Ransom Riggs
Should You Wash New Clothes Before Wearing Them?
by Ransom Riggs - January 19, 2010 - 7:35 AM

clothesI rarely if ever wash new clothes before wearing them, even though dear old mom always told me I should. I figured that if it was new and right off the rack, what’s the worst I could be coming into contact with? Whatever industrial cleaner the Gap uses on their new clothes? Some dust? Well, it turns out — as usual — that mom was right. Good Morning America recently asked a few “retail experts” for the skinny on new clothes and germs, and found some surprising (and gross) answers.

“The customer probably gets the wool pulled over their eyes. … A lot of people just come home and if it has a tag attached, they think it’s brand new and they wear it,” Tori Patrick, a former retail saleswoman, said. “You really never know where it’s been.”

So to get a better idea of just where a random sampling of new clothes might have been, the show’s producers bought shirts, blouses, pants and underwear from three popular national chain clothing stores, and handed them over to microbiologist and immunologist Dr. Philip Tierno at NYU for a closer study.

“On this black and tan blouse we found representation of respiratory secretions, skin flora, and some fecal flora,” Tierno said. On a jacket, Tierno discovered evidence of feces, skin flora and respiratory secretions, especially in the armpit and “close to the buttocks,” Tierno said.

The biggest surprise came when Tierno tested a silk blouse. There, he said, he found vaginal organisms, yeast and more fecal germs. Tierno said a couple of the items had extremely high counts of germs, far above normal.

“Some garments were grossly contaminated with many organisms … indicating that either many people tried it or … someone tried it on with heavy contamination,” he said. “In a sense, you are touching somebody’s arm pit or groin. So you want to be protected that’s all. “You may not come down with anything and, most cases you don’t, but it’s potentially possible,” he added.

Fecal and vaginal flora? Okay, I’ll be washing all my new clothes from now on. How about the rest of you — do you usually wash new clothes before wearing them?

« Previous Post   -   Next Post »
Click here to get a Risk-Free issue of mental_floss magazine
Comments (57)

  1. There was an episode of House where someone ended up in the hospital because they wore jeans that they didn’t wash first. Now that there’s also real life evidence, maybe I’ll think twice before wearing my new clothes before washing!

    posted by Alexis on 1-19-2010 at 7:44 am

  2. I never wear new clothes before washing them and with that evidence, I’m doubting just trying on clothes. Gross.

    posted by Christina on 1-19-2010 at 8:20 am

  3. I never wash new clothes, but maybe I should start.

    I hear you Christina: Now everytime I go shopping, I’ll be thinking twice about even trying things on!

    posted by J135 on 1-19-2010 at 8:25 am

  4. And how many times do you go to a restaurant where you pay first and then eat? And do you always wash your hands before you eat? There’s more poo and cocaine bits found on cash than any other detectable substances. Having worked restaurants and retail I’ve come to the conclusion that people are too impatient to worry over such insignificant things as washing before consuming. Putting the new hoodie on as soon as you get to the car, or stuffing the muffin in your mouth while your waiting for your coffee at the counter…. licking all the yumminess off of your fingers. Really, life on earth is just a long experiment on our immune systems.

    posted by katya on 1-19-2010 at 8:29 am

  5. this has left me speechless other than an ewww!

    posted by lisa on 1-19-2010 at 8:39 am

  6. Hoo boy. We always washed our clothes because Mom said the starches and stuff they put in them so that they’d stay fresh and crisp for display would irritate our skin. I’ve kept up with it because… well, I believed my mother. No real thought to it, just… habit.

