How Often Should I Wash My Clothes

I am meticulous about our laundry.  I sort loads by color, fabric, and weight.  I examine all items so that I can catch places that need pre-treating.  I carefully measure out the detergent so as to not get too much, and I wash garments on the proper temperature and wash setting, using great care not to overload the machine.  My husband, on the other hand, let’s just say when he absolutely has to do laundry, he’s not that careful – and just leave it there.  According to Procter & Gamble, people do their laundry improperly by not sorting loads, overloading machines, and washing clothes too often.  They also went on to share results of a study that found 'the average American woman spends 7 to 9 hours a week in the laundry room, up from the 1960’s. This phenomenon is likely due to the singular wearing of garments and larger wardrobes.'

I would like to reduce the amount of time I spend on laundry, but more than that, I want to be sure what I’m putting on my body is clean.  So my question today is – how often should I wash that?

• Bathing Suits – wash after each wearing.
• Bath Towels – every 3 – 4 uses, making sure you hang it up between uses to dry.  
• Pajamas – every 3 – 4 wearing.  Pajamas rub against your skin, and you are constantly shedding skin cells.  Sometimes skin cells contain microorganisms that could cause health issues.
• Bed Sheets – weekly.  Click on bed sheets to learn why.
• Underwear, socks, bras, t-shirts, tanks, camisoles, basically anything that rubs right next to your skin all day long – should be washed after every wearing.
• Pants and jeans – usually after 2 wearing unless it is hot out, you’ve been sweating, or there is visible dirt.
• Leggings and tights – wash after every wearing.
• Suits – there’s simply not an easy answer for this one.  The short answer is it depends; it depends on the environment, how long you wore it, did you spill anything on it, and so on.  To learn more about suit care, click here.

Of course there will always be exceptions, but one thing does remain constant.  That is, if something you are wearing gets dirt on it, has something spilled on it, or is stained, don’t place it back in the closet; instead wash it or have it cleaned as soon as possible.  The longer a stain or spill sits on a garment, the more difficult it becomes to remove.  A Cleaner World is always here to help, so if you need assistance with a garment, just drop it by one of our locations.