Am I wash my clothes too often??

[jennynd]

http://shopping.yahoo.com/articles/yshoppingarticles/569/the-when-to-wash-it-handbook/

 

According to this,, most of clothes can be washed after 4-5 wears.. I washed my clothes after every wear, other than wool sweaters and jacket. Am I crazy??

[Chris in VA]

No. You are clean.

I don't have a problem with that.

[Jennifer in MI]

I agree!!!! I am from a family of 6 and we do six loads of laundry each week. We ALWAYS wash workout clothes. Everything else is worn until it stinks. Works for us! I don't think we stink!

[OrganicAnn]

wow 4 or 5 wears. I sometimes throw on the previous days jeans if I'm going to do something grubby or if I'm wearing them for a short time.

 

Is that from somewhere in northern Europe? Europeans wear their clothes longer, often because the weather doesn't make you sweat.

[Hedgehog]

Well now.. sweats and undies get washed after one wearing for sure. Other clothes.. maybe after 2-3 wearings, rarely more. But 4-5 wearings?? We'd honk!

[Tabrett]

I think the article's guide is ok for adults who work inside in a controlled environment job, but not for dc or physical/outdoor jobs.

 

There is NO way my dc could wear clothes several times! They play outside all the time and get filthy on a regular basis.

Edited April 9, 2011 by Tabrett

[MominIN]

We will occasionally wear something twice, but usually we wash after one wear. If you're crazy, then I am too! :)

[BBarnes]

I wear most things once, then wash it.

[hsmom]

I am a wear and wash person, well we are a wear and wash family. I go through a lot of laundry! No way I could do the 4-5 wears then wash.

[Mynyel]

Twice is my max (for my house pants). Sometimes three times (for jeans). Once for all others.

 

4-5 times? Mercy, I shudder to think.

[myfatherslily]

Ummm. I wear jeans something like a thousand times before I wash them (ok, not really that many). If they don't look dirty and don't smell dirty, then I'm good with that. The kids ALWAYS manage to get food or dirty on every particle of clothing, so theirs usually get washed every time they're worn.

 

I'd say the list is just right, allowing for exceptions (food on clothes, sweaty work, sickness in the house, etc). But I'm not a neat-freak, either;)

[teachmejoy]

We will wear PJs more than once and Jeans can get more than one for me, but my kids pretty much wear everything once. I don't know any kids that can stay clean enough to wear things twice!! The exception is church clothes that are worn to church and taken off as soon as we get home!

[Truscifi]

I wash jeans/jean shorts when they need it, which depends on what I wear them for. Everything else gets washed after 1 wear, and dh's karate clothes often get washed twice. :glare:

 

Oh, and pjs get worn 2-3 times.

[stephanier.1765]

Actually, that's pretty close to how I wash my clothes (and I mean all the recommendations...not just the one about jeans 4-5 times). Not anybody's else, just mine. I have clothes I wear at home and clothes I wear out so none alone get a whole lot of use. Underwear and shirts get washed every time because they come in contact with those less than fresh areas. :blushing: That's what the article recommends as well.

[Sevilla]

We follow the article's guidelines. Our clothes don't smell, we don't smell, and it's a waste of water and resources to wash a pair of jeans or work pants after wearing them for only one day living a typical middle class lifestyle IMO. (Not to mention, washing more frequently makes the clothes fade and wear out sooner).

Edited April 9, 2011 by Sevilla

[jennynd]

maybe i ned to rethink how often i should wash the clothes. it will save me so much time.... and i work indoor, they really don't get that dirt, and on top of that, clothes probably last longer too...

[kalanamak]

http://shopping.yahoo.com/articles/yshoppingarticles/569/the-when-to-wash-it-handbook/

 

According to this,, most of clothes can be washed after 4-5 wears.. I washed my clothes after every wear, other than wool sweaters and jacket. Am I crazy??

 

I sweat at work: some rooms are hot, sometimes you have to help "the pile" subdue a patient, and sometimes you are sweating with fear. I invite the author to come smell my laundry.

[Ottakee]

It depends here. My barn jeans, I wear until they about stand up by themselves. I don't see the point in washing clothes that will be dirty after 5 minutes outside in the barn.

 

My town jeans I will often wear 2-3 days if they are still clean. Same with sweaters, etc. Undies, socks, etc. get washed after each wearing.

 

My kids generally need stuff washed after each wearing as even as teens they are still messy.

[Annie]

That's about how often clothes get washed here. My husband's work shirts get washed after every wear because they get wrinkled.

 

We do about two loads of laundry a week. One "white" load in hot water and one load of everything else.

