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From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it’s investigating the financials of Elon Musk’s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, ‘The A Word’, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.<\/p>\n
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.<\/p>\n
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.<\/p>\n
Your support makes all the difference.<\/strong><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nRead more<\/span><\/svg><\/span><\/button><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nThe holidays are here, and chances are you\u2019re either gifting or receiving at least one article of clothing.<\/p>\n
And while you might be beyond excited to sport your new sweater or slip into your cozy matching sweatsuit, it might be wise to wash it first.<\/p>\n
The debate over whether or not to wash clothes before wearing them has raged among shoppers for years. But experts seem to agree, for the most part, on washing beforehand.<\/p>\n
Frances Kozen, senior lecturer in fiber science at Cornell University told Real Simple <\/em>she typically washes before wearing \u201cto remove processing chemicals, excess dye, and dirt from all of the handling during production.\u201d<\/p>\n\u201cTextiles and garments have passed through many hands, often in multiple countries,\u201d Kozen added.<\/p>\n
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open image in gallery<\/span><\/button><\/p>\n<\/div>Clothes should be washed before wearing in certain situations, experts say<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n
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open image in gallery<\/span><\/button><\/p>\n<\/div>Experts have weighed in on whether you should wash your new clothes before wearing (Getty Images\/iStockphoto)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\nThat could leave people with sensitivities at risk of developing a reaction if wearing a shirt, jeans, or undergarment against skin without washing first.<\/p>\n
A 2020 study found that bacteria and viruses can live on certain fabrics for days or even weeks. That means buying clothes from a store where they may have been tried on by others and then wearing without washing could pose a risk of developing a reaction.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou never know who tried on the garment before you bought it, so you don\u2019t know about germs on their skin, nose, mouth,\u201d Dr. Jami L. Miller, Associate Professor of Dermatology at Vanderbilt Health, told Southern Living.<\/em><\/p>\n\u201cIn fact, a few studies have been done looking at bacteria and viruses lingering on clothes after they have been tried on\u2014fecal bacteria and nasal viruses were commonly found. Lice, scabies, and even bed bugs can also live on clothing for a few days,\u201d Miller continued.<\/p>\n
Even though it\u2019s \u201cextremely rare to become sick from new clothing or bedding,\u201d as Miller said, <\/em>it\u2019s still worth the extra task of washing before wearing, as there are other potential issues that could arise from not laundering clothes first. <\/p>\nDepending on the garment and how it was made, dyes from clothes worn without washing could rub off on furniture or even your skin. Brightly colored items, like red sweaters and dark-wash jeans, are among those that should be washed before wearing.<\/p>\n
Washing before wearing can also help your new items last longer. Using hot water combined with the heat of the dryer could warp clothing before wearing, though, so using the right settings is key.<\/p>\n
“If you want to extend the life of a product and reduce shrinkage, I suggest washing in cold water and drying on low or hang-drying clothes,” Nomi Dale Kleinman, chair of the textile\/surface design department at the Fashion Institute of Technology, told Real Simple<\/em>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Your support helps us to tell the story From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it’s investigating the financials of Elon Musk’s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, ‘The A Word’, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging. At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story. The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it. Your support makes all the difference. Read more The holidays are here, and chances are you\u2019re either gifting or receiving at least one article of clothing. And while you might be beyond excited to sport your new sweater or slip into your cozy matching sweatsuit, it might be wise to wash it first. The debate over whether or not to wash clothes before wearing them has raged among shoppers for years. But experts seem to agree, for the most part, on washing beforehand. Frances Kozen, senior lecturer in fiber science at Cornell University told Real Simple she typically washes before wearing \u201cto remove processing chemicals, excess dye, and dirt from all of the handling during production.\u201d \u201cTextiles and garments have passed through many hands, often in multiple countries,\u201d Kozen added. open image in gallery Clothes should be washed before wearing in certain situations, experts say open image in gallery Experts have weighed in on whether you should wash your new clothes before wearing (Getty Images\/iStockphoto) That could leave people with sensitivities at risk of develop…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":9090,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[2],"tags":[],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9089"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=9089"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9089\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/9090"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=9089"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=9089"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=9089"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}