Explore

Why You Should Wash New Clothes Before Wearing Them: It’s More Important Than You Think

When purchasing new clothing items, be sure to thoroughly wash and dry them prior to wearing in order to avoid potential health implications.

Administrator

3 May, 2024

After purchasing new clothes, many people have the habit of wearing them right away, without washing them first. According to research, this habit is not advisable as it can negatively impact our health.

Why Wash New Clothes Before Wearing Them?

If you don’t wash new clothes before wearing them, you are more likely to experience conditions such as:

Skin irritation

Few people realize that clothing often contains azo-aniline dyes and chemicals used to make them wrinkle-resistant. When your skin comes into contact with these chemicals, it can easily become irritated and develop symptoms such as redness, itching or flaking. In particular, this can be dangerous for people with sensitive skin or a history of skin conditions. If left untreated, they may even experience life-threatening symptoms such as respiratory failure, liver or kidney failure.

Therefore, you should always wash new clothes and let them dry before wearing them.

When your skin comes into contact with dyes and wrinkle-resistant chemicals in new clothing, it can easily become irritated and develop symptoms such as redness, itching or flaking.

Exposure to desiccants

To prevent mold and mildew from developing on clothing during transport and display, many manufacturers add desiccant packs to their products. Because desiccants contain chemicals, they can irritate the skin. Therefore, it is advisable to wash new clothing before wearing it.

Risk of infection

Clothes sold in stores or at small roadside stalls are often exposed to dust and bacteria from the surrounding environment. Furthermore, before reaching you, they have been handled and tried on by many other customers. As such, new clothes can harbor a variety of bacteria, viruses or molds. These can adhere to your skin and enter your body through the respiratory system or digestive tract. In some cases, wearing new clothes without washing them first can lead to illness.

Therefore, to protect yourself from infectious diseases, you should wash new clothes before wearing them, especially garments such as underwear and swimwear.

To protect yourself from infectious diseases, you should wash new clothes before wearing them, especially garments such as underwear and swimwear.

Tips for Washing New Clothes

– When washing new clothes, do not use laundry detergent, just water is enough. This will keep your new clothes clean, soft and free of fading or pilling.

– For clothing with multicolored prints or patterns, hand-washing is recommended instead of using the washing machine. Be sure to read the manufacturer’s instructions carefully.

– Before washing, you can soak new clothes in a solution of salt or vinegar to minimize color bleeding.

– Sort clothes by color before washing.

When washing new clothes, do not use laundry detergent, just water is enough.

– To prevent fading from sunlight, turn clothes inside out before hanging them to dry. For items with prints, fold them and hang them using a specialized hanger to prevent stretching.

Frequently asked questions

Wearing new clothes without washing them can lead to skin irritation and potentially dangerous symptoms, especially for individuals with sensitive skin. The chemicals and dyes in clothing can cause redness, itching, and flaking. Additionally, new clothes may harbor bacteria, viruses, or molds that can enter your body through the respiratory system or digestive tract, potentially leading to illnesses and infectious diseases.

Desiccants, often added by manufacturers to prevent mold and mildew, contain chemicals that can irritate the skin. Untreated clothes, especially when exposed to dust and bacteria, can harbor various pathogens, leading to potential infections and respiratory, liver, or kidney failures if left untreated.

When washing new clothes, use only water instead of laundry detergent to keep them clean and soft while preventing fading or pilling. For multicolored items, hand-washing is recommended. Soaking clothes in salt or vinegar before washing can minimize color bleeding. Always sort clothes by color and turn them inside out before hanging to dry, preventing sunlight damage and print fading.