How often should you be washing your clothes?

According to a survey from Clorox, One in Eight men admit to wearing a single pair of underwear two to three times before washing.

Furthermore—over 50% of them use the “smell test” to determine whether their clothes are dirty enough to throw in the wash.

This may sound sound a bit nasty, but some may argue that smelling your clothes can actually serve as a pretty good indicator for when to wash, considering the main reason we wash clothing is to eliminate odors and stains.

However, at the same time, it’s important to keep in mind that certain clothing items require a little more immediate attention than others.

Here’s a brief brief breakdown on when to skip the “whiff” test and walk straight to the laundry machine instead.

UNDERWEAR:  Number of uses before washing: 1

Underwear is prone to collecting a significant amount of bacteria throughout the day … especially if your exercising in it!. Underwear also deals with the sweat, and secretions affiliated with the groin region, so common sense tells us to get those in the wash after one use.

JEANS: Number of uses before washing: 5 to 10

Since your underwear already provides a barrier between your groin and your pants, jeans don’t need as much T-L-C. Denim has also proven to hide odor very well.

GYM SHIRT: Number of uses before washing: 1

When you workout, your sweat soaked quickly becomes a breeding ground for bacteria to grow and breakdown your sweat into foul odors. The only way to prevent your shirt becoming a feeding frenzy for bacteria is to invest in antimicrobial clothing. Antimicrobial clothing can eliminate bacteria before they have a chance to turn your shirt into an odorous mess and also allow you wear the same shirt multiple times before having to throw in the wash.

SOCKS: Number of uses before washing: 1

Your socks generally follow the same rule of thumb as your underwear. With socks, you’re collecting a mix of bacteria and sweat which gets more odorous with time.

What’s the Point?

Some articles of clothing require a little more immediate attention than others, so keep the above points in mind to make sure that you’re staying fresh and healthy for your workouts.

Stay Fresh!

-The Singlo Sport Team