Why8
Oct 17 2005, 8:31 am
Bought some new clothes from H&M, and won't wear them without a first wash - to get rid of the smell, and soften the fabric -- out of habit.
But got into a big discussion/argument with a friend who insists it's a waste of time to wash it first.
From the WWW, it seems that there are some good reasons for it, the smell is definitely true: e.g.
http://home.howstuffworks.com/question470.htm QUOTE
There are a couple of reasons to wash new clothes once before you wear them for the first time. One is to remove or diminish the chemical finishes that manufacturers put on clothes to make them look better, and the other is to rinse out excess dye.
Finishes won't bother everyone who puts on a new pair of pants, but there are some people with sensitive skin who could develop a rash. Babies' clothes should always be washed before they are worn because babies can be particularly sensitive to chemicals. New clothes that have been washed once will be softer and that makes them more comfortable to wear...
Formaldehyde has a very sharp odor, and sometimes new clothes that carry formaldehyde-based resins will give off a pungent smell until they are washed.
What do you do?
Patri
Oct 17 2005, 8:39 am
I never wash new clothes as I get really excited when I get home and want to wear everything straight away...
it depends on their recommended care:
regular wash: especially things that i know that lots of other people have tried on like jeans, or things that i hope to god no one even touched and were just magically transported around, like underpants...all those definitely go in the wash before i wear them.
dry clean only: usually gets worn before they hit the cleaners unless theres a weird smell, really who likes to smell like formaldehyde? no offense, eh, to peeps that actually do and/or like to smell like formaldehyde.
handwash: i dont usually buy handwash but if i did i would suspect i would be to lazy to wash them before, or after for that matter.
interplanetjanet
Oct 17 2005, 9:08 am
Ditto what jml said.
Owain Glyndwr
Oct 17 2005, 9:14 am
i always wash new shirts before i wear them just to soften them up. Most other things i don't.
Why8
Oct 17 2005, 9:16 am
Does it really soften them up? I think so too, but I need to be proven right.
Just to please my friend, today I'm wearing my new workshirt
without a first wash, and so now I'm regretting it - eeek, formaldehyde -- it's cancer-causing, isn't it??
worm
Oct 17 2005, 9:19 am
Formaldehyde might stop you ageing.
kat_astrophy72
Oct 17 2005, 9:20 am
Depends on where i buy the clothes. If it's a swanky boutique and the clothes are expensive, I pretty much want them on my body immediately -but if it's just some fun stuff from a market or consignment boutique-you just never know where that stuff has been, so better to wash! The exception to this rule of thumb is of course when Air Canada has lost my luggage. If i get fleas i will send them a bill.
Chicago
Oct 17 2005, 10:51 am
I made the mistake a couple weeks ago of wearing a pair of socks without washing them first. boy-o-boy-o-boy, lint like you couldn't believe! after but a few hours of wearing those un-pre-washed socks, I took them off and me feet were covered, absolutely covered, in lint!
so yea, I'm in the wash-before-you-wear group.
crispybee
Oct 17 2005, 5:22 pm
If you wear a shirt thats been folded and wrapped in cellophane before washing and ironing out the creases you look a prat rather than smart.
More tea, Vicar?
Oct 17 2005, 5:27 pm
Why wash new clothes? That's why you bought them right? 'Cos they are clean already . . . .
That lint stuff seems perilous.
grazzenger
Oct 17 2005, 5:42 pm
made the mistake once of wearing a new pair of dark blue jeans before washing. turned the bottom of a beige sweater a fetching baby blue during the round of golf i was playing. however, unless it's something that's heavily dyed or creased, i really can't be bothered.
interplanetjanet
Oct 17 2005, 7:34 pm
Now that I think about it - being poor as long as I have - it's imperative to wash *everything* before wearing, because it more likely than not came from a second-hand store.
crowes
Oct 17 2005, 8:21 pm
you got to wash any underwear you just dont need to risk a itch
exactly mr. crowes, exactly.
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