People are gross. And I don’t just mean that metaphorically. Every day the average human oozes a litre of sweat and sheds 500 million dead skin cells, which explains why fresh towels only smell fresh for a day or two, and why not washing your jeans for weeks on end means they could probably stand upright by themselves if only they could get off the chair (yeah, we all know about ‘the chair’).
So, doing your laundry is a necessary and tedious reality. A generous squirt of Febreze will only get you so far in the stink stakes, unfortunately, and even if you don’t care about smelling like garbage, all those delightful bodily secretions will slowly trash your clothes if they’re not washed away. Plus, the bacteria isn’t great for your skin or, you know, your general health.
But does this mean you have to wash all your clothes all the time? No, thank god, because literally no-one has time for that. According to the Cleaning Institute, who know about this sort of thing, here’s how often you should be washing your wardrobe.
Underwear: after every wear
There’s no way around this one, sorry – anything that makes direct contact with your privates needs to be washed after every single wear, and turning them inside out doesn’t count. Dirty underwear is covered in microbes that can cause all kinds of problems including UTIs, thrush and blood infections, so do your junk justice and chuck it in the laundry basket.
Socks and tights: after every wear
They’ve been on your feet and/or your foof. Enough said.
Bras: every three to four wears
I’d keep wearing my favourite bra forever, tbh, but boob sweat and its proximity to my underarms means it should be washed after three or four wears. Washing your bra also helps to tighten up the fibres in the material, which means it fits properly, which is obviously good news for your baps.
T-shirts: after every wear
Unless you’ve smeared a load of sauce down your front or obtained a similarly grubby-looking stain, it can be tempting to chuck the day’s t-shirt onto the chair for another wear. But really it needs to be treated like pants, since it’s in close contact with your skin and hoovers up sweat all day long. Soz.
Jumpers/cardigans: every three wears, with some exceptions
Knitwear is a classic candidate for the ‘it smells alright so I’m sure it’s fine’ test, and generally, it is fine, since jumpers and cardigans aren’t usually in direct contact with your skin. That said, knitwear is really good at absorbing atmospheric crap, and any sweat it does soak up will really get into the fibres, so make sure items are washed after every three wears. If you wear a jumper or cardi without a tee underneath, though, you’ll need to wash it more frequently thanks to its close proximity to your bare armpits.
Jeans: every five or six wears
Most people don’t really have an opinion on washing their jeans, but some subscribe to very fervent schools of thought and Christ, they’ll tell you about it if they get the chance. ‘Washing your jeans ruins the colour!’ they’ll say. ‘Jeans were designed to never be washed! Do you think cowboys washed their jeans?!’ Can’t really comment on the cowboys, sadly, but according to science, you should wash your jeans after every five or six wears (assuming you’ve not wet yourself or sat on a kebab). Repeated wear can actually stretch them out, so washing them on a cool setting helps keep the fibres tight – and gets rid of the subtle mustiness that usually appears after a week or so. If you really don’t want to wash them, though, freezing them in an airtight bag overnight will help get rid of any lurking bacteria.
Skirts and trousers: every six wears
Like jeans, skirts and trousers are hardy items of clothing, so unless you’ve spilled something on them they’ll be alright for up to six wears. Cotton trousers – particularly tightish pairs – should be washed slightly more often, though, as they’re not as odour resistant as synthetic fabrics and they’re obviously in quite close proximity to your nether regions.
Dresses: every one or two wears
Dresses are a bit of a tricky one, because while the skirt section will remain relatively clean, the upper part around your armpits can get just as sweaty as a t-shirt. Wear it once and if it passes the sniff test you’re good to go for another outing, but wash it after that.
Jackets and blazers: every five to six wears
As long as they’re not in prolonged, direct contact with your pits, you can probably get away with wearing a jacket or blazer up to six times before turfing it in the laundry. Pay attention to the washing instructions, though, as they’ll sometimes have specific care requirements.
Pyjamas: between two and six wears
How often you need to wash your PJs will depend a lot on the temperature of your room and how sweaty you are generally, not to mention if you go pants or no pants beneath. If you tend to sweat a lot in your sleep, wear them for two nights, max, because some research suggests sleeping in dirty pyjamas can lead to the dreaded ‘bacne’ and other skin complaints. If it’s chilly in your room and you’re not a big night sweater, you can probably wing it for up to a week – which is, conveniently, how frequently you should change your bedsheets. But let's not open that can of worms right now.