[AvasMom]

I wear jean skirts a few times before washing. Jammies twice. Everything else and ALL kids' clothes (they are pigs) and ALL dh's clothes (he smokes...outside only) get washed every wear.

[Audrey]

I think the article's guide is ok for adults who work inside in a controlled environment job, but not for dc or physical/outdoor jobs.

 

There is NO way my dc could wear clothes several times! They play outside all the time and get filthy on a regular basis.

 

 

:iagree: If you are not actually soiling your clothes with dirt, stains or sweat, then hanging them up and wearing several times is the way to go. Washing breaks down fibers. Cheap clothes show wear even faster. Fine clothes are just a waste of money if you're going to launder the heck out of them.

 

However, to me, underwear and socks can only be worn once and then must be laundered. And, I'm not making my dh wear dirty work clothes (which are dirtied every time he wears them), so those are getting washed each wear also.

[DesertDweller]

We often wear jeans and shorts a couple times. Occasionally might wear then three times if they were only worn for a limited time previously. Shirts usually only once. Undergarments for sure only once.

 

We usually will spray jeans, sometimes a shirt, with a spray bottle and fluff in the dryer. It takes out wrinkles and will even shrink jeans back down into shape a bit.

 

I can't imagine four to five times. Even with fluffing, clothes would be stinky or at the very least not fresh smelling anymore.

[Kirch]

I usually wear jeans a couple of times before washing, but if I try much more than that they *look* like I've been wearing them for a couple of days (loose, wrinkled). Shirts/underwear/socks and anything that gets dirty, once. PJ's, everyone wears at least twice. Skirts usually get worn several times.

[WiseOwlKnits]

We're a wear once, wash once family. Works for us!

[happypamama]

Totally depends on what it is. When DH worked in the field in construction, especially if it was anything sawdusty or potentially contaminated with hazardous materials, his clothes got washed after one wearing (and if there was a chance of lead on them, they went right into the wash immediately when he got home, and he took an immediate shower). Now that he's generally in the office most days, at the computer, his jeans just aren't dirty after one wearing, and neither are the shirts he wears over his t-shirts. Same with my jeans and skirts; in a typical day, they just don't get dirty with one wearing. Now, underwear, socks, the shirt that is directly next to the skin -- those get washed after one wearing (unless I did something like put a long-sleeved shirt on for an hour, then switched to a short-sleeved one). The kids vary; it depends on what they've done and what they're wearing. In the winter, when they're not out much, they might wear a pair of pants or a skirt or a sweater/sweatshirt a couple of times before washing. I still do at least six loads of laundry a week, for five of us.

[texasmama]

http://shopping.yahoo.com/articles/yshoppingarticles/569/the-when-to-wash-it-handbook/

 

According to this,, most of clothes can be washed after 4-5 wears.. I washed my clothes after every wear, other than wool sweaters and jacket. Am I crazy??

 

I need more sleep or something because I read this as "most clothes can be washed after 4-5 YEARS". :lol: That seemed terribly long to go wiithout washing to me...

[Murphy101]

Kids = showers and all clothes in laundry every day before dinner. One, they are kids. Healthy kids = dirty kids.:). Two, I have several with allergies and doing this is a vast improvement for their allergy symptoms.

 

Dh = changes out of his office work clothes as soon as he walks in the door. If dirty or sweaty, laundry. Otherwise, hang up. Shirts, socks, and undies always get washed after every wear.

 

Me = pretty much same as kids only it is usually after bedtimes. I don't have much of an allergy issue. It's more of a klutz + motherhood is a contact sport type situation for me.:) Occasionally, a pair of pants survives for a second round before needing the wash. But not often. Especially on pretty days.

 

ETA: when dh works in the shop or outside, the clothes go into the wash as soon as he enters the garage. Metal shavings, grease, and such.

Edited April 10, 2011 by Martha

[jennynd]

:lol::lol::lol::lol:

 

I need more sleep or something because I read this as "most clothes can be washed after 4-5 YEARS". :lol: That seemed terribly long to go wiithout washing to me...

[Nestof3]

I wear my jeans and nice tops several days in a row before washing unless I am doing something that makes me dirty. I wash my underwear, washcloth and hand towel (I use a clean one every night when I wash my face) daily. I wash kitchen towels, the boys' clothes, and my husband's clothes daily.

 

I do about one large load a day. I wash bath towels once a week because they are clean when we use them. I was hand towels daily.

 

I wash my workout clothes every other day or every day, depending. Sometimes I work out again at night, so I drape them over the treadmill to wear again.

 

If I'm just homeschooling around the house, I don't sweat and I don't get dirty. I keep my house at around 70 all year round.