    YAY, habit.

    posted by tea on 1-19-2010 at 8:39 am

  7. I caught ringworm trying on bras several years ago…talk about gross! *shudder* I don’t even like to try clothes on, let alone wear them before they’ve been washed.

    posted by Jen on 1-19-2010 at 9:05 am

  8. Seriously. GMA is another one of those 60 minutes-style TV shows whose sole purpose is to get people worked up about stuff. In a real experiment in a lab, they would also test a ‘control’ piece; something entirely unrelated that serves as a baseline for normal bacteria counts. They didn’t use a ‘control’ piece because their story wouldn’t be as interesting and scary if they told everyone that fecal flora, skin flora, etc. is on everything in our world…even our toothbrush.

    posted by Megan on 1-19-2010 at 9:11 am

  9. Duh, why is this surprising? Guess what? No matter where there are people or other animals, for that matter, there will be bacteria, fungi (yeast), and viruses that go along with them, and it includes you (how do you think they get on your phone and keyboard). No matter how much you try and wash you will never, I repeat, never get rid of them all, and that does not even include the microorganisms that live naturally outside in the environment. So suck it up. Besides the developed world is considered almost sterile compared to other developing countries.

    posted by Dagger on 1-19-2010 at 9:15 am

  10. @Jen: omg. That is enough to make me never want to try on anything again.

    I’ve always washed new stuff because that is the way my mom did it. Plus, I think it’s just common sense that there’s a good chance at least one other person has tried on that clothing and you don’t know where that person has been…

    posted by Heather on 1-19-2010 at 9:35 am

  11. Yeah, I wash everything, especially since my kids have so much used clothing given to them. I reject anything (new or used) that says “dry clean only”.

    posted by Miss Cellania on 1-19-2010 at 9:40 am

  12. I agree that we shouldn’t get worked up about stuff like this – like many have said, there are germs and gross things everywhere (and, really, who didn’t eat grass and drink from their friends pop cans when they were a kid?) When it comes down to it, our bodies are tough and will usually be okay with a bit of dirty.

    That being said, I would strongly encourage everyone to wash their new clothes before wearing them. I worked retail for two years and things can get a little nasty. The shirt you bought may have been tried on by a hundred other people that were sweaty, smelly, unwashed or worse. And if the store takes returns, who knows where those pants went before being returned. Euck.

    posted by Jenny on 1-19-2010 at 9:40 am

  13. One time my wife was trying on jeans and found a used tampon in the pocket. Talk about disgusting!

    posted by sw on 1-19-2010 at 9:51 am

  14. I’ve got to second Megan. Life is gross. All of it. Always has been. GMA could conduct that test on the chair you’re sitting on and find much worse.

    posted by NateH on 1-19-2010 at 10:04 am

  15. I wear even things from the Goodwill without washing them as long as they pass the smell test. If it smells like chemicals, I’m more worried than if it smells like another person has tried it on. I remember in 6th grade, my best friend and I had a contest to see who could wear their jeans every day longer without washing them – I lasted six months.

    posted by Molly on 1-19-2010 at 10:16 am

  16. As a screenprinter, its also a good idea to wash all t-shirts before you wear them to remove the excess spray adhesive we use to help them stick to the shirt platens (boards)

    posted by CJ on 1-19-2010 at 10:20 am

  17. Our bodies are built to fight off bacteria and viruses. We shouldn’t be terrified every time we hear the world around us has germs. Everything has fecal flora.

    People are so concerned with clothes and other items being covered in germs, but when is the last time you cleaned your cellphone or steering wheel?

    posted by Heather on 1-19-2010 at 10:23 am

  18. gross. Thanks for posting this – I actually picked up a few new shirts yesterday and already dropped them in the hamper…

    I was actually thinking about this question this morning and, honestly, the only clothes I won’t initially wash if it’s something I pick up (on the rare ocassion) from Abercrombie and Fitch, only b/c I LOVE the way the clothes smell. However, lesson learned. ew.

    posted by OkieMelissa on 1-19-2010 at 10:45 am

  19. I always wash clothes first to get off any finishing product they put on it during manufacturing and to pre-shrink any shirts and stuff.

