How often do you wash your clothes? As social media is left divided, experts settle the debate once and for all
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A huge debate has erupted on X (formerly Twitter) over how often you need to wash your clothes.
The debate was sparked by user @missus_wormy, who tweeted: 'big laundry has convinced everyone they need to wash every item of clothing after wearing it once. ENOUGH. expand your mind.'
Her tweet has been viewed over 1.4 million times, with many X users weighing in with their opinions.
'Hot take: I do NOT wash my clothes after every wear and I genuinely don't understand people who do,' one user said.
Another insisted: 'If clothes go out in public. They need washed after one wear. If clothes stay inside. They can be re worn.'
Now, experts from Which? have settled the debate once and for, with a guide on exactly how often each item should be washed.
The debate was sparked by user @missus_wormy, who tweeted: 'big laundry has convinced everyone they need to wash every item of clothing after wearing it once. ENOUGH. expand your mind.' Her tweet has been viewed over 1.4 million times, with many X users weighing in with their opinions
How often you should wash your clothes
- Underwear: 1 wear
- Bras: 2-3 wears
- Jeans: 6-10 wears
- T-shirt: 1-2 wears
- Sweatshirt: 5-6 wears
- Workout gear: 1 wear
- Pyjamas: 3-4 wears
- Whites: 1-2 wears
- Skirts: 5-7 wears
- Dresses: 1-3 wears
- Coats: 1-2 washes per season
- Swimwear: 1 wear
- Hats & gloves: 2-3 washes per season
- Towels: 1 wash per week
The clothes washing debate has left users split on X.
Some insist it's fine to wear clothes multiple times before washing.
One said: 'I can get 3-4 wears out of a shirt, jeans, hoodies, etc. unless I actually sweat in them, spill something on them, or they stink.
'I'm not throwing perfectly clean clothes into the washer just because they touched my body for 6 hours.'
Another joked: 'The sniff test is free, takes three seconds, and has never once betrayed me.'
However, others are convinced that you should wash your clothes after every single wear.
One said: 'I wear it once and wash it..but yeah disadvantage is cloth gets faded easily.'
Meanwhile, another pointed out: 'It definitely depends on where you live and how much you sweat, I live in a tropical country and I sweat a lot so I wash my clothes way more often then if I would have lived in a milder place.'
Experts from Which? have settled the debate once and for, with a guide on exactly how often each item should be washed (stock image)
According to Which? the frequency of washing varies depending on the item.
Underwear, workout gear, and swimwear should be washed after every single wear, it claims.
Meanwhile, T-shirts, whites, and dresses should go in the wash roughly every one to two wears.
However, other items can be worn many more times before it's worth giving them a proper clean.
According to Which?, jeans only need to be washed every six to 10 wears, sweatshirts every five to six wears, and coats only once or twice per season.
'For medical and hygiene reasons, it's all about getting the balance right,' a spokesperson explained.
'For example, if you've got eczema and you want to avoid irritation from bacteria, washing your clothes might be more important.
'But wash your clothes too often and they might not last as long.'
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