Do you have to wash new clothes before wearing them? This is what happens when you don't

Raise your hand if you haven't done it before. That of buying a new garment and as soon as you get home you feel the need to wear it for the first time at a dinner that same night. For many, a routine gesture. For others, a common unhygienic mistake and, to make matters worse, not without risks. And there are two types of people. On the one hand, the far-sighted ones who thoroughly wash everything they acquire before wearing it. On the other, those who, whether due to lack of time, impatience or mere carelessness, have no qualms about wearing new clothes as they come from the store. And you, which side are you on? If you are from the second, you should know that the recommendation of the experts in Consumption and the Ministry of Health itself is to put the washing machine as a previous step to brand new look. The question is, how many people do it?

Be that as it may, the reality is that before reaching the closets, the garments go through innumerable processes and hands, from the moment they are manufactured until they are transported and end up on the racks of the shops. Through the fabrics pass the fingers of those who are in charge of making them, those who package and transport them, by the clerk who places them in the store and by the hundreds of people who touch them, pick them up from the ground (after stamping on them in many cases) and they take them to the fitting room or even home.

"Clothing accumulates an infinity of dirt and bacteria from the time it is produced until it reaches our homes. Therefore, it is recommended that it go through the washing machine before being used," says Philip M. Tierno, director of microbiology at the Faculty of Medicine at New York University, in a study. Germs, chemicals or even menstrual remains are some of the findings of this scientist in the unworn underwear analyzed, but the accumulated dirt also extends to outer garments, he warns.

In line with this debate, the famous program 'Good Morning America' carried out, with the help of the aforementioned doctor Tierno, an experiment in which blouses, pants and underwear from three stores were analyzed: low-end, mid-range and high-end. The results? "In a blouse we found respiratory secretions, skin flora, and some remains of fecal flora [...] This other even vaginal microorganisms and fecal germs in amounts higher than normal," revealed the expert. This type of substance, he detailed, accumulates mainly in the areas of the garment near the armpits and near the buttocks in the case of pants. “Most people are not aware of this because they see clothes that are new and neatly arranged on the rack. However, many people try it on. In this way, it comes into contact with certain parts of its body that may have pathogenic agents that will later be transmitted”, explains the doctor. Tierno's advice to avoid infection is clear: wash clothes before wearing them and try them on by wearing other clothes underneath to avoid direct contact. But who does?

Eliminating the remains of the chemical products used in the textile manufacturing process is another of the arguments put on the table by the experts. And it is that said residues in contact with certain more sensitive skins can generate an allergy. Once the garments are finished they can be sprayed with fungicides to prevent fungal growth during transport or colored with chemical dyes. All these products can cause dermatitis or vulvitis in the case of underwear, among other diseases.

To prevent them, a simple wash is enough. This is also warned by the Organization of Consumers and Users (OCU): “As advice to the consumer, we recommend always washing the garments before wearing them for the first time. This will eliminate the manufacturing remains that could cause an undesirable reaction. Especially brightly colored or patterned clothing has a higher risk of containing harmful substances, so care must be taken if you suffer from allergies or are sensitive to irritations, "advise from the organization. “In the case of baby clothes, prior washing is mandatory” they add.