Should You Wash New Clothes Before Wearing Them? Expert Answers

It’s one of life’s simple pleasures, slipping into a new item of clothing that you just purchased off the rack.

Better yet, when that highly anticipated, long-awaited online shopping order arrives at your door in a box that’s been neatly packaged inside with plastic and tissue paper, like you’re the very first person to ever try this garment on. The fresh, crisp lines and perfect feel and appearance of the fabric will never quite feel the same way once you toss your new threads into the washing machine. So why bother washing new clothes?

Dermatologist Donald Belsito explains just how filthy your new clothes are:
“I have seen cases of lice that were possibly transmitted from trying on in the store, and there are certain infectious diseases that can be passed on through clothing. The other infestation I’ve seen from clothing is scabies” he explains to The Wall Street Journal. Scabies is when microscopic mites live on your skin (sometimes for months if left untreated) and then burrow into your skin and lay eggs. 


If you don’t wash new clothing, allergic reactions and skin irritations are also common because of the dyes and formaldehyde, Belsito says. The cringe-worthy part of all of this, is that there is no avoiding clothing contamination. It all starts with the people who manufacture the clothing, off to those who ship it, to those who stock the racks and finally all the other folks who try clothes on in the store.

Belsito reccomends washing your clothes not once, but twice because “fungus can hang around for a while”. Gross. Knowing those little cootie buggers can hang on for dear life in your washing machine, you’re best option is to toss clothes into the washer twice to effectively eliminate any potential bacteria or diseases.

Belsito says:
“It’s a very good thing to do” and even he washes his new clothing twice because “being a dermatologist, I’ve seen examples of some strange stuff, so I don’t take any chances.”