Why Should You Wash New Clothes Before Wearing Them?

The excitement of wearing new clothes is always the same irrespective of age or gender. New clothes are so picture perfect. The colour is right, the texture is soft, and fall of the fabric is right, and most importantly it feels good. The first ever thought that we get is, “let’s wear it, don’t know if, after washing, it will have the same effect or not”.

But is it right to wear your brand new clothes before washing them? Why is it that dermatologists insist on washing your clothes before wearing them?

Before the clothes get placed on the rack of the store, they undergo a lot of processes. The yarn gets cleaned and treated with chemicals to make the fabric long-lasting. Later, the fabric gets dyed, ironed, and treated with chemicals to preserve the colour. Let us see in detail why we need to wash our brand new clothes before wearing them.

A. Why should you wash new clothes before wearing them?

1. To remove chemicals:

Clothes are treated with chemicals as they are prone to mildew infestation during storage or transit due to dampness. Certain types of fabrics are treated with urea-formaldehyde, which helps to reduce wrinkles in the clothes. These chemicals can cause rashes on the skin, like the collar area, armpit, back, elbow, or cuff region.

It is advisable to remove these chemicals with a simple detergent wash. Read the instructions on the label before washing the clothes. It usually states the type of water for the clothes and whether they should be machine-washed or hand-washed. To make things simple, you can always opt for organic clothes, which have negligible amounts of chemicals, yet, they might need washing for various other reasons.

2. To wash off bacteria, viruses and fungi:

When you pick up new clothes from the store, you don’t know how many people have tried that outfit before you. Clothes are more likely to have sweat, dust, moisture, or dirt on them. The dirt and humidity can lead to bacterial and fungal growth on the clothes. It is even possible that lice, bacteria, and fungi can transfer from one person to other while trying the outfits. This might cause some skin allergies in people who have sensitive skin. It might lead to rashes, redness, itching or skin dryness. Thus always wash clothes before wearing them.

3. To get rid of extra colour or dye:

New clothes can leave colour. If you tend to sweat in a brand-new outfit, it may leave some colour on your skin. Certain clothes are dyed with chemicals like azo-aniline dyes, which can cause skin irritation. This is because when cotton clothes are dyed they do not completely absorb the colour.

When the fabrices get wet or damp, they leave colour. Always check the label and follow instructions such as wash separately or dry clean only. If you wash such clothes with other light-coloured fabrics, it might leave colour on those clothes too. It is always better to wash such clothes separately as per instructions before wearing them. You can also opt for  laundry services, this will ensure that your clothes are washed as per the requirement.

4. To improve absorbency:

At some point in our lives, we all have unknowingly used a new towel or handkerchief to wipe a wet surface. Only to realise that it does not absorb water as the older ones. New clothes come with a layer of detergent or fabric softener that the manufacturer uses to make the fabric look new and fresh. By washing new clothes before wearing them, you can remove the excess detergent or fabric softener from the fabric.

5. To prevent skin allergies:

People with sensitive skin may experience a bad case of allergies or rashes due to the harsh chemicals on the clothes. These chemicals help remove wrinkles fix the colour and keep the fabrics fresh for a long. When these chemicals mix with sweat they can cause a reaction on the skin.

6. To remove any lingering odour:

Manufacturers use fabric softeners to make your fabric smell good for longer. Sometimes the chemicals used on the fabric can emit a certain unpleasant odour.

At times the store where the clothes are displayed uses air fresheners that may leave an odour on the outfit. To remove the unpleasant smell and keep the clothes smelling fresh and nice you need to wash the clothes before using them.

B. How to wash new clothes?

1. Soak in warm water:

Soaking in warm water causes the chemicals, excess detergents, extra colour, bacteria or fungi to dissolve in the water and leave the fabric. Washing clothes after soaking in warm water will remove the unwanted additives on the fabric easily. The chemicals loosen up the hold on the fabric which can be washed easily with detergents. Some clothes, if soaked in warm water, might lead to fading of the colour or shrinking of the fabric. Check the label before soaking clothes in warm water, and whether they need to be washed in cold water only.

2. Gentle washing:

Linen, cotton, wool, or silk need a gentle wash to preserve the fabric and keep it looking brand new. These clothes can be easily ruined in the machine, get stretched or fade colours. Gentle wash prevents any damage like stretching, tearing, colour fading or detaching of the decorative material on the fabric. Set your machine to delicate or gentle wash and wash in cold water.

Further reading: Dry Cleaning Clothes: Types of Clothes That Need Dry Cleaning

3. Sun-dry your clothes:

Treating clothes with UV rays is the best method to get rid of bacteria, fungi and mildew. Natural UV sun rays have strong antibacterial properties. Just dry your wet clothes under the sun for a few hours for a day, and your clothes are ready to wear.

Note: Bright colours may fade in the sun. If possible, turn your clothes inside out and then expose them to the sun.

4. Opt for Dry cleaning:

There are materials that you cannot wet wash, like silk, crepe, georgette or leather. Washing might make the fabric shrink, or there can be colour fading. Dry-clean helps to maintain the colour, and fabric strength, remove excess chemicals, and colour and maintain the identity of the outfit. It involves the use of solvents that can protect fabrics from damage that water can do.

Conclusion:

To maintain hygiene, look neat and increase the life of an outfit, it is advisable to wash the brand new clothes before wearing them. In case you are running out of time to wash your new clothes you can use professional laundry and dry cleaning services too.