Do you wash your clothing?

I recently spent some time in a clothing retail outlet belonging to one of our largest chain stores which resulted in my observing customers (outside the change-rooms) trying on clothing. I began to think about the amount of germs clothing carry and how many of us actually wash the clothing we have just purchased before wearing them?

During my observation I was strategically positioned to see items that were tried on by consumers being returned to the racks by consumers and staff. I noticed the same pair of jeans entering the change-room to be sampled by three males, and a blouse and shirt each tried on by different people.

I also noticed consumers upon leaving the change-rooms handing a staff member the items they have tried on. In turn these items were placed onto an existing pile of clothing and only at a later stage were these items placed onto hangars and then returned to hang in the front for another consumer to try it on.

This observation and thinking of all those bodies with different odors, possible skin problems etc having fleetingly worn an item that I may purchase helped me decide that I will wash and re-wash every supposedly new item of clothing I purchase.

So, can clothing carry germs?

Yes they do according to a study conducted by Dr. Tirno the director of microbiology from an American University. He conducted tests on 14 items of clothing that consisted of blouses, pants and underwear and discovered bacteria on several of the items. On a blouse he found “… representation of respiratory secretions, skin flora, and some fecal flora”. He found on a jacket evidence of “feces [how the hell do you get feces on a jacket] skin flora and respiratory secretions … by the armpit and close to the buttocks”.

Wait for it.

On a silk blouse he found “vaginal organisms, yeast and more fecal germs”. The report stated that some of the garments were “grossly contaminated … indicating that either many people had tried it or someone tired it on with heavy contamination”. The good doctor concluded by saying that organisms can survive for weeks and even sometimes months on clothing.

So, before you rush home to wear your “new” clothing think about the possibility that a number of people have already worn it. The moral –wash before you wear.

As for the toxin chemicals found in our clothes … that’s another story.