Poll - Do You Wash New Clothes Before Wearing?

[Familia]

Discussing with Dd, and I realized that I dislike washing new clothes before wearing the first time (except underwear).  I realized that I was afraid the item, even if washable, would change drape, shape, size.  When I buy consignment clothing, I always wash first.  Curious what you all do...

Edited July 9, 2021 by Familia

[mommyoffive]

I wash everything. 

[Farrar]

I try to, but sometimes it doesn't happen. Always for underwear and used though.

I once saw an episode of House where new jeans had some chemical that made a bunch of people sick and for some reason I always think of that when I wear unwashed new clothes. Like, is there a secret chemical that will make me into a medical mystery? Am I risking my LIFE with this new shirt?!! I mean, probably not.

[WildflowerMom]

Only undergarments, bathing suits, etc.  When ds was young, I washed all his things first.  

[elegantlion]

1 minute ago, Farrar said:

 

I once saw an episode of House where new jeans had some chemical that made a bunch of people sick and for some reason I always think of that when I wear unwashed new clothes. Like, is there a secret chemical that will make me into a medical mystery? Am I risking my LIFE with this new shirt?!! I mean, probably not.

I think of that episode too, especially when I buy anything that seems heavily dyed. 

 

I wash most things but not always. Anything used, yes. 

[Emba]

Sometimes. If it’s secondhand, yes, always. If it’s new, if it feels stiff or has a smell, I will. If I just feel like it I will. If I’m lazy and don’t want to do laundry, or excited to wear it before I’ll have a chance to wash it, I won’t. It’s just one crazy unpredictable day after another here at my house. 😜 

[J-rap]

Rarely.

[Jaybee]

I voted "other", because usually I wash first, but not always.

[Familia]

8 minutes ago, Farrar said:

I try to, but sometimes it doesn't happen. Always for underwear and used though.

I once saw an episode of House where new jeans had some chemical that made a bunch of people sick and for some reason I always think of that when I wear unwashed new clothes. Like, is there a secret chemical that will make me into a medical mystery? Am I risking my LIFE with this new shirt?!! I mean, probably not.

Funny, not funny, you know?  

[Danae]

6 minutes ago, Farrar said:

I try to, but sometimes it doesn't happen. Always for underwear and used though.

I once saw an episode of House where new jeans had some chemical that made a bunch of people sick and for some reason I always think of that when I wear unwashed new clothes. Like, is there a secret chemical that will make me into a medical mystery? Am I risking my LIFE with this new shirt?!! I mean, probably not.

That was because the guy selling knock-off popular-brand jeans out of the back of a truck was also hauling commercial fertilizer in it.  

[HomeAgain]

Everything gets washed.

Oldest ds used to get serious hives as allergic reactions.  One of the reactions was to detergents, including chemicals on fabrics from certain lines.  Every cloth item in our house gets washed in dye-free, fragrance free detergent.

 

My thought is, if it doesn't hold up to the initial wash, we don't want to be wearing it anyway.

[Familia]

1 minute ago, Danae said:

That was because the guy selling knock-off popular-brand jeans out of the back of a truck was also hauling commercial fertilizer in it.  

Wow!!

[Danae]

Just now, Familia said:

Wow!!

The plot of the show required the writers to come up with crazy convoluted reasons for people to get deathly ill in hard to track down ways.  

[kbutton]

9 minutes ago, Emba said:

Sometimes. If it’s secondhand, yes, always. If it’s new, if it feels stiff or has a smell, I will. If I just feel like it I will. If I’m lazy and don’t want to do laundry, or excited to wear it before I’ll have a chance to wash it, I won’t. 

Kindred spirits.

I am careful if I wear dark jeans before washing though--I don't want to turn my furniture or someone else's blue by accident! 

[Familia]

5 minutes ago, Danae said:

The plot of the show required the writers to come up with crazy convoluted reasons for people to get deathly ill in hard to track down ways.  

I have not really watched TV in 25 years (not willfully at first, just fell out of habit), but...I think I am glad for this non-watching habit, because that is completely and utterly insane!

[prairiewindmomma]

Yes!! New clothing almost always has large amounts of residual dye, formaldehyde, and finishing chemicals on it. (Cotton and linens especially have finishers to prevent mildew during transport on cargo ships.)

Y’all don’t want that on your bare skin.

[Danae]

1 minute ago, Familia said:

I have not really watched TV in 25 years (not willfully at first, just fell out of habit), but...I think I am glad for this non-watching habit, because that is completely and utterly insane!

*laugh* It was a medical detective show.  The title character, Dr House, was a doctor who was brilliant at figuring out cases that stumped everyone else.  Thus the need for bizarre and convoluted reasons for people to be sick.

[Familia]

I wonder if my non-washing (except undies) is related to the fact that I try on clothes before buying or before deciding to keep if mail order.  I am amazed that people go to stores and do not try on clothes before buying. 

