Washing your clothes every day can sometimes seem like a waste of time, water, money, electricity and energy. Is that sometimes the case and can you stretch out your wash times a little more?
Some say that you should wash your gym clothes after every use, whilst other brag that they wear them for up to a week before throwing them in the wash bin. What is 'normal' depends largely on what you have been told by the people around you. What is 'right' or 'okay' depends on a variety of factors:
1. Type of Clothing
Here's a no-brainier: socks and undies need to be washed every day. Since these are susceptible to sweat, hold sensitive body parts and can often carry nasty germs and fungi; do the right thing and take it off every day. Wearing the same undies can lead to nasty smells and marks that can turn off everybody. Wearing the same socks can invite fungi like athletes foot. But what about other types of clothing like tee-shirts and pants? Read below to see what factors indicate these:
2. Sweat and Moisture
People that sweat more than others need to wash their clothes more regularly. This prevents the spread of unwanted germs and smelly odors. If you sweat a lot during your exercise routine, you should do the same. Moisture is also a big factor on its own, because of its ability to spread germs. If you are in a humid environment that makes clothes moist, make an appearance under the rain or grace the sauna with any items of clothing on: throw it in the wash bin. Oil production also comes into play here. You might not be getting your clothes very moist, but oils can also harbor germs and impurities that you don't want hanging around on your clothing. If your clothes keep dry for a long time, you could probably squeeze out a little more show time from your clothes before their clean-me-now retirement.
3. Ventilation
Clothes that aren't well-ventilated will also breed germs and non-pleasantries. Air flow helps to keep clothes fresh and clean. This is a good point for the how-long-do-I-wash-my-towel dilemma. If your towel gets enough air flow and dries out quicker, it is probably good for a few more days. Towels that stay wet need to be washed more often. After my shower, I pop my towel in the sun and let it dry out. This lets me use the same towel for an entire week. If I can't dry it out in the sun, I chuck it in the wash. If your poor clothes are locked in a gym bad or your hot car for a long period of time after use, you need to wash them more often.
4. Environment
This is also a very important factor. If you or your clothes are subjected to environments that pose greater germ risks, they need to be washed more often; even if nothing seems wrong. For example, clothes and come into contact with much of your gym's locker room should be washed more often to prevent the spread of stuff like athlete's foot, stinky germs and other fungi.
5. Personal Preference
Did you know that in the olden days, people almost never changed their clothes? Nowadays, we are under the impression that we need to rewash our clothes every time we wear them. After considering the above factors, decide on what works best for you. If your clothes start stinking, they should have washed already and you really need to wash them more often. If they are fine for a few days: what's the harm?
What do you guys think? I'd love to hear what you have to say in the comments below. STAY STRONG!
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