    RE Alexis:

    The jeans on “House” were very poorly made, they were being sold out of the back of a truck, after all! I doubt that would happen in real life but you never know.

    posted by Sarah in CA on 1-19-2010 at 10:49 am

  20. I bought a blazer last year, and wore it without washing it. (Figured I had another shirt underneath, so no big deal.) I put my hand in my pocket and felt something strange…pulled out a handful of someone’s (used) fake fingernails. It completely freaked me out. I was really glad to have hand sanitizer in my purse at that moment.

    posted by bre on 1-19-2010 at 11:02 am

  21. I always wash before wearing new clothes out, that way I also know if they still fit the way I want after they’ve been washed.

    posted by Cameron on 1-19-2010 at 11:08 am

  22. There used to be a Liz Claiborne warehouse in my town. The employees in shipping would spit, on pee on, blow their noses on, and Lord only knows what else they did as they were preparing the clothes for shipping. Even befor efinding out about this, I was washing my clothes before wearing them. And yes, I also wash my hands before eating.

    posted by oldguy45 on 1-19-2010 at 11:21 am

  23. It’s not only the previous person you have to worry about. Consider factory conditions in far-off exotic lands!!!

    posted by PT on 1-19-2010 at 12:00 pm

  24. Re: Alexis and Sarah

    The jeans thing DID happen in real life. I’m sketchy on the House episode details, but in the book “The Medical Detectives” by Berton Roueche, there’s a true case of a boy getting sick from wearing unwashed jeans he got from the back of a truck that ended up being contaminated with pesticides. Admittedly less likely to happen today, but you never know!

    Also, I was told one reason you should always wash new clothes before wearing them is that the clothes are treated with formaldehyde to help keep them from becoming contaminated when people try them on. Maybe that’s more of an old wives’ tale, though…

    posted by Biogirl on 1-19-2010 at 12:08 pm

  25. Why wear something someone has tried on? Gross. I’ve always washed my clothes before wearing them. I guess my friends won’t think I’m weird for feeling dirty after shopping anymore.

    posted by Kelsey on 1-19-2010 at 12:25 pm

  26. Meh, wash my hands regularly enough, but 99% of the other things that people say I “have” to do, I pay no attention…

    I might get sick once every 3 years or so… You have an immune system for a reason. Fecal flora and any other kind of nasty you want is everywhere.

    posted by Troy H. on 1-19-2010 at 12:52 pm

  27. I always wash my new clothes first, because you never know who tried them on or handled them last.

    posted by Sara in AL on 1-19-2010 at 1:22 pm

  28. I don’t wash clothes before I wear them because of the things listed above, I wash them because of my friend’s experience: http://www.simplekindoflife.com/2008/02/07/old-navy-snail-trail-pants/

    posted by Jenn on 1-19-2010 at 1:50 pm

  29. The only clothes I never wash before wearing are socks that come in a package…I’m assuming that all this bacteria and such only comes from other consumers trying them on so hopefully I’m safe!

    posted by Mike James on 1-19-2010 at 2:01 pm

  30. This is a stressor in life that is unnecessary. Who cares? Everything is covered in germs. There was a mythbusters episode where they tested toothbrushes and they had fecal particles on them…Am I not going to brush my teeth now? No. I don’t wash my clothes before I wear them and I never will.Get over it people…

    posted by Adam on 1-19-2010 at 2:12 pm

  31. im totally wearing a shirt that i just bought that i did not wash first. haha i knew i would regret clicking on this article. i guess part of me just hoped the answer was no.

    posted by nicole on 1-19-2010 at 2:19 pm

  32. I always wash underwear, bras, socks, and sheets/towels first. Don’t know if this article will change my opinion. The only exception is my new baby won’t wear anything until it has been washed.

    posted by Jamie on 1-19-2010 at 2:27 pm

  33. I agree with all the people saying that everything is contaminated, but there are a few things you can get from trying on clothes that aren’t everywhere. Someone pointed out ringworm; I got scabies. That said, I still don’t wash things before using them :-/

    posted by Leah on 1-19-2010 at 2:50 pm

  34. Okay, yeah, people are dirty. Pretty dirty. Really dirty. I agree with some things here. Washing off chemicals and the possibility of catching something icky. But, I mean, ew germs? Really? Our highly sterilized world has really beat our immune systems into the ground. We are far more susceptible to contracting something and having it affect us much worse. The Lysol wipes that kill 99.9% of germs still leave millions of bacteria. The shows that show what bacteria look like are pretty effective, I must say. But they’ve been all around us since, obviously, way before we had that technology.