When trying on, if I love it, I want to preserve that look for at least the first wear.  I am gentle on clothes, do not wash them very frequently, and keep my items for years!

I've heard that washing clothing is very damaging.  I do wash (I promise=), but I bet I was items a lot less than most people.  DH never wears an item twice before washing...and, interestingly, I would not let him.  Eww!  HaHa, but I, ahem, do not sweat often.  

[marbel]

Usually, unless it's inconvenient - as in, I need to wear the thing today and haven't had time to wash it first. 

[Teaching3bears]

yes! factories can be very dirty places.  Also, I think I have heard that they spray new clothes with something toxic so they don't get infested with moths or other insects.

Also, they have a stale shopping mall smell.

[Familia]

Just now, Danae said:

*laugh* It was a medical detective show.  The title character, Dr House, was a doctor who was brilliant at figuring out cases that stumped everyone else.  Thus the need for bizarre and convoluted reasons for people to be sick.

Whew!  So, it wasn't a reality show!  Fortunately, but one never knows=)

[Katy]

For babies & little kids I wash everything. I rarely wash my own. I pretty much stop washing at the same time manufacturers stop putting smelly sizing in the clothes.  So around the switch from toddler clothes to regular kid sizes I guess.  Don’t ask me why they have to use stinky sizing to flatten toddler sweats but it isn’t necessary in adult clothes.

[Familia]

Just now, Teaching3bears said:

yes! factories can be very dirty places.  Also, I think I have heard that they spray new clothes with something toxic so they don't get infested with moths or other insects.

Also, they have a stale shopping mall smell.

Ok, comments like this are changing my mind!!  In my defense, I purchase consignment 90% more than new, but...rethinking the cute Ann Taylor t-shirt I have on today!  Un-washed...YIKES!

(first shopping spree in...maybe 15 years for new clothes...I bought 8 new tops between 2 stores!!!  So unlike me)

[Not_a_Number]

I try to, but sometimes people are excited about new clothes and I make exceptions. 

[teachermom2834]

Not when I was young. I don't think my mom washed anything first, even underwear. So it is something I adopted in adulthood.

I have had some mysterious rashes over time. Things that were ugly and no one could diagnose and took months to go away. Never was it traced to unwashed clothing but everytime I am tempted to wear something without washing I think of how stupid I will feel if I end up with a mysterious rash that lasts six months. 

Now that I am thinking of it I sometimes don't wash things like sweaters that will be layered over something and mostly not touch my skin but often I still do.  I wouldn't wash a dress I bought to wear to an event until after the event for fear of it losing its shape but going to an event is a once in a blue moon thing. 

[stephanier.1765]

I answered sometimes. It depends on when the next time I'm going to do laundry is. If I already need to do a load, then I grab the new stuff to wash, otherwise no. 

[prairiewindmomma]

Lead and phthalates are banned only in kid clothes in the US. Cadmium is also common in clothes manufacture, as is formaldehyde as I mentioned above, and is not banned for kids or adults last I checked.

Anything “wrinkle free” or “stain resistant” or “waterproof” has  PFOAs or perfluorates in them. Many of the chemicals are known endocrine disrupters.

 

 

 

[Arcadia]

28 minutes ago, Familia said:

I wonder if my non-washing (except undies) is related to the fact that I try on clothes before buying or before deciding to keep if mail order.  I am amazed that people go to stores and do not try on clothes before buying. 

 

DS16 and me tend to get hives so all new clothing, including socks, gets washed. The only items I try on are jeans and outerwear. I try on new jeans over my own leggings at home and return to store if they don’t fit at my hip. I try on outerwear at the store but I am usually in long sleeves so minimal direct skin contact. I don’t need to try for tops since I already know my size. 

I find denim soften when washed even if they are pre-washed. 

Edited July 9, 2021 by Arcadia
Weird formatting

[Acorn]

Almost everything gets washed before wearing. The only exceptions are formal dresses, winter wool coats, men’s suit or ties. 

[Lawyer&Mom]

I washed all our Christmas pajamas before putting them under the tree, and I still got hives.  So yes, I wash *everything* sometimes more than once if it still smells after the first wash. 

[Ditto]

Yes, everything gets washed before wearing.

[theelfqueen]

Sometimes I do. Sometimes I don't. Mostly to do with current anxiety levels. 

[kristin0713]

Other. Always underwear and pajamas; usually other things, but not always. 

[HazelAnne]

I wash everything first, unless it is “hand wash only” or “dry clean only”. (And I try to avoid buying things in those two categories).

[cintinative]

Other. Everything gets washed first normally, but I will confess to not washing the socks I recently opened for my boys.  

[AmandaVT]

Yes, but typically not sweaters. Not entirely sure why I make that exception though.

