Did you know that washing your jeans after wearing it once can be bad for it? Different clothing items have different laundry timelines that should be followed if you want your clothes to last for a long time. If you’ve always been a “wear and wash clothes” person, then you should consider changing your routine.
How often you should wash clothes is dependent on a lot of factors. Some of them include the weather, proximity to your skin, how active you were, how much you sweat, the fabric type and the article of clothing.
Read: Dirty Clothes And Their Unknown Dangers
Underwear (Once)
You should definitely wash your underwear after every wear (no pun intended). They are the closest piece of clothing to your skin and absorb a lot of sweat and dirt from your body. Frequent washing to get rid of bacteria and possible smells is necessary to keep your underwear fresh. However, Bras are an exception. They can be worn multiple times.
Using your underwear more than once can give it an unpleasant smell and cause itching in the area where it covers. Also, turning it inside out is not a solution, it is still the same piece of clothing, Einstein.
Athletic Wear (Once)
Your gym fit should be worn per session. You should wash all your athletic wear after you wear them once. When you exercise in them, the sweat and grime from your body dry up and stick to the clothes. When you wear them without washing, the dirt which had accumulated from the last wear would come in contact with your body again, making them uncomfortable to wear.
Apart from comfort, the dried sweat can begin to smell and announce to everyone else that you haven’t washed your gym wear.
Shirts/Blouses (2-3 wears)
Shirts and blouses can be worn multiple times. You can wash them after 2-3 wears. If you work from home, you can easily wear your clothes more than twice. Since you aren’t participating in a lot of physical activity, it’ll be hard for them to get dirty or soaked with sweat. Washing your shirt or blouse after every wear can weaken the fabric and make the clothes fade.
Native/Ankara (3-4 wears)
These clothes can be worn 3-4 times before washing. You can sun dry immediately after washing and then hang it up till you want to wear it again. Unless you attended an Owambe where you danced a lot or you trekked from the party back to your house, custom native pieces don’t experience a lot of dirt. You can make an exception for white pieces as they attract dust and dirt easily.
Plain Trousers/Skirts (4-5 wears)
Skirts and trousers are clothing items that can be worn more than once because they are worn in the lower part of the body which doesn’t release as much sweat as the upper part. They can be washed after 4-5 wears. Overwashing these items can lead to fading and a lot of loose threads.
Jeans (5-6 wears)
Jeans are made from hard fabric and can withstand a lot of usage. You can wear your jeans 5-6 times before you send them to the laundry. Your jeans are likely to wear out fast if you wash them too often.
If you think your jean is dirty after one or two wears, you can run a wet cloth or sponge on it and dry, instead of washing the entire thing. Also, Light-coloured jeans pick up more dirt than dark-coloured ones.
Suits/Jackets (5-7 wears)
Since they’re very thick and worn over other layers of clothing, your suits and jackets can survive being worn 5-7 times. Washing them after 1 or 2 wears will hinder their durability. You can sun dry and store in a suit cover to prevent them from gathering dust while they are in your wardrobe.
Knowing when to and how to wash is important to prolong the life of your clothes. In the right hands, your clothes will last for years and still look new while at it. You’re great at doing your laundry but some of your clothes require that extra touch.
Read: 5 Benefits Of Using A Laundry Service
You can trust Eden Life laundry to give your clothes the delicate treatment they deserve. Start an Eden Life laundry subscription and watch your clothes come to life.