    posted by Zoe on 1-19-2010 at 3:34 pm

  35. Oh, yes. I’m with the two people that mentioned this. Honestly, the first thing I thought of was that episode of House.

    posted by Zoe on 1-19-2010 at 3:35 pm

  36. Used to work in retail. Not only is the other person who has tried it on a problem, but the factory and the store itself. The clothes fall on the floor where people walk w/ dirty shoes, people touch them w/ dirty hands, they get dusty, and gross in general. And some stores would be worse than others. I try to always wash my clothes before I wear them, just out of principle.

    posted by Melanie on 1-19-2010 at 3:46 pm

  37. gag
    I do wash things before wearing them… and now am also wondering about even trying them on. Maybe I should just start sewing all my own clothes… if only I could!

    posted by ann on 1-19-2010 at 4:10 pm

  38. I feel like I should burn my new clothes!

    posted by Todd on 1-19-2010 at 5:00 pm

  39. Microbes are everywhere. Some cause disease, but the vast majority of them are benign, if not beneficial. Can’t say I am surprised by the findings and the addition of controls may have dampened the sensational findings.

    There is an idea in the medical world, called the hygiene hypothesis, that believes our sterile-like lifestyle and avoidance of all microbiota is a factor in the epidemic-like incidence of autoimmune diseases (MS, lupus, and diabetes). The reasoning goes something like this: microbes serve to prime and ‘teach’ our immune system. When we avoid them, our immune system is not trained properly and (for some reason) acts upon our own cells, causing disease. The trigger could be exposure to a microbe later in life or due to some other environmental/genetic cause.

    By the way, microbes are transmissible. All of us got ours from someone else, starting with Mom and Dad. I suspect no one would admit that we ate feces, so these microbes colonized us by some other means.

    posted by micx on 1-19-2010 at 5:30 pm

  40. Nope, this won’t stop me from trying clothes on in the store. I am not spending money on clothing to find out that they don’t fit, and then having to bring them back. Or worse, washing them, finding out they don’t fit, and then I’m STUCK with them.

    You wonder why people get sick so easily now? It’s because of studies like this…we are way too sterile, and our immune systems are suffering because of it.

    I can barely handle dairy…while my friend who grew up in India can stomach anything. Coincidence? I think not.

    posted by Meg on 1-19-2010 at 10:02 pm

  41. EEWWW!! Didn’t need to read this, though actual threat is probably low. Reminds me of a NOVA special when I was little all about the microscopic beneficial organisms that live on us and around us, i.e. our beds. Couldn’t sleep for a solid week because I was freaking out about them in my bed!! AAGGHH!

    posted by H on 1-19-2010 at 11:28 pm

  42. Wouldn’t you have to wash everything in warm/hot to really disinfect them? This can be harmful to certain fabrics. I always wash underwear before I wear them, but as far as other things go, I agree with other posters that our immune systems can deal with most things.

    posted by Lou on 1-20-2010 at 12:04 am

  43. I agree with Meg….we try way to hard to be sterile in this part of the world, and we aren’t doing ourselves any favours….the immune system needs to be kept “in practice” or it fails to function properly….And besides all those things are probably on your own body all the time anyways! Good luck avoiding them.

    recaptcha made me howl with laughter by the way….

