Why new clothes from the store need washing - expert explanation
Kyiv • UNN
An expert has spoken about the risks of wearing new clothes without pre-washing. Clothing passes through 15+ pairs of hands and contacts 30+ surfaces before reaching the buyer.
Many people mistakenly think that new clothes are absolutely clean, as they have just come from the store. However, even before the item reaches the buyer, it goes through a long journey - from production to the store shelves, coming into contact with many surfaces, packaging and hands.
UNN spoke with designer-constructor-technologist Alina Yatsenko about why even if an item looks perfect - washing before first wear is not just a matter of cleanliness, but also a matter of health care.
To answer this question, one needs to think about the chain of the manufacturing cycle. Namely - what happens to the clothes before they reach your hands and analyze how they then come into contact with your body
According to Yatsenko, it all starts with a roll of fabric, which needs to be first manufactured, packaged, delivered to production, unpacked, unwound, cut into pieces (layouts), cut, shaped (laid out in detail by size), manufactured, quality checked, packaged, and sent to warehouses and stores.
Then this clothing waits for the sales process, where it is also unpacked, hung or laid out and tried on. And only then does it reach the buyers.
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That is, at every stage, the clothes come into contact with many hands, surfaces, boxes, containers, packaging, tables, sales floors, counters or mannequins.
By minimum calculations:
- the clothes go through at least 15 pairs of hands (and with logistics, marketing and warehousing taken into account - even more);
- come into contact with more than 30 different surfaces.
"If outerwear goes through wet-heat treatment in the process, which negates half of the contacts in this chain, then underwear and knitwear do not.
Because the production of the latter does not require a wet-heat treatment process", - Yatsenko notes.
Also, washing plays an important role in reducing the allergenicity of fabrics, especially for people prone to allergic reactions. In particular, it helps remove potential allergens such as dust mites, pollen, animal hair and residues of chemicals that can accumulate on fabrics.
"So we see that the amount of allergens, dangerous dirt particles and microorganisms (bacteria and fungi) on new clothes can be off the charts", - the designer added.
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From the point of view of health and hygiene
For underwear, children's, home clothes and knitwear, washing after purchase before wearing is mandatory, and heat treatment in addition to it is highly desirable.
If it's a dress, skirt, pants or shirt, then washing is desirable, but not mandatory. But pre-ironing or heat treatment is highly recommended.
If it's outerwear - washing is most likely not necessary. Because it usually goes through wet-heat treatment during manufacturing and does not come into direct contact with the skin surface.
The impact of the first wash on the appearance of the product
There are many nuances here that depend directly on the fabric itself, the complexity of the model and your personal choice. I would single out separately clothes made of expensive natural fabrics and made to order. It's better not to wash them right away
"Because such products, unfortunately, even if a little, but still lose the "new luster" of the just-made clothes. After all, they usually have a more complex cut and finishing of the details, which is very difficult to iron back to the initial state of the just-sewn product after washing", - the expert adds.
However, as an alternative, the specialist recommends using an iron, a steam generator or contacting a proven dry cleaner.
Washing new clothes before first wear is a matter not only of cleanliness, but also of safety. This is especially important for items that come into direct contact with the skin. In some cases, heat treatment may be sufficient, but for hygiene and health, washing remains the best solution.
