# New shirt - wash before wearing?



## TheEarl (Jul 19, 2008)

Brand new shirt wrapped in plastic. Would you wash it before wearing, or is that unnecessary?


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## Cruiser (Jul 21, 2006)

I always wash shirts, socks, underwear, khakis, and jeans before I wear them. I guess I essentially wash anything not made out of wool.

Cruiser


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## Blueboy1938 (Aug 17, 2008)

*Absolutely*

Three reasons:

That shirt was made in a sweatshop in Malasia, or god knows where, and went through many, hopefully - but not assuredly - washed, hands before it was placed in that plastic wrapper. Why ever would you not want to wash it, considering that?

A shirt removed from nestling in a plastic wrapper is hopelessly wrinkled. It's a lot simpler, and also see above, to toss it in the wash and iron it properly. That way, any risk of ironing in some undesirable matter is avoided.

Any shrinkage will be over with. Shirts nowadays are usually not liable to shrink much, but why not get that out of the way, as well as any sizing that might make the fabric less "breathable."


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## ToryBoy (Oct 13, 2008)

I have always worn before wash, I do not see the point. 

If it was from a charity-shop or hand-me-down I could understand, but not when wrapped in plastic.


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## epfunk (Sep 14, 2006)

i wash shirts when i get them but that's because i also iron them on my own. If they're in plastic they're also usually folded up and pinned. I find that ironing a damp shirt out of the washer works best for me.


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## the law (Sep 16, 2008)

Another vote for wash first.


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## Dhaller (Jan 20, 2008)

I always wash new clothes (if washable) before wearing.

I'm exposed to enough chemicals in daily life without adding flame retardant residue etc. off of "fresh from the factory" fabrics to the list.

DH


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## shirtguy (Oct 12, 2006)

shirts always washed


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## kkollwitz (Oct 31, 2005)

Brand new shirts I wear before washing....but I do my own ironing.


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## chatsworth osborne jr. (Feb 2, 2008)

*Remember the Victoria's Secret rashes?*

You want to rinse out any formaldehyde used in finishing a shirt.


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## TheEarl (Jul 19, 2008)

Thanks, everyone!


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## deanayer (Mar 30, 2008)

Yikes! Chatsworth you had my at Formaldehyde, I didn't realize how nasty these shirts could be. I always wash socks and underwear and sheets etc. but I dont normally do it with pants or shirts. I am hereby reformed.


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## jackmccullough (May 10, 2006)

Interesting. I don't think I've ever heard of anyone doing this before.


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## scl10 (Jan 21, 2009)

One more vote for wash first.


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## Helvetia (Apr 8, 2008)

I'm nasty - I iron & wear for that crisp, toxic, germy look.


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## ashie259 (Aug 25, 2005)

I'd never considered washing my own new clothes first, but didn't think twice about doing it for our baby's. Seems to make sense.


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## Acct2000 (Sep 24, 2005)

I wash them first; unless they are a white shirt, I usually wash them either by themselves or only in a load where everything is the exact same color. Some items will bleed dye before they go through a dryer once. This way, I don't worry about colors bleeding onto other things.


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## Andy (Aug 25, 2002)

The "correct" answer is, for hygienic reasons, wash the garment before wearing!


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## fairway (Sep 23, 2006)

Washing first doesn't wilt the shirt too much and lends to a better ironing than seen in the plastic.


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## Ted_Baer (Jun 4, 2006)

Wash before you wear. 


Ted Baer


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## Jerry65 (Oct 30, 2007)

I always wash all clothing first.


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## rainman (Apr 24, 2006)

Wash first.

If ever in doubt one whiff of the shirt often tells you there's _some_ kind of funky chemical brew in the material...


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## brokencycle (Jan 11, 2008)

Definently wash. All the chemicals from making it are on it if for no other reason.


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## eagle2250 (Mar 24, 2006)

My new shirts ( and all other launder-able items) generally get washed, before the first wearing. Though, in all honesty, there has been a time or two when poor planning on my part resulted in a new shirt being worn, right out of the wrapper!


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## HeavyLoafers (Feb 27, 2009)

Always Wash and Press before wearing...


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## T1Million (Feb 13, 2009)

I always just wear mine they seem extremely clean when new!


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## mysharona (Nov 4, 2008)

Blueboy1938 said:


> Three reasons:
> 
> That shirt was made in a sweatshop in Malasia, or god knows where, and went through many, hopefully - but not assuredly - washed, hands before it was placed in that plastic wrapper. Why ever would you not want to wash it, considering that?
> 
> ...


*My thoughts exactly.*


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## Orsini (Apr 24, 2007)

Yes...


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## pkincy (Feb 9, 2006)

I always launder shirts and I launder (w/o starch) prior to wearing. Mostly because I find a brand new shirt doesn't allow the collar to lay down properly and it needs one laundering and it works after that.

Perry


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## JCV (Nov 2, 2008)

Depends on how people want to do it... it is best to wash your shirt first before wearing because when you wash it the detergent will remove all of the chemicals in the fabric that is making it not smell or something like that.

So also by washing it, people who might have tried it on before and they might have left some germs on it....


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## the420skipper (Mar 14, 2009)

I would do it solely because of the wrinkles inherent in the way most shirts are packaged.


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## phr33dom (May 4, 2009)

I have never bothered to wash a new shirt before wearing it, I find life is too short for that.


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## Leighton (Nov 16, 2009)

I wash shirts because if I don't, they'll have those creases. Forces me to iron them.


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## Douglas Brisbane Gray (Jun 7, 2010)

I wash a new shirt on the shortest suitable program on the machine, air dry and press.

My mum would wash everything and anything; convinced that anything new was filthy; I never owned one piece of woollen knitwear throughout my teens as they would all be the size of a postage stamp before I got them.


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## nosajwols (Jan 27, 2010)

I always do now, before now I usually did but in a pinch I have worn them prewash until.... I broke out in a bad rash from a new shirt fresh out of the package, just where the shirt was touching my skin.

Since then, never again.


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