25th Jan 2023 love2laundry Love2Laundry

Are Online Clothes Clean?

With e-commerce taking the world by storm, online shopping for clothes has never been so easy. Research has shown that 1 in 4 Brits shop for clothes online at least every two weeks, because they don’t have the time to visit the high street, or they want to keep up with the latest fashion trends, or simply because the item can only be purchased online.

Have you ever bought a new outfit and wondered, are online clothes clean? Well, we will tell you everything you need to know about how clean your new clothes are.

Are online clothes clean?

You may believe that the new garment you purchased from an online business is lovely and clean, because it arrived fresh and neatly folded inside a crisp plastic bag. However, think again.

That new clothing item is probably not as clean as it appears. Dust and germs will naturally accumulate during the manufacturing process, especially if your garment has touched a sewing machine or cutting machine. Following this, the garment will have been transported from the manufacturing location to the stock location, where it will have been sat in storage, probably in a dusty warehouse, until it made its way over to you.

The garment may also have been worn by another customer, before it was returned to the business and re-sold to you.

Therefore, even new clothes will gather dust, dirt, and bacteria, which can become trapped in the fibres of the fabric.

This is especially true if you buy clothes that were manufactured in a different country to you. That means a lot of pairs of hands have touched and handled your garment, during its manufacturing and transportation to you.

So, are online clothes clean? Well, they may not be as clean as you would expect, so we would highly encourage you to wash them before you wear them.

Should I wash my new clothes?

Washing your new clothes is an excellent hygiene practice.

Here are a few reasons why you should consider washing your new clothes before you wear them:

You will wash away germs

The nastiest germs and bugs can infiltrate your new clothing. There could be all sorts of bacteria, fungi, viruses and even lice and scabies on the surfaces.

Research from an American microbiology professor at New York University has shown that norovirus, bacteria including strep and staph, and even faecal germs were present on clothing from popular chain stores. So, new clothing can expose you to harmful bugs and germs, which will only go away when they are washed with hot water and laundry detergent.

If you have a tiny cut on your body, and bacteria from new clothes enter the wound, then this makes you more susceptible to developing infections, which is another reason why you should wash new clothes before wearing them.

There could be chemical irritants which were left behind in the fabric

Have you ever worn new clothes, and then found yourself feeling itchy, because of that ‘new clothes itch’? Well, that may be because the clothing manufacturers has coated the products in preservatives such as a harmful chemical such as formaldehyde.

The purpose is to remove wrinkles and to repel mould growth, in case there is moisture in the shipping container when the clothes are being transported from A to B.

Why is formaldehyde bad? Well, it is linked to health problems such as asthma, dermatitis, nausea and cancer. In fact, exposure to formaldehyde can cause uncomfortable side effects such as irritation to the skin, throat, eyes and nose, and even long-term damage to the lungs.

The chemical preservative on clothes can also transfer bacterial or fungal contaminations to you, if you don’t wash them first. For example, if you purchase underwear online, and then you wear it straight away, then the chemical preservative could expose you to yeast infections and staphylococcus.

Fortunately, any chemicals on new clothing can be easily removed with just one spin cycle in the washing machine.

New clothes could contain dyes which could transfer to your skin

Fabrics are often dyed in different colours. These dyes can actually transfer to your skin when you wear your new outfit for the first time. This happens a lot with very dark jeans or vibrant shades of red and blue.

You will notice this has happened when the colours on your new clothes start bleeding and they leave stains on your skin.

These dyes can cause severe skin reactions, especially if the wearer is allergic to them, which can be dangerous (especially for young children). For instance, a common dye used to manufacture clothes is AZO disperse dye, which is a carcinogenic synthetic dye that is easily absorbed by the skin and is linked to contact dermatitis.

So, washing your new clothes before wearing them will wash out that extra dye and prevent any risk of skin reactions.

Washing your new clothes will keep them smelling fresh

Who doesn’t love the fragrance of freshly washed clothes?

When you wash your new clothes immediately, this will freshen up the garments and emit the lovely fragrance of your detergent or fabric softener. This will make the experience of wearing the garments even more pleasant.

Putting unwashed items into your wardrobe can transfer lingering germs and odours onto your existing clothes.

Washing your new clothes will preserve their shape and quality

Washing your new clothes, first thing, will help them improve their lifespan and last longer.

A neat trick is to wash your new clothes in cold water, as this won’t fade the colours or shrink the fabric as much as hot water would.

Should you flip clothes inside out before washing?

Yes, turning your clothes inside out before washing them is a great idea.

This helps to wash the inner surface of the garment thoroughly, while also helping to prevent the colours from fading. It can also help protect any decorative elements on your clothing (such as buttons or sequins).

You will also find that there are less fluffs of lint inside your clothing after the wash, because there is less friction on the outer layer of the garment if you turn it inside out.

Can you wash your new clothes with other clothes?

It is better to wash your new clothes in a separate load from your other clothes, to avoid any possible contamination, and to avoid wrinkling.

Where can I find an on-demand laundry service?

Here at Love2Laundry, we are an on-demand laundry service, serving London, Manchester, Birmingham, Bolton and Bury.

We provide a door-to-door service, so we will collect your dirty laundry we will wash, dry and fold or hang them up, and then deliver them straight to your door!

We also offer ironing services across London, as well as dry cleaning, shoe repairs, upholstery cleaning and alterations.

All you have to do is make an order online on our website, or through our mobile app (which is available for iOS and Android).

You can choose a location and time slot that works for you, and our friendly couriers will collect your laundry items. We will then professionally clean your items and return them to you – all within 24 hours!

Our prices are affordable – for example, the ‘wash, dry, and fold’ package starts from £2.65 per kg.

See the prices on our website here.

At Love2Laundry, we are not your typical launderette. We operate a cashless system, so you will pay for your order via our mobile app or online via our website. We accept various forms of payment including American Express, Visa and MasterCard.

No more worrying about finding the correct change, or physically dropping off your laundry items- simply input your order with just a click of your fingers, and the rest is up to us!

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About Love2Laundry

Love2Laundry is one of the leading laundry service providers in the UK, serving London, Manchester, Birmingham, Bolton and Bury.

We have an array of services to make things easy for you: from laundry and dry cleaning, to linen services, ironing, shoe repairs, upholstery cleaning and alterations.

We hope you now have the answer to the question ‘are online clothes clean?’

For more content like this, check out our blog here to read more articles.

Find out more about Love2Laundry’s dry cleaning and laundry services by visiting our website here.

Download our Love2Laundry app on the Apple App Store here or on Google Play here.