[MtnTeaching]

I don't care how many showers or how much deodorant - my 14 year old son will STINK

[Ravin]

rule of thumb around here is to wear an item of outer clothing until it's funky smelling when you go to put it on, or something has been spilled on it. For DD, that means most clothing is only 1 wear. Actually, me, too, for shirts. I'm clumsy and presently leak and have a babe in arms who leaks.

 

We also change clothes when transitioning from at home to out--at least DH and I do. At home is boxers (me/DW#2) or pj pants (dh or me) and scruffy Tshirt or tank top (me/DW#2).

[MaMa2005]

I can go several days with the same shirt if I have just been at home schooling. Same with jeans/dark colored pants. DH wears his work pants for 4 days and then on Fridays switches to jeans which can be worn for Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

 

DS's clothes get laundered after one wearing. Boy = Dirteeeeeeeeeeee

 

All underclothes only get one wearing before the laundry.

 

I am a neat/clean freak and can manage this without going nuts. We traveled for 5 summers all over the world with just large backpacks. After those travels, it taught me that clothes can be worn more than once.

[ChristusG]

I don't wash my clothes after every single wear unless I've been sweating in them. So during the summer down here in FL, I wash my shirts after every wear because if you just step outside you begin to drip sweat. Pants and shorts I wear a few times longer.

 

For my kids, I usually DO wash their clothes after each wear. They usually manage to get dirty, spill something, etc. Their jammies they wear for two nights.

[elegantlion]

We follow the article's guidelines. Our clothes don't smell, we don't smell, and it's a waste of water and resources to wash a pair of jeans or work pants after wearing them for only one day living a typical middle class lifestyle IMO. (Not to mention, washing more frequently makes the clothes fade and wear out sooner).

:iagree:

 

 

:iagree: If you are not actually soiling your clothes with dirt, stains or sweat, then hanging them up and wearing several times is the way to go. Washing breaks down fibers. Cheap clothes show wear even faster. Fine clothes are just a waste of money if you're going to launder the heck out of them.

 

However, to me, underwear and socks can only be worn once and then must be laundered. And, I'm not making my dh wear dirty work clothes (which are dirtied every time he wears them), so those are getting washed each wear also.

 

:iagree: Workout clothes, after one use. Jeans and pants, after a few wears. Socks and underwear, after one use. shirts, depends on the activity.

 

Dh is in construction. In the summer he may sweat through two sets of clothes in a day.

[stephanier.1765]

Do I fold them up and put them back in the dresser/closet or do I leave them out and wear them again the next day and then the next?

 

I put mine folded on top of the hamper. That makes it easier to know what is what, plus I have a tendency to leave things in my pockets so leaving them accessible makes retrieving those things easier. :D

[NicksMama-Zack's Mama Too]

It depends here. My barn jeans, I wear until they about stand up by themselves. I don't see the point in washing clothes that will be dirty after 5 minutes outside in the barn.

 

My town jeans I will often wear 2-3 days if they are still clean. Same with sweaters, etc. Undies, socks, etc. get washed after each wearing.

 

My kids generally need stuff washed after each wearing as even as teens they are still messy.

 

Same here.

 

I just can't fathom the waste of time and detergent. water, electricity..

[Ravin]

Lets say I wear a shirt or some jeans once. Do I fold them up and put them back in the dresser/closet or do I leave them out and wear them again the next day and then the next? If I put them back and don't wear them again soon, I'll forget how many wears they've had.

 

I do wear clothes more than once in the winter when it's cool.

 

Ideally, they get hung up to air. In reality, ours usually get shucked and tossed on the foot of the bed...or at the foot of the bed on the floor. Which means sniffing clothes left there whenever I go to gather up laundry...my clothes, that is. I just ask DH what of his needs to go.:lol:

 

I actually need to start monitoring the state of DD's clothes when she takes them off a bit closer and get her to hang them up, but we're still working on getting things thrown in the hamper. Sometimes I'll pull things out of her hamper and hang them up when they get to the laundry room. Since she hasn't gotten stinky yet, I pretty much go by whether she's spilled something on the items. It's pretty obvious what she wore when eating, playing outside, etc.

[JFSinIL]

I wash everything except jeans (the longer they go, the softer they get) but that is because loooong ago when I was a teen my mom would tell me, freshly showered and dressed in clean clothes, that I stank with b.o.

 

Note - I have no sense of smell. My mom knew that.

 

I have, ever since, been worried that I might be smelly. I have told roommates in college to please speak up if I smelled (I mean, you'd tell a blind person they had put on plaids and polka dots in clashing colors by accident before they left the house, right?) I change shirts more than once during the summer, as I simply have to figure if I sweat, I stink.

