When Should I Wash THIS?

😀 HAPPY FASHION FRIDAY!!! 😀

We’ve made to yet another Fashion Friday folks! On today’s agenda – the age old question:

“How many times can I wear ______ before washing it?”

If you’re anything like me, you try to keep the laundry basket from overflowing for as long as possible. I will wear certain items numerous times before washing, as long as they pass my “smelly” test (no funky, musty smells) & stain test (obviously, can’t be walkin’ around in dirty duds). I would say I’m most definitely guilty of waiting a little too long at times to launder things like jeans & my PJ’s, I’m not gonna lie. So let’s take a closer look at really just how many wears we should be getting out of our favorite, warm-weather pieces, shall we?

(Today’s post was inspired by Real Simple)

Bras

How Often Should You Wash: After 3-4 wears.

What to know: Bras don’t come into direct contact with the underarms, so they can withstand a few wearings. Even still, they need a 24-hour break between wears for the elastic to recover. Your best bet: try a rotation system. Line them up in a drawer. In the a.m., take a bra from the front, then send it to the back of the line in the p.m. However, if you sweat a lot, then you’re going to want to wash bras daily with a gentle baby detergent.

Jeans

How Often Should You Wash: After 4-5 wears.

What to know: Durable denim is excellent at hiding dirt—which is a good thing, since overwashing can cause jeans to fade and fray. To keep yours looking like new, throw them in the washer inside out and use cold water. Avoiding the dryer will help retain color, too. If they end end up stretching out on you, just toss them in the dryer for 10 minutes (but no more than that).

Khaki Shorts & Pants

How Often Should You Wash: After 2-3 wears.

What to know: Light-colored cottons are not as good at hiding noticeable spots like denim is. If you do end up getting a stain (which is inevitable for me), keep a portable stain remover on hand, such as a Tide To-Go Stain Remover stick. If your shorts/pants are made of stain-resistant fabrics, you’ll be able to get away with an extra wear or two. Be careful with using fabric softeners or dryer sheets though, as they can lessen the effectiveness of the fabric.

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Pajamas

How Often Should You Wash: After 3-4 wears.

What to know: Swap out your pj’s twice as often as you change the sheets. We often don’t realize just how much we sweat at night (especially if you’re in my house) so it’s best to keep this rotation a little quicker than you might have thought. If you shower before bed, then you can’ll be able to get in an extra wear or two.

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Swimsuits

How Often Should You Wash: After every wear.

What to know: Salt and chlorine will eat away at a swimsuit and stretch it out prematurely. Hand wash your suit with cool water and a gentle detergent, which will deep-clean and remove the nasty chlorine smell. Then, let the suit  air-dry. There are no exceptions here: even if you only dipped a toe in the water, a swimsuit is an intimate garment that absorbs body oils, bacteria, and odors. Best to wash it every time.

I hope this post has helped give all of you an idea of when to wash some of those easily looked-over pieces. So now, the question is…

Are you guilty of ever over-wearing a piece of clothing before finally washing it? 😉