I couldn't think of a better time to post a post like this than around the holidays...when everyone is sporting their new holiday best, or unwrapping all the new clothes that this time of year brings!
Here's the deal though people....
New clothes are NOT CLEAN!!!!! (I am shouting this at the top of my lungs)!
The following information was taken from these websites...
Please read on...
Did you know that new clothes can contain things such as:
- vaginal organisms
- yeast
- fecal germs
- respiratory secretions
- lice
- chemicals such as Formaldehyde
Many clothing items are unintentionaly contaminated when people try them on in the store or purchase them and wear them then later return them to the store where the tags are often put back on and the item put back on the shelf. With evidence of feces, viruses such as Norovirus (a nasty stomach virus) or even MRSA (a serious staph infection) can be passed along by infected clothes. In a sense - if you put on "new" clothes before washing them - you are touching someones arm pit, groin or even their buttocks :/
ABC News even did a segment on this subject. To summerize their article...
They bought numerous clothing items from three popular clothing chains and had them tested for germs by Dr. Philip Tierno, director of microbiology & immunology of New York University.
Tierno found disturbing results...
On a blouse he found:
- respiratory secretions
- skin flora
- fecal flora
On a jacket he found:
- feces
- skin flora
- respiratory secretions
On a silk blouse he found:
- vaginal yeast organisms
- fecal germs
A few of these items had extremely high counts of germs, far above normal.
There are other reasons why you should wash new clothes.
- One reason is to wash out the extra dye that can be transferred to your skin. This alone is important in our family, as I have numerous children with sensitive skin and eczema.
- Another reason is to remove chemical finishes that manufactures put on clothes. These chemicals are put on clothes to enhance color or texure. Formaldehyde is often used to prevent mildew on clothes. Regulations are not the same for other countries such as Asia and often one washing will not even remove these chemicals completely.
Many people are mislead to think that because they purchase an item at a fine clothing store in "new" condition with the tags attached, that the item arrives to their home "clean". If you are one of these people...you couldn't be more WRONG!!
Washing new clothes is an important skill you NEED to aquire! Please don't be one of the millions of careless people who don't wash clothes before you wear them.
New clothes are NOT as clean as you expect! Spread the word, share the knowledge and enjoy that new sweater this holiday season, without it being a health risk!
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Happy Holidays!
~Mother Goose
This is interesting, Ive always washed them just to get them to feel better lol however I think I will do it with more intent next time :)
ReplyDeleteThis is great information. I have always "washed before wearing" new clothes, but I know many who don't.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the comment on my blog. Sometimes I feel more victims of abuse need to "come out of the closet" with their experiences. It is a very healing process, and maybe more people would understand how to help victims. There is such a stigma attached to victims; why they stay, why they go back, how they got in the situation in the first place, etc.
Thanks for the support. You will be amazed at how my story unfolds, and the incredible lengths I had to go to just to become a survivor.
Blessings!