How Often Should You Wash Clothes? THIS often . . . .
There are 2 kinds of people in this world. The ones who tear through their closets and after trying on 5 thousand items, walk out the door wearing only a few (obv), to leave the remaining 4,992 on the floor, just to be thrown into the hamper the following morning.
And then there are those who will wear the same t-shirt 6x in a row before washing it because, what's the harm?
Washing clothes sucks, unless of course you're into that sort of thing, which isn't THAT odd because sometimes doing the laundry gets us off, too. It feels good, it's like a high, we're being productive, and who can argue with that? Sarah Jessica Parker also agrees and is currently bingeing on laundry.
So the question at hand: How often should clothing be washed?
There's not a one-size-fits-all answer— so here we'll outline how long you can go without washing your clothes, piece by piece, literally.
Here's Our Guide to How Often You Should Wash Your Clothes
Let's start with the things you should wash after EVERY.SINGLE.WEAR
Underwear
Yes, even if you don't sweat or if you only wore them for half a day, you should definitely throw them into the laundry basket the second you take them off. You wouldn't blow your nose and then save the tissue for later would you?
Socks & Pantyhose
Stating the obvious here, wash your socks after every single wear— no matter what. Smelly feet aren't sexy feet. Buy a bunch of cool socks you actually love, so you can do the wash less, if you're that concerned.
Your feet sweat in pantyhose and so do your lady parts. Just toss them in a mesh lingerie bag and wash them with whatever else you're washing at the moment (just never put pantyhose in the dryer!!)
Shapewear
Whenever we wear shapewear, we tend to sweat, like a lot. If you wore your expensive shapewear to a wedding and danced your tush off, yes, make sure to wash it immediately after. Having your shapewear sit in a drawer with any traces of skin cells or sweat = bacteria.
Sports Bras / Workout Tops
If you broke a sweat in your workout wear, you 100% should be throwing those items into the washing machine after every single wear. Why? Because when your sweat is absorbed into these items, it becomes a breeding ground for bacteria if you do not wash them immediately. (we know we just mentioned this above, but we think it's pretty important!)
This happens with most clothing, so that's why it's always better to just suck it up and do your wash. Add extra softener to make things smell fresh as a daisy— just ask Marc Jacobs.
Items you should wash after every 2 wears
Tees, Shirts, & Blouses
You technically CAN go longer without washing these items, but why would you want to? We're assuming you're wearing said top for the whole day, and if you can spare it for a 3rd wear, please do. However, most of the time, said top gets wrinkled, dirty, smelly in the armpit area, and can lose its shape.
Wash your tops after every two wears for the best looking shirt AND try to buy tops that you can throw into the washing machine and hang dry, rather than dry clean only.
hint: tops that are mainly or 100% cotton can always be washed on gentle cycle and hung dry! Follow the tag for ironing instructions afterwards. You'd be surprised how many shirts you can wash on gentle cycle!
Items you should wash after every 3 wears
Shorts, sweaters, and pajamas can last up to 3 wears before washing them. These are our favorite items that can be thrown right into the wash!
Shorts
Sweaters
Depending on how tight the sweater is, it can last up to 4 wears if it's super loose, and it might only last 2 wears if it's super tight. Don't wear your sweaters a 5th time though.
Pajamas
Dry these Cosabella pajamas on low temperature, otherwise they will shrink. We're speaking from experience!
Items you should wash after every 4 wears
Denim
Denim shorts, denim skirts, denim tops, denim jackets, and denim jeans can all easily withstand at least 4 wears before requiring a good wash.
Bras
If we're being honest, it's easy to wear your bra out. Make sure to wash your bras after every 4th wear for maximum freshness, and hang dry them so they retain their shape.
Dress Pants
Like with blouses and tops, aim for wear-to-work dress pants that are cotton and that can be machine washed. Always wash on gentle cycle with cold water and hang dry. These are our favorites.
Sweatshirts
Obviously, most sweatshirts can be washed, and you're probably wearing something underneath. Therefore, your sweat doesn't touch the fabric as much, and because of a sweatshirt's nature, they are meant to be worn for at least 4 wears before washing them.
Items you should wash once a month!
A robe is the only item of clothing that should be washed 1x a month if you wear it daily!
Robes
How long you can go without washing .....
Obviously our tips for washing clothing are assuming that you are taking the most care of your clothing as possible. If you sweat, spill, etc in your clothes, they might require sooner action.
Also, ironing your clothes also makes them look brand new again, just make sure to use it on a low or cool setting, according to the wash instructions on your garment's tag. Jiffy makes THE BEST clothing steamers and once you have one, you have it for life. It's definitely an investment that we 110% recommend.
But overall, our guide to machine washing your clothes is pretty damn good if you ask us! But who are we? We're Shop It To Me, and we found all of these amazing items using our App. Try it out to save money on your favorite designer items!
