Should You Wash New Clothes Before Wearing Them?

Tests conducted by Philip Tierno, Ph.D. director of Microbiology and Immunology at New York University, uncovered some disturbing compounds lurking on clothing. These findings were aired by ABCs "Good Morning America". Many clothing items are also contaminated with chemicals and dyes that may lead to skin irritation, or other health issues. Even insects, such as lice, could potentially be transmitted on new clothes.

What Was Found:

Dr. Tierno tested pants, blouses, underwear, jackets and other clothing items purchased from chain clothing stores, including both high-end and bargain stores. The tests revealed a number of disturbing dangers lurking on the "new" clothes, including; respiratory secretions, skin flora, fecal flora and yeast. Perhaps not surprisingly, swimsuits, underwear and other intimate items were the most heavily contaminated.

What types of illnesses could you potentially get from trying on contaminated clothes? Organisms that cause hepatitis A, diarrhea, MRSA, salmonella, norovirus, yeast infections and streptococcus were all present.

Even lice and scabies could potentially be transmitted by trying on clothes. Is it likely? No. Possible? Yes, particularly if your immune system is not functioning properly.

Chemical Contaminants: Another Reason to Wash New Clothes:

Depending on what country your new clothes were manufactured in, they may contain multiple chemicals of concern. Among them are azo-aniline dyes, which may cause skin reactions ranging from mild to severe.

If you're sensitive, such dyes may leave your skin red, itchy and dry, especially where the fabric rubs on your skin, such as at your waist, neck, armpits and thighs. The irritants can be mostly washed out, but it might take multiple washings to do so.

Formaldehyde resins are also used in clothing to cut down on wrinkling and mildew. Not only is formaldehyde a known carcinogen, but the resins have been linked to eczema and may cause your skin to become flaky or erupt in a rash.

Nonylphenol ethoxylate (NPE), is a toxic endocrine-disrupting surfactant used to manufacture clothing. You certainly don't want to be exposed to NPE if you can help it, but when consumers wash their clothes, NPEs are released into local water supplies where wastewater treatment plants are unable to remove them. When NPEs enter the environment, they break down into nonylphenol (NP), a toxic, endocrine-disrupting chemical that accumulates in sediments and builds up in fish and wildlife.

Chemicals May Lurk in Your Clothing, Even After Washing:

Unfortunately, washing won't remove all the chemicals in your clothing. For instance, the antimicrobial triclosan is sometimes added to fabrics, including clothing. Research has shown that triclosan can alter hormone regulation and may interfere with fetal development.

Stain-proof clothing are a common source of perfluorinated compounds (PFCs), which are toxic to humans and the environment. You'll most often hear about PFCs in relation to non-stick cookware, but they're also common in fabrics.

Top Tips for Safer Clothing:

Looking for clothing made from organic cotton is an excellent start to finding safe, non-toxic clothing. You can also look for the OEKO-TEX Standard 100 label, which is indicative that it has been tested by an independent laboratory and found to be free of harmful levels of more than 100 substances, including; azo dyes, phthalates, heavy metals, pesticides and allergenic dyes.

Finally, many experts do recommend washing new clothes when you bring them home from the store, maybe even twice. If the article of clothing cannot be machine washed, consider running it through a cycle in a hot dryer before wearing it.

You may also want to keep on some clothes while trying on new clothing at a store and then wash those too when you get home. Washing your hands after shopping is also a good idea, as you've been handling clothing that could have any number of chemicals and pathogenic contaminants on them.

Read More