It is said that our clothes have a crucial role in building our personality. It builds up one’s confidence. Dressing according to the occasion has a very positive impact on the person’s mind. We all have our favourite clothes that we tend to wear frequently. Who doesn’t like to wear clothes that look new and crisp every time we wear them?
To keep the clothes looking new, you need to follow certain washing habits like:
- Normal wash: This is for the clothes that we wear daily
- Dry clean: Dry cleaning is for clothes that you cannot wash with water for fabrics like silk, leather, or chiffon
- Bleaching: Bleach is used for white clothes to prevent them from yellowing and to remove the dirt and stains from the whites
- Mild soap wash: Woollens need a very mild wash and a fabric softener to maintain the wool
We have got plenty of information on how to clean your clothes. But are we aware of how many times you should wash your clothes?
The clothes we wear, get dirty and soiled with dust, sweat, pollution, etc. The clothes that come in immediate contact with skin need frequent washing compared to clothes that are layered on top of your inner layers. Everybody has a comfortable pair of denim that we feel loses its comfort after ironing. This is the reason we rarely wash our denim. But do you know even denim needs a regular wash like we regularly take baths?
Reasons to wash your clothes regularly:
- To remove the dirt and stains
- To remove any odor
- To keep the fabric fresh
- To prevent any skin allergies
- For the long life of the fabric
We have a wardrobe of clothes that we wear for different occasions. But sometimes we wear a pair only for a few hours, decide to not wash it, and wear it again. Is this the correct practice? How many times do we need to wash the clothes we wear? Here is a simple guide which you can use to know which clothes need how many times of washing.
- Socks: Your wear socks for longer durations. It is in direct contact with the skin. People tend to sweat while wearing a shoe, which, is absorbed by the socks. Thus, socks need daily washing.
- Lingerie: Lingerie like panties and underwear needs daily washing. It comes in direct contact with the skin. You can wash bras after 3 – 4 uses if the person doesn’t sweat much and the weather is cool. The inners generally are worn to absorb the sweat. Thus, it also needs daily washing.
- Handkerchiefs: Handkerchiefs are generally used to clean the dirt and wipe the sweat or wipe wet hands. It may get stained and dirty, thus it needs daily washing.
- T-shirts, track pants, camisoles: All these clothes come in direct contact with the skin. They absorb sweat and oil from the skin. Thus, it requires washing after each use to keep the bacteria at the bay and smell fresh and clean.
- Workout clothes: The clothes we wear for the workout are such that will absorb all the sweat while we perform the exercise. Sweaty clothes are the thriving hub for bacteria. If not washed, it can lead to skin chafing or allergies. Workout clothes need washing after each use.
- Sleep wears: Wearing comfortable clothes while sleeping promotes a good night’s sleep. With friction to the mattress, the sleepwear collects sweat, dead cells, and body oil that promote the growth of harmful bacteria. Most of the time, with minimal activity, the body doesn’t sweat too much at night while sleeping. Thus you can wash sleep wears after two to three uses. But if you’re a sweaty sleeper, it needs a wash after every use for hygiene purposes. If not cleaned, it might lead to skin breakouts, acne, itchy skin, or rashes.
- Shirts, tops, and blouses: With cold weather, it is ok to wash your shirts and tops after two uses. But if the weather is humid or your day’s activity has been heavy with you sweating profusely, the shirts and tops need washing after every use.
- Denim: Frequent washing can spoil the elasticity of the denim, fade the fabric, or wear the material. Machine washing the denim breaks down the fiber of the fabric, making it dull and weak. Denim can be easily worn three to four times before washing. To learn more to wash jeans, check out this blog!
- Jackets, suits, and sweatshirts: These are worn over the undershirt or shirt. They do not come in direct contact with the skin. The amount of dirt, sweat, or dead skin is very less on it. Thus, you can wear these clothes five to six times before washing them. If you wear your sweatshirt or sweater without the undershirt, it needs a wash after one or two wears.
- Suit pants, Dress pants, and slacks: Pants do not get soiled much compared to the shirts your wear. You need to wash the pants after three to four uses. If the pants are stained, have dirt, or are wet because of sweat, they need a wash after each use.
- Swimwear: Swimwear has direct exposure to the chlorine in the water. Long-duration exposure to such harsh chemicals can lead to damage to the material. Swimwear needs washing after each use.
- ● Sweaters, woolens, mufflers: These woolen clothes need a once-in-season wash. Just before the season starts, wash and keep the sweaters ready to wear. If you go out often wearing your sweaters, it needs one or two washes during the season.
These are the general guiding tips that one can follow to keep the clothes clean, smell fresh, and prevent any skin rashes. Each pair of clothes will need a wash at a different time according to the weather, exposure to dirt and sweat, availability of washing facility, time in hand, and affordability.
