You could be forgiven for re-wearing the same top two days in a row, but underwear is a different matter… Right?
Well, actually, new research suggests that as many as one in five people are wearing their pants more than once before putting them in the wash. Which is pretty gross.
In a survey of 1,000 UK adults undertaken by online clothing retailer Banana Moon Clothing, 20% of people admitted to wearing their underwear two or more times before washing them, with 3% saying they would ‘turn them inside out’ in order to keep them feeling fresh.
Men are worse when it comes to re-wearing, with nearly a third (31%) of those surveyed confessing to the habit – compared to just 10% of women.
Keeping your clothes clean is incredibly important for your health – especially when it comes to underwear. Commenting on the findings, Paul Matewele, senior lecturer in microbiology immunology at London Metropolitan University, said: ‘Every day our bodies come into contact with many different forms of bacteria, from food to nasal secretions and even toilet doors or taps.
‘If you wipe these bacteria on to your clothes, your clothes can then become the carrier of the harmful residue. Some bacteria such as Enterococcus faecium survive better on our on clothes than they do in our gut so it’s best to be on the safe side and remove this harmful bacteria by regularly washing clothes at high temperatures.’
Adding to this was Lesley Taylor, microbiologist at Addmaster, who said: ‘There are no right or wrong answers for how often outer clothing or garments should be washed, but the general rule of thumb is that underwear should be washed every day as it covers areas that can breed bacteria.’
It was also discovered that 26% of women said they would wear their bra five or more times before washing it, with 6% admitting to holding out for 10 wears before doing the laundry.
On top of this, 5% of those surveyed said they would get at least two wears out of their gym kit. This comes after a separate report found that as many as one in three Brits don’t wash their gym kit. Speaking to NetDoctor, Dr Lisa Ackerley, Chartered Environmental Health Practitioner (The Hygeine Doctor), said: ‘I would always recommend washing any type of gym kit every time after using it. Wash your clothes on a high wash of above 60°C each time. To ensure that you are killing the bacteria, you could also use an anti-bacterial laundry cleaner if you are washing below 60°C.’
