Should brand new underwear be washed, before it is worn?

I wash all children’s clothes before they wear them.

The perfume they put on new underwear smells nice; but you should wash all you clothes once before you wear them.

No. I’ve never heard of anything bad happening to anyone from not washing them.

I bought a bunch of new Hanes knit boxers and boxer-briefs from Target this summer and I didn’t wash any of them first and I wore them right away. I don’t appear to have any strange foreign diseases.

I always wash new under clothes before wearing, just in case there is something in the material that scratches me like sizing. sizing

I think it’s probably safe. I still think washing them is a good idea, just to, you know, break them in a little :)

Wash it first. It’ll prevent unwanted dust or germ from your underwear. (I don’t know if in US people are allowed to try underwear before they purchase it. it’s allowed in my country though).

@Doctor_D I don’t think it’s allowed, it is for bathing suits, though. >_<
But I would just wash everything first anyways, it’s just good hygene. (sp?)

There was an episode of House with people getting sick, I think someone dies, can’t remember. Anyway, they had all bought some pants that had had a chemical leaked on to them in transport. Ya never know….

absolutely.

I guess it’s best to wash but I used to buy new underwear when I didn’t want to do laundry..:)

Huh. So you can’t pronounce the name of the country your underwear comes from? It sounds like you’re asking if your own ignorance changes the “safeness” of your underwear. Better wash it, it might contain Taiwanese germs!!

I wash them first. I’d rather know the underwear is clean and free of chemicals, starches, or whatever before putting them anywhere near my naughty bits.

Well I dont know but I have heard that clothes have a starch on them so they hang nicely in the shop and dont get wrinkled etc and look good and fresh on the shelves. I doubt they do that with undies – unless they are especially super dooper undies that need to look classy to sell at a high price. The starch comes out in one wash (thats that new feeling you have when you buy new clothes then once its washed it looses that starchy newness). I think you will be pretty safe with your undies – especially if you have had no problems for the whole of your entire life. I dont think things change that much. If you think about it your arse goes in your undies and well frankly I reckon there is a whole lot worse caked on there then on your brand new underwear. You will probably survie. But maybe that made in the USA attitude might get you into a bit of trouble….. guilt would be more appropriate a reaction to wearing undies made in a far away place rather then say the disgust or fear your question implies you feel about potentually diseased or contaminated underwear because it was not made by a person standing on the same continent as you… mmmm

@zookeeny “super dooper undies”—hee hee hee.

zookeeny. America is not sterile. that was not my point in the question. have you ever been to one of the foreign plants where they make articles of clothing, like underwear? i have not and i have no idea of the sanitary conditions that peoples underwear is made. i would hope they are produced under clean conditions, but who knows? the continent has nothing to do with the cleanliness of the materials used. i am sure the majority of the people hope that their new underwear is safe to use right out of the package, if need be. attitutde has nothing to do with my question.

Once Sinatra was famous and rich, he stopped having his undergarments washed.
Only new for him.

I purchase my underwear from La Senza or Victoria’s Secret. So the underwear is not packaged, it’s usually in bins according to size. I never wash mine before I wear it the first time, but maybe I should consider doing so. Although I don’t think you can try on underwear, only bathing suit bottoms. I do wash bathing suit bottoms of couse though. It makes me shudder to think someone with crabs or a yeast infection or something puts them on, then I buy them and wear them. uggghhhhh..

I wash all clothing before I wear it. Even those that are packaged.

Clothing not contained in the original unopened plastic may have bacteria on it. It does not matter what country it they were manufactured in. Read this.

There are also chemical irritants on new, unwashed clothes.

Ideal to wash your clothes first.

i don’t even think about chemicals, i think about all the people that touch the item, from the point of manufacture to when you buy it. the fabric, the seamstresses, the quality control people, the people who box it up, the people who unbox it at the store, the people who arrange it on the shelf, and all the customers who come along and touch it. all of those people may have not washed their hands after going to the bathroom, eating, smoking, rode on public transportation, whatever. then they touch the item that is going next to your skin, or in your dresser drawer next to all your other clean clothes.

I just remembered this article that was in the newspaper years ago. This guy had a cut on his tongue. He licked an envelope and on the envelope were some cockroach eggs. The eggs went into the cut and after a time of infection out crawled some baby cockroaches. Not sure how accurate my recounting is of that story (or the story itself – thought there was a photo…) anyway just thought I would share. So I guess the rule is never lick your undies until you have washed them… or something like that :)

@zookeeny – Gross, but no. And no.