How often should you wash your sheets? How long do jeans stay clean? 12 items to consider before laundry day.
A guide to how frequently you should wash your clothes.
Laundry is the chore that never ends. Just when you’ve washed, dried and folded one pile of clothes, another materializes to take its place. But if you’re washing everything after just one wear, you’re giving yourself unnecessary work. Many pieces can go a few wears before hitting the hamper — though some items might need more washing than you’ve realized.
How frequently should you be washing your clothes and linens? This handy guide breaks it all down for you (but alas, it won’t help you put that mountain of clean clothes away).
Sheets: Wash once a week
Your sleep sanctuary is a lot grosser than you might think. One study found that a week-old bedsheet had 24,631 times more bacteria than a bathroom door knob. Experts are close to unanimous in saying that you should wash your bedsheets at least once a week — and if you regularly sleep with pets, you should probably do laundry even more often, as they bring lots of animal fur, dander and dirt from outside along with them. Even a human partner can mean twice the amount of perspiration and germs, so if there are two of you in the bed, you might consider washing even more frequently.
Bath towels: Wash after 3-5 uses
The American Cleaning Institute recommends cleaning bath towels after three to five uses and carefully hanging them to dry in between washes. If you’re using your towel to dry your hands after using the bathroom, they should go in the wash every two days, one expert told Time. Even when you may think you’re squeaky clean, your body still leaves residue and bacteria. In fact, one small study of college students’ towels found that E.coli was present on all of them.
Jeans: Wash after 10 wears
Your favorite pair of jeans or denim jacket can go 10 wears or even more before washing. Denim company Levi says jeans should be washed “sparingly,” as “over-washing can ruin the unique characteristics of your jeans.” In between washing cycles, they suggest spot cleaning with mild soap and a wet cloth or toothbrush. However, take this (and all subsequent advice) on a case-by-case basis. For example, if your jeans get extra dirty, by all means throw them in the wash early. Another exception to the 10-wash rule: As one dermatologist previously told CNN, you should wash your jeans after every wear if you prefer to "go commando" (aka not wear underwear).
T-shirts: Wash after 1 wear
T-shirts are among the handful of items that should be washed after one wear. That’s because these cotton or polyester-blend articles are usually worn closest to the skin, collecting perspiration, body odor and skin cells. The exception to this would be if you’re wearing a T-shirt in cold temperatures and haven’t sweated, in which case you can probably get one other use before washing.
Pajamas: Wash after 3-4 wears
The American Cleaning Institute and an expert speaking with Today suggest cleaning pajamas and nightwear every three to four wears — which jibes with what one HuffPost writer found in an informal poll in which 82% of people said they wash their pajamas either “every few days” or “every week.” Some things to consider when deciding how often to wash include the material (synthetic fibers are “dirt and odor magnets,” a fabric care scientist told Today), the temperature in your bedroom and whether you’re prone to night sweats.
Underwear: Wash after 1 wear
As Yahoo Life’s Kaitlin Reilly writes, it’s important to grab a fresh pair of underwear at least every day (maybe even more, if you’ve worked up a good sweat) and to wash after every wear. Dirty underwear doesn’t just smell; it also increases your risk of a bacterial infection, such as a urinary tract infection, or a fungal infection like a yeast infection or “jock itch,” which is contagious.
Sports bras: Wash after 1 wear
Like underwear, sports bras should usually be washed after one use — especially if you’ve worn them to the gym or out for a run and worked up a sweat. But the good news is that unlike regular bras, which can be more delicate, you can throw your sports bra in the washing machine without having to worry about it.
Regular bras: Wash after 2 to 3 wears
Regular bras can go longer unwashed than your sports bra. Ra’el Cohen, the co-founder and chief creative officer of the bra company ThirdLove, previously told Yahoo Life that she recommends washing bras every two to three wears — “unless you’re really exerting yourself.” While handwashing is generally recommended for bras, Cohen says it’s OK to throw them in the wash if you take a few steps to protect them, like closing the bra’s clasps, using a protective mesh bag and using your machine’s cold water setting.
Socks: Wash after 1 wear
Because socks are worn so close to your skin, the rule of thumb should be to throw them in the wash after one wear. As one expert told HuffPost, re-wearing socks can cause or exacerbate athlete’s foot.
Wool coats: Dry clean 1-2 times per year
Since your coat is usually worn over multiple layers (not close to your skin) and in the depths of winter when you’re not inclined to sweat too much, you can get away with washing it one to two times per season. Aim to get it professionally cleaned at the dry cleaner once during the winter season, and again when spring arrives before storing it away.
Dresses: Wash after 1 to 3 wears
We trust the fashion experts at Vogue when they say that you only need to wash dresses after one to three wears, with a similar timeframe for dressier pants that aren’t worn during strenuous activities.
Suit jackets and blazers: Dry clean after 4 to 5 wears
Suit jackets and nice blazers can go four to five wears before sending them to the dry cleaner. Yahoo Finance recommends sending all the pieces of any suit (like pants and vests) to the dry cleaner at the same time so that they wear out at the same rate. You should also try to rotate between suits to avoid over-drycleaning.
