Publication date: February 11, 2023
It may be tempting to wear new clothes right away, but there are 2 main reasons why you shouldn’t.
Not as clean as you think
It seems plausible that clothes hang clean on the shelves. That is generally the case, but you are not always the first to hold or try on the item of clothing. It may just be that the t-shirt of your choice has already been tried on many times. In addition, the garment comes into contact with skin flakes and body moisture, among other things.
Professor of microbiology and pathology at New York University Philip Tierno has discovered that trying on clothes leaves a lot of dirt behind. When examined under a microscope, he found bacteria and other germs. Including strep and staphylococcus and norovirus. Fortunately, the risk of becoming ill is very small, but it is in any case a lot cooler to wash a piece of clothing before wearing it. In addition, clothing has often traveled a long way before it is offered for sale. It may have fallen on the floor or come into contact with less clean surfaces.
Read also: This is where the smell of second-hand clothes comes from
chemical residues
The 2nd reason is how the production of the clothes works. Clothing is dyed, cleaned and treated with various chemicals in order to achieve the best possible end product. This ensures, among other things, that molds do not stand a chance and the fabrics remain soft and supple. The chemicals used for this are sometimes toxic or even carcinogenic. For example, working with formaldehyde, a colorless gas. Although nowadays in small quantities, it is a reason to wash clothing first, so that it is removed that way. People who are sensitive to certain chemicals can also get irritated skin in addition to respiratory problems. 1 wash ensures that unwanted substances and any odors are removed.
(Source: RTL News, Libelle, HLN.be, Cosmopolitan, Waarzitwatin.nl. Photo: Shutterstock)