[SKL]

I don't have a set rule, really.  I will wash it if it seems to have too much of that smelly stuff new clothes have, or the new roughness of the fabric, or if I don't like where the creases fall.  I used to wash all new underwear, but now I have gotten quite lazy about that too.  😛

[historically accurate]

Eh, sometimes yes, sometimes no. Probably a little more common to not wash. It depends on how much I don't want to do laundry. I wore a new shirt to work today - it hadn't been washed yet. 

DH refuses to wear unwashed new clothes, which kind of cranks me off because he doesn't do the laundry and has a tendency to buy a whole bunch of new clothes at one time. Then, I have like a whole 'nother load of brand new clothing. 

[Melissa in Australia]

5 hours ago, prairiewindmomma said:

Yes!! New clothing almost always has large amounts of residual dye, formaldehyde, and finishing chemicals on it. (Cotton and linens especially have finishers to prevent mildew during transport on cargo ships.)

Y’all don’t want that on your bare skin.

This

I was going to write about the formaldehyde but couldn't work out how to spell it

[LucyStoner]

6 hours ago, Farrar said:

I try to, but sometimes it doesn't happen. Always for underwear and used though.

I once saw an episode of House where new jeans had some chemical that made a bunch of people sick and for some reason I always think of that when I wear unwashed new clothes. Like, is there a secret chemical that will make me into a medical mystery? Am I risking my LIFE with this new shirt?!! I mean, probably not.

I recall that episode and it had a similar impact on me. 

[Familia]

5 hours ago, Arcadia said:

… I don’t need to try for tops since I already know my size. 

I find denim soften when washed even if they are pre-washed. 

Re: sizing.  This doesn’t help me know if I want to buy it.  I find sizing varies so much…then, they hang differently or have elements (like neck plackets on henleys, pockets, buttons, etc…) that may look completely different on me than they appear on the hanger. 

[Clarita]

I only pre-wash underwear and dark blue jeans. I had one pair that dyed my legs blue the first time I wore it, so I learned my lesson there. Funny thing though I had one pair of jeans that continued to dye my legs blue after 10 washes; those I gave away. 

[Ausmumof3]

Yep.  At one point I relaxed that standard but after a round of hives from a pair of blue jeans - never again! That was the worst. Dh has also had it from some jeans he bought when he was away for work. Hives, headache, vomiting.  And a family we know had a paramedic daughter who can no longer work due to the impact they got from a bad batch of uniforms - they are still fighting for compensation for that.

[Ausmumof3]

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2009-06-12/union-plan-to-sue-over-faulty-uniforms/1712390

the paramedic uniform issue.

Edited July 9, 2021 by Ausmumof3

[itsheresomewhere]

9 hours ago, prairiewindmomma said:

Yes!! New clothing almost always has large amounts of residual dye, formaldehyde, and finishing chemicals on it. (Cotton and linens especially have finishers to prevent mildew during transport on cargo ships.)

Y’all don’t want that on your bare skin.

This.  And you don’t want to know what some people do to clothes in the dressing rooms…… So ours are always washed. 

 

 

[Arcadia]

3 hours ago, Familia said:

Re: sizing.  This doesn’t help me know if I want to buy it.  I find sizing varies so much…then, they hang differently or have elements (like neck plackets on henleys, pockets, buttons, etc…) that may look completely different on me than they appear on the hanger. 

I agree that sizing varies. My tops are mostly pullovers or long sleeve T-shirts so a lot easier to buy off the racks.

2 hours ago, Clarita said:

I only pre-wash underwear and dark blue jeans. I had one pair that dyed my legs blue the first time I wore it, so I learned my lesson there. Funny thing though I had one pair of jeans that continued to dye my legs blue after 10 washes; those I gave away. 

Soaking blue denim jeans/jackets in vinegar helps maintain the nice indigo color and reduce color run. 

[dsmith]

I always do because the few times I haven't I've broken out in a rash or ended up with die on my skin. 

[Danae]

You don’t have a choice for “I’m only buying more clothes because I haven’t had time to do laundry.”

[KungFuPanda]

A friend once told me about how many times in the clothing manufacturing process an individual item gets sprayed with pesticides.  It was overkill.  I'm not bothering to do my own research, but the story was enough to make me feel gross if I ever wore anything without washing first.  

[SeaConquest]

On 7/9/2021 at 7:46 AM, Farrar said:

I try to, but sometimes it doesn't happen. Always for underwear and used though.

I once saw an episode of House where new jeans had some chemical that made a bunch of people sick and for some reason I always think of that when I wear unwashed new clothes. Like, is there a secret chemical that will make me into a medical mystery? Am I risking my LIFE with this new shirt?!! I mean, probably not.

Oh G-d, like we don't have enough anxiety! Now I have to worry about this, too! How do I change my answer?