven’t washed the dress I’m wearing today, got it from Sainsbury’s a few months ago.

Is it that bad? 😅

So the only items which cause issues in my experience are strongly coloured sweatshirts, the inside fluff can come off, similar to wearing new socks and can sometimes affect any t shirt you are wearing underneath - I’ve had it dye a white T-shirt before :( otherwise I’ve worn new clothes my whole life and no issue

I'm in my 60's and have never ever washed anything I've bought before wearing. Still alive.

New is the only time that something nice will look "new" and nice! The first wash is taking a chance on how it will look. Will it shrink? Will it become baggy? Who knows?

Lucky you!

I'd guess that there are chemicals like fire retardants and others placed on at the factory. I always wash new clothes. I also have new sofa and carpet fear. I think the forever chemical realisation will rise. I mean now they have detected micro-plastics in testicles (indicative of general pollution). It's no surprise prostate cancer is up.

I'd be careful about any chemicals that have direct contact with your skin. Though I wouldn't worry myself silly about the odd exception.

I have a brother that never washed his socks, just bought new pairs and placed them straight on. Mind you, he has heart and liver failure now. Correlation doesn't necessarily imply causation!

Still nothing will happen to you 😊

It depends on your skin. I wash DD new clothes as she gets a rash if not. Not harmful but seems sensible to avoid.

nothing bad will happen if you wear clothes without washing them but I would strongly suggest you do wash them before wearing.
That dress will have been made from fabric sat in a factory in China (or elsewhere), handled by lots of different people and gone across lots of different production lines, then been sat in a cardboard box for about 6 weeks in a mucky shipping container and then gone to store.
It wont harm you at all and if it doesn't bother you go for it but its not sanitary.

No, it’s fine unless your allergic to the chemicals they spray on them to keep them wrinkle free

Are you serious? You are wearing it… why are you bothered? You wouldn’t have worn it if you were bothered… am I missing something?

Of course you should wash new clothes, use a solution of borax and lysol wash at 90 degrees for two hours. Before wearing the washed clothing, coat your self in E45 cream and antiseptic talcum powder. Wear a face mask and protective goggles.

nothing bad will happen if you wear clothes without washing them but I would strongly suggest you do wash them before wearing.
That dress will have been made from fabric sat in a factory in China (or elsewhere), handled by lots of different people and gone across lots of different production lines, then been sat in a cardboard box for about 6 weeks in a mucky shipping container and then gone to store.
It wont harm you at all and if it doesn't bother you go for it but its not sanitary.

what's the difference between " it won't harm you " and " it's not sanitary " ?

I only wash new stuff if I want to make sure the colour doesnt run.
Who has time for extra laundry otherwise?

I should be dead by now.

I wash most things I get in the charity shops because one never knows if they were washed before being donated. Sometimes you can smell someone's perfume on them. But new clothes. No, never washed them.

Ickiest thing ever seen in one charity shop was they kept displaying their scarves (some of which I might have bought) tumbling out of shoes that were for sale as well. And had obviously been well worn - some were proper vintage. Now one might be able to wash a scarf before donating but not shoes. I couldn't even bring myself to consider buying a scarf and washing it before wearing as I would always remember that it had been in someone's grandmother's shoes.

it wont harm you because there is nothing on the clothes that would make you unwell but clothes out of a factory arent necessarily clean because of the amount of processing it goes though.

its like if you put on a dress that someone else has sweat in or has food stains on, it wont harm you but its not sanitary. NOT suggesting the clothes from a factory/store have food or sweat in them, just illustrating the difference.

As a one-off, I'm sure it's fine, but I personally always do wash new clothes before wear, as I believe they are often treated with insect repellent etc before they are shipped around the world.

All these people saying that they don't wash new clothes before wear in case they go baggy/the colours run - surely you would return them in that case? You will have to wash your new clothes eventually, probably after only one or two wears - don't put up with new clothes losing condition so quickly! They should be better made.

How odd to wash new clothes

How very witty and clever of you, skin conditions are hilarious

Even expensive occasion clothing?? What if it’s dry clean only? I’m so confused rn, would you wash a suit? A wool coat? Where does it end?

For a start, if I thought this was normal I’d find somewhere else to shop. Also, bacteria doesn’t live that long, I think you’d be fine.

Do you still leave your food shop in the garage for a week and bleach it before taking it in the house?

Also, bacteria doesn’t live that long, I think you’d be fine.

Never heard of a biofilm?

Do you think that’s common from a 2 minute try on of clothing? I think if someone can’t cope with this level of risk they may as well lock themselves at home

I never washed new clothes. However, I’ve been making my own clothes for the past couple of years and have come to realise that even the most beautiful fabric, that appears clean and crisp, is distributed from dusty wearhouses. They may have insects and rodents doing the rounds too. I wash my fabrics before making anything using them and I now try to remember to wash clothes I have bought before wearing. I don’t make underwear, or jeans and prefer to buy ready made sweatshirts and joggers.

I wash everything before using/wearing. My son has really bad eczema and anything not washed in a specific detergent is likely to cause flare ups. I don't necessarily see it as a waste either, I'm the one paying for the detergent and the utilities, completely worth it to me 🤷🏻‍♀️