    “erectile foundation”

    Now just what do you suppose that is anyways!!LOL

    posted by Sandie on 1-20-2010 at 12:09 am

  44. If this article didn’t make me wash my new clothes then Jenn’s link DEFINITELY did. GAG.

    posted by natashalynn on 1-20-2010 at 4:09 am

  45. My grandma watched a show recently (don’t know which one) where a doctor was asked why there seemed to be so much disease, etc. The doctor replied that it’s because we don’t “allow” our kids to eat dirt anymore. I’m guessing that’s along the same line as what micx and a few others were saying. So all that mud-pie making as a kid wasn’t just all fun and games. :) Here’s to good old-fashioned get out, skin your knee and rub dirt in it to make it better.

    posted by Diane on 1-20-2010 at 5:24 am

  46. As a bit of a germ-o-phobe, I don’t even try clothes on before I buy them. Been burned a few times, but I usually stick to the same brands.

    posted by Mike on 1-20-2010 at 5:53 am

  47. What does “potentially possible” mean?

    posted by Bubba on 1-20-2010 at 12:02 pm

  48. EEWW!! Not only will I continue to wash new clothes before wearing, but I will also start washing my money!

    posted by Mama9cats on 1-20-2010 at 1:19 pm

  49. Up until about 5 minutes ago I would only wash my kids’ clothes…

    posted by Paul on 1-20-2010 at 3:13 pm

  50. my boyfriend always insists that I wash his new clothes before he wears them. Now I will too !!

    posted by Amy on 1-20-2010 at 4:05 pm

  51. Fecal and vaginal microbes are on everyone’s hands; unless you never touch your own body, even to wipe. You know how antibacterial soap kills 99.99% of germs? Scientists can find evidence of the .01% without any difficulty. You can swab just about anything within 5 miles of human settlement and get fecal microbes. Even your mouth. And you’ve been living with that your whole life, to put it in perspective. Source, I’m a microbiologist.

    BTW in that House episode the pants were soaked in organophosphate fertilizers — probably not that likely at Target, but who knows?

    posted by Phil_D on 1-21-2010 at 11:49 am

  52. I worked at Old Navy (for a grand total of two weeks before I quit in disgust – the managers couldn’t get their acts together, they never put me on the schedule except for one time, when they failed to give me a copy of the schedule and called me when I was doing something wanting to know why I wasn’t at work), and I saw how the clothing was handled. There was enough clothing being tossed around into dirt, handled by strangers who looked (and smelled) awful, and just being treated poorly in general, that where I’d washed new clothes about 50% of the time before, I ALWAYS do it now.

    I don’t care if there’s germs on my clothes – but at least let them be my germs!

    Recaptcha: “carve the” (carve the what?)

    posted by Kate H on 1-22-2010 at 2:49 am

  53. I wash all my clothes before I wear them, to make sure they survive that initial wash but also because I can’t stand the way most clothes smell. Target is the worst – everything there smells like dirt to me. Yes, I’m a little obsessive about smells.

    posted by Sara on 1-23-2010 at 10:33 pm

  54. I feel that clothes never look as good as they do when they are new. I never wash them first. I take public transportation, so my clothes are going to be grossly contaminated within a few hours of putting them on anyway. I also drink tap water — a great source of protein and immune – strengthening microorganisms !!

    posted by Gale on 2-2-2010 at 10:10 am

  55. I always buy my clothes online, and receive the clothing brand new…I never wash them and has never had any health problems.

    The article is gross, for sure, but also a bit hysterical.
    I think we as humans do need to allow a certain amount of bacteria and germs to enter or system, because if not, our immune system will get weak and not able to withstand a potentially dangerous virus.

    The H5N1 virus was not worse than the common flu, actually fewer people died from swine flu than the common flu.
    The medicine industry spent a lot of money lobbying for governments to declare it a epidemic, so they could sell their vaccines.

    We need to calm down a bit, and not get carried away with the fear propaganda.

    posted by Lachis, Denmark on 6-10-2010 at 3:03 pm

  56. My daughter ended up in the Emergency Room because she put on new pants (not washed) after a long steamy shower. She had tried them on in the dressing room without incident, but after a shower, her pores must have opened up and absorbed the chemicals. Her legs stung and itched for days.

    posted by Michelle Parenti on 9-20-2010 at 11:33 am

  57. thats so gross. I never wash clothes before wearing them. I thought it was just a waste of time and why not wear them now? BUt i guess i was wrong thats just disgusting :(

    posted by Cadence on 1-15-2012 at 11:15 pm

Comment

commenting policy