 

I can not fathom not washing clothes after a single wearing.

 

(I also am know to ask neighbors to come smell my house if I think there may be a gas leak - I can NOT smell anything! Comes in useful when I need to change the cat box, though - so I am told!)

[pfamilygal]

Well, it's hotter than heck here most of the year. So we wash after each wear. Jeans might get worn twice by me or dh, but the kids are a mess. Digging in dirt all day makes you smelly! And walking around in 100 degree heat makes you smelly.

[Sara in AZ]

It's impossible for me to get through a day at home taking care of babies and toddlers and doing housework with clothes that are still remotely clean.

[Lune]

 

I am a neat/clean freak and can manage this without going nuts. We traveled for 5 summers all over the world with just large backpacks. After those travels, it taught me that clothes can be worn more than once.

 

:iagree:

[Stacia]

We follow the article's guidelines. Our clothes don't smell, we don't smell, and it's a waste of water and resources to wash a pair of jeans or work pants after wearing them for only one day living a typical middle class lifestyle IMO. (Not to mention, washing more frequently makes the clothes fade and wear out sooner).

 

:iagree:

[Excelsior! Academy]

This reminds me of George Washington's rules of civility. It says you should brush your clothes atleast once a day. Although it was a different time and I'd be tempted to wash less frequently if I had to hand wash everything, but yuck!

[Ginevra]

See, how in the world are you supposed to know you're on the fifth wearing? I wash most everything after one wear unless it was worn for just a couple of hours, like to church.

 

Children's clothing = one wearing. I can't be sure what they might have touched/held/pet/rolled in.

[Nestof3]

It's pretty easy when you don't own a lot of clothes. I wear pretty much the same thing every day -- same jeans during the day, same workout pants in the evening. After about three or four days, my jeans have stretched out and are ready for washing. I have just a few sweaters I wear through the winter and a few fleece tops. I only wash my sweaters a handful of times in the winter. If I washed sweaters every day, they would only make it through one season. My jeans would be terribly faded if I washed them daily. Seriously, how dirty can a sweater get while teaching and preparing meals? I can see if I fried food or something like that. I mean, our sofa has to be dirtier than our clothes, and I don't steam clean it weekly.

 

Clearly, if I'm working outside or working out, that's a different story.

 

Summer, I have a few capri pants and a few short-sleeved tops. I wash more often because of sweat, but if I stay home, I don't sweat as I keep my house at 70-72 degrees in the summer.

 

I just don't have germ issues with clothing. What exactly are the germies going to do to me? I vacuum every night because stuff ends up on our floor, wash a load of clothes every night, and run the dishwasher every night. I consider myself quite a neat freak, but not a germ freak.

 

See, how in the world are you supposed to know you're on the fifth wearing? I wash most everything after one wear unless it was worn for just a couple of hours, like to church.

 

Children's clothing = one wearing. I can't be sure what they might have touched/held/pet/rolled in.

[Desert Rat]

Lots of different ideas here.

For us, we wear pajamas 2 nights. All boys clothes are laundered after one wear. I wear jean 2-3 times.

I clean houses 3 days a week (not including my own) so I wear scuzzies to clean in then come home and change into pants and a shirt. That set of pants and shirt will be worn 4 hours for 3 days in a row.

4-5 wears is a bit too many for me. I live in the desert so 6-8 months of the year we're super sweaty.

[Entropymama]

I can't remember the last time I went a day without being thrown up on, snotted on or drooled on.

 

My clothes get washed every day.

 

DH, on the other hand, can get a few wears out of his clothes before they need to be washed.

[Nestof3]

Yeah, it's been a few years since I've had that. :lol:

 

I can't remember the last time I went a day without being thrown up on, snotted on or drooled on.

 

My clothes get washed every day.

 

DH, on the other hand, can get a few wears out of his clothes before they need to be washed.

[Entropymama]

I mean, our sofa has to be dirtier than our clothes, and I don't steam clean it weekly.

 

I hadn't thought about that...

 

I need to go rent a steam cleaner.

[Melissa in Australia]

You could always do what my Mil does, clothes are worn for a week at least, undies for 3 days, sheets are changed every month or so. When My FIL last visited ( they live in Canada, so a visit lasts a month) he aired his undies in a bush outside the front door every day. His washing for the whole month was two pairs of socks.

Personally I wash nearly everything every day, but we as a family don't used deodorant ( allergies) so everything is pretty smelly, plus we live on a hobby farm, and deal with muck every day.