 |
| Wash Your New Clothes Before Wearing Them |
“Good
Morning America” recently did some investigative dirty work, getting the
dirt on why you should always wash new clothes before wearing them. But,
unfortunately, they found a lot more than dirt on the seemingly fresh new
clothes they checked out, and the results of their investigation have
definitely made me decide to make sure to wash new clothes before wearing them
in the future.
But before the results
of their investigation, let's just reason this out. Hundreds of people head out
to stores to try on new clothes every day, and they often don't buy the items
they try on. Just think of the possibility of how many of those people have
just worked out and not bathed or are suffering from some sort of contagious
illness. There could be people out there with nasty skin infections tryingon new clothes, or sweaty people whose bodily fluids end up all over the new
clothes. But if these aren't enough reasons for you to wash new clothes before
wearing them, there are a few other disgusting scenarios.
Ladies, have you ever
looked at the crotch of a pair of pants and noticed a mysterious stain? There
are women out there who don't wear underwear, so they're trying on clothes and
leaving behind signs that they've been there. It could be that time of the
month; they could have a yeast infection; or they might not be good wipers
(pretty gross, right?). This same thing goes for guys, who have another bodily
fluid that can sometimes end up in the pants they try on. Then you've got the
people who will actually bring clothing home and wear it multiple times with
the tags still on it before returning it to the store worn and unwashed. And
don't even get me started on people who try on underwear, especially thongs
(it's probably best to buy them in a package). Still not convinced you should
wash new clothes before wearing them?
Well, the 'Good Morning
America' investigation goes beyond reasoning about what could be on new clothes
and actually tests out what kind of filth is found on them, and their
disturbing results will probably convince you to start washing new clothes before you wear them. They procured samples from several different clothing
stores, ranging from high-end to low-end stores, and handed them over to the
director of microbiology and immunology at New York University. He found
bacteria on several items, including respiratory secretions, fecal germs, yeast
and vaginal organisms (which were, inexplicably, found on a blouse!). But does
this mean you'll get sick if you don't wash new clothes before wearing them?
In most cases, you
probably won't, but there is the possibility of it happening. Contracting a
yeast infection, for example, is possible, but highly unlikely. And then
there's a possibility that you could contract a very bad type of diarrhea, a
stomach virus, and staph bacteria (or MRSA). So is it worth washing new clothes
to avoid these types of possible infections? I would think so, but what can you
do to protect yourself while trying on new clothes? Well, you can always try onnew clothes over the clothes you are wearing, or wear a leotard and tights
under your clothing, so the new clothes don't touch your skin. Then all you can
do is wash your hands after shopping, and remember that you should always wash
new clothes before wearing them (it is truly better to be safe than sorry, even
if it means slightly fading and taking away the fresh new shape and deceptive
smell of your new blouse or dress pants).
SOURCE: abcnews.go.com/GMA/gma-found-clothes-clean/story?id=9482373,
Aida Ekberg.
