MissKNG Posted April 3, 2010 Share Posted April 3, 2010 I always wash new clothes before putting them on my girls. Yesterday, I had to put some new clothes on my big girl without washing them because I didn't have time. At what age did you (if you did), stop washing newly bought clothes before putting them on your kids? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G5052 Posted April 3, 2010 Share Posted April 3, 2010 There have been various reports about store bought clothes( http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/gma-found-clothes-clean/story?id=9482373&page=1) and formaldehyde (http://laundry.about.com/od/laundrybasics/a/washbeforewear.htm). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teachermom2834 Posted April 3, 2010 Share Posted April 3, 2010 I wash all new clothes- even for adults. My mom didn't when I was growing up but when I started thinking about all the clothes had been through before they got to me I started thinking I needed to wash them first. Pesticides in factories, critters, etc. I'm not a germophobe by any stretch of the imagination but I do wash everything first unless it's a "kid just puked and I bought him a shirt in the gift shop" situation :) Marie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Virginia Dawn Posted April 3, 2010 Share Posted April 3, 2010 I never stopped. We have had major skin reactions from new clothes that OTHER people have worn without washing, not to mention our own clothes. I ended up in the emergency room with full body hives when I was first married because I wore a new nightgown without washing it. My oldest son would get blisters on his arms and legs as a baby if someone at church held him and they were wearing a new shirt. I don't take any chances. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Perry Posted April 3, 2010 Share Posted April 3, 2010 I always wash everything first. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MissKNG Posted April 3, 2010 Author Share Posted April 3, 2010 I felt SOOOO bad having to put them on her without washing too!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pippen Posted April 3, 2010 Share Posted April 3, 2010 I always try and wash them, even for the reason that loads of people would have handled them by the time they reach us, especially if the clothes were hanging in the store for any length of time. Now that I have teens someone will sometimes jump the gun on me, but I always wash them up if I can. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pippen Posted April 3, 2010 Share Posted April 3, 2010 I felt SOOOO bad having to put them on her without washing too!!! And she's probably fine today. This seriously isn't worth a guilt trip. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EarleneW Posted April 3, 2010 Share Posted April 3, 2010 When they were about 6 months old. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katemary63 Posted April 3, 2010 Share Posted April 3, 2010 I wash all new clothes- even for adults. :iagree: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peela Posted April 3, 2010 Share Posted April 3, 2010 I only wash things with some sort of fabric stiffener in them. And I wash new sheets. I dont wash clothes usually. But, none of us have ever reacted to them. Then again, I have never bought new clothes much. We buy 2nd hand a lot. I play it by ear with 2nd hand- if it smells freshly laundered, I dont bother. If it smells remotely like it hasnt been laundered, i wash it. I am more worried by that, than by new clothes. If we reacted to chemicals in the new clothes, I guess I would be more diligent. But none of us ever have. I do wash undies first though, I must admit. I wonder if the laws are differet in Australia regarding chemicals in fabric. I have never seen much press about it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
love2read Posted April 3, 2010 Share Posted April 3, 2010 I still wash them and as a matter of fact yesterday I washed a half load of new clothes. The machine started agitating before I had a chance to put the soap in and the thick, white, chemical foam and scum on the top was shocking enough that I called in the kids to show them why they should always wash new items. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abbeyej Posted April 3, 2010 Share Posted April 3, 2010 Ideally, *all* clothing should be washed before wearing. I don't, 'cause I'm lazy, or sometimes the kids are excited to wear something, but the chemicals used in clothing production and transport really mean everything should be washed before being worn. But, that said, I let my 8yo dd wear new shorts yesterday that I hadn't washed yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teamturner Posted April 3, 2010 Share Posted April 3, 2010 We wear things all the time before washing them. Especially things like socks. My goal is to wash them first but we don't always have time. Now that I'm paying more attention to chemicals maybe I will be more diligent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emubird Posted April 3, 2010 Share Posted April 3, 2010 On the other hand, my parents would never wash new clothes because they figured the chemicals in them would make them stay clean longer -- they liked to take them on trips so they could go longer without laundering. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nmoira Posted April 3, 2010 Share Posted April 3, 2010 Pesticides in factories, critters, etc. I'm not a germophobe by any stretch of the imagination but I do wash everything first unless it's a "kid just puked and I bought him a shirt in the gift shop" situation :):iagree: right down to the gift shop. :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ereks mom Posted April 3, 2010 Share Posted April 3, 2010 I wash all new clothes- even for adults. My mom didn't when I was growing up but when I started thinking about all the clothes had been through before they got to me I started thinking I needed to wash them first. Pesticides in factories, critters, etc. I'm not a germophobe by any stretch of the imagination but I do wash everything first unless it's a "kid just puked and I bought him a shirt in the gift shop" situation :) Marie :iagree: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laurie4b Posted April 3, 2010 Share Posted April 3, 2010 I think I washed new baby clothes. I do not wash other new clothes except for underwear and never have. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MelanieM Posted April 3, 2010 Share Posted April 3, 2010 We wash everything before wearing, regardless of age. Even before I considered the chemicals that must be in the clothing, I did this. It just feels and smells different when new, and it's... uncomfortable, I suppose, would describe it well. But now that I know what goes into fabric and clothing production, I consider it a matter of health and safety. I guess the exception would be for socks, as I think I tend to always put those on new. Not sure why I don't pre-wash socks. That's kind of funny. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AngieW in Texas Posted April 3, 2010 Share Posted April 3, 2010 I wash all new clothes before wearing them, even for me. My oldest actually has to take a shower as soon as we get home from any clothes-buying trip because she's allergic to the stuff the new clothes are treated with and is extremely itchy by the time we get home. