When did you stop washing newly bought clothes?

[MissKNG]

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?

[G5052]

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).

[teachermom2834]

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

[Guest Virginia Dawn]

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.

[Perry]

I always wash everything first.

[MissKNG]

I felt SOOOO bad having to put them on her without washing too!!!

[Pippen]

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.

[Pippen]

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. :)

[EarleneW]

When they were about 6 months old.

[katemary63]

I wash all new clothes- even for adults.

 

:iagree:

[Peela]

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.

[love2read]

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.

[abbeyej]

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.

[teamturner]

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.

[emubird]

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.

[nmoira]

 

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:

[ereks mom]

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:

[Laurie4b]

I think I washed new baby clothes. I do not wash other new clothes except for underwear and never have.

[MelanieM]

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.

[AngieW in Texas]

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.

[Laura Corin]

I never washed them. My husband insists on washing his, but I've never done it for anyone else.

 

Laura

[Pink Fairy]

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).

[BeckyFL]

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.

[justamouse]

...never? I always wash them. I can't stand the smell of new clothes.

[joannqn]

I don't wash first. I'm seriously not worried about it.

[anotherbrother]

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.

[Baseball mom]

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.

[KristenS]

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. :)

[nukeswife]

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.

[Rosy]

I don't wash first. I'm seriously not worried about it.

 

:iagree:

[Daisy]

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.

[The other Kimberly]

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.

[SnowWhite]

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).

[*Inna*]

I wash all new clothes- even for adults.

:iagree:

[kalanamak]

I like cotton, buy big and give a quick wash and a very hot dry from the get-go.

[Mommyof4ks]

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!

[Janet in WA]

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'.

[WiseOwlKnits]

I wash all of our clothes before we wear them....or even if they've just been in storage for a while.

[mcconnellboys]

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....

[Tap]

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.

[EKS]

Never unless it is an emergency.

[mommylawyer]

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.

[edithcrawley]

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.

[nd293]

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!