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted April 3, 2010 Share Posted April 3, 2010 I never washed them. My husband insists on washing his, but I've never done it for anyone else. Laura Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pink Fairy Posted April 3, 2010 Share Posted April 3, 2010 I wash everything for the kids, but it's not a huge deal to me if something gets missed. Most of the time I wash my new stuff, but I almost never wash my husband's new stuff (unmentionables excepted). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeckyFL Posted April 3, 2010 Share Posted April 3, 2010 Before children, I was a personnel manager for a children's clothing manufacturer. When I had to walk out into the sewing area, I would often end up sick. There was so much fabric dust piled up on everything.... all of it filled with dyes and chemicals. Wash first, believe me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justamouse Posted April 3, 2010 Share Posted April 3, 2010 ...never? I always wash them. I can't stand the smell of new clothes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joannqn Posted April 3, 2010 Share Posted April 3, 2010 I don't wash first. I'm seriously not worried about it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anotherbrother Posted April 3, 2010 Share Posted April 3, 2010 I'd never even thought about it until this post. I"m not sure even as a baby I washed all the new clothes first. This has certainly given me something to think about. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baseball mom Posted April 3, 2010 Share Posted April 3, 2010 I remember as a newborn washing everything but I am thinking by their 1st birthday I had stopped. Granted they had mostly 2nd hand clothes and I washed all of those before wearing. Honestly I never thought about it to much before this thread. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KristenS Posted April 3, 2010 Share Posted April 3, 2010 I still do ... my son had such sensitive skin as a little one that I haven't dared change, even though he seems better now. And many are a gift from my mom, so they also come perfumed (she has lots of nice scents, but scents drive me nuts!), so I like to make them smell like 'my' house first. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nukeswife Posted April 3, 2010 Share Posted April 3, 2010 I still wash all new things for all of us. My dd is extremely sensitive so much of what we do is for her benefit. The laundry detergent I pick and how I wash things is to make sure that if something of hers get mixed in with someone else's load she'll still be ok. I also wash all our things by person/type so I do wash daily since there are 5 of us. I know I'm weird but it works for us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosy Posted April 3, 2010 Share Posted April 3, 2010 I don't wash first. I'm seriously not worried about it. :iagree: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daisy Posted April 3, 2010 Share Posted April 3, 2010 Ditto what others have said. I always wash new clothing before anyone wears it. I've never read about chemicals in the clothing and it explains a lot. We all have sensitive skin (eczema, psoriasis, etc.) so I absolutely must pre-wash. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The other Kimberly Posted April 3, 2010 Share Posted April 3, 2010 I had to get over that fast when on a trip I discovered I had not packed any underwear. Dilemma~ Wear same underwear for 1 week or buy new and wear unwashed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SnowWhite Posted April 3, 2010 Share Posted April 3, 2010 I try to always wash whenever possible... I got excited and wore a new nightgown before washing... ended up with a prescription for Prednisone (which I didn't take, I just washed the nightgown and didn't wear it for a while). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
*Inna* Posted April 3, 2010 Share Posted April 3, 2010 I wash all new clothes- even for adults. :iagree: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kalanamak Posted April 3, 2010 Share Posted April 3, 2010 I like cotton, buy big and give a quick wash and a very hot dry from the get-go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommyof4ks Posted April 3, 2010 Share Posted April 3, 2010 We wash everything before wearing because of chemicals and bacteria. Who knows who has tried on stuff or where it was prior to my purchasing it. Yuck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janet in WA Posted April 3, 2010 Share Posted April 3, 2010 I've always washed anything I wanted to "soften up" before wearing. Now that I work in retail, I wash EVERYTHING that isn't hermetically sealed. And even then, I'll probably wash that too. I now see how many hands touch that clothing every day, how many people try it on, how many times that stuff hits the floor, how many items are purchased and returned (maybe worn, maybe kept in a smoker's home, etc.). I wash. Just sayin'. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WiseOwlKnits Posted April 3, 2010 Share Posted April 3, 2010 I wash all of our clothes before we wear them....or even if they've just been in storage for a while. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcconnellboys Posted April 3, 2010 Share Posted April 3, 2010 Clothes being imported may be sprayed down with all sorts of insecticides. They may also be finished with all sorts of chemicals. We have autoimmune problems, so I always try to make sure things get washed before they're worn.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tap Posted April 4, 2010 Share Posted April 4, 2010 I wash all regular clothes even for dh and I. The only things that I don't prewash are dry-clean only dresses and dh's suits. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EKS Posted April 4, 2010 Share Posted April 4, 2010 Never unless it is an emergency. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommylawyer Posted April 4, 2010 Share Posted April 4, 2010 I wash new clothes if they're for any child of mine that is under around 2 years old. I don't wash new clothes for the rest of us. I ALWAYS wash the clothes that I buy at consignment sales before wearing. I also always wash new sheets, blankets, and towels; but not new table linens or dishcloths. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edithcrawley Posted April 4, 2010 Share Posted April 4, 2010 I don't wash new clothes before wearing. I may or may not wash thrift store clothes depending on how they look. My parents never prewashed clothes for us when we were small children either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nd293 Posted April 4, 2010 Share Posted April 4, 2010 I really can't remember washing anything first after the clothes I bought pre-birth. So ... 4-6 months? I might wash first if clothes seem stiff or if they are "personal" clothing, or if I am bored and have nothing else to do. That doesn't happen often! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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