Do You Have to Wash New Clothes Before Wearing Them? Yes, Here’s How

New clothes look clean, but they’ve already been through a lot: factory, shipping, warehouse and often the fitting room. Consumer groups and health agencies therefore advise washing them before the first wear. The three reasons:

• Manufacturing residue: Many fabrics get a finish at the factory, for example so they wrinkle less or hang softly. Whatever sits loosely in the fiber, the first wash rinses out.
• Excess dye: Dark and bold items in particular release excess dye at first — into the wash water, onto other laundry and, through friction and sweat, onto your skin, especially with tight pieces during workouts or while you sleep.
• Hygiene: Underwear and swimwear may have been tried on already, and every item has passed through many hands.

If new clothing smells sharply of chemicals, the first wash matters even more.

No need to panic: true textile allergies are rare — when they do occur, it is mostly from certain dyes, especially in synthetic fibers. Dark clothing contains more dye than light clothing.

Not every new item has to go into the machine alone. New items in muted colors go into your next load of similar colors, even with worn laundry: the new white blouse with the whites, the new navy work pants with the jeans.

You’re stricter with red, black, navy, neon and dark jeans: wash such new items alone the first few times or only with the same color, never with white or pastels. If the label says “wash separately” or “wash with like colors”, or warns that the color may run, the dye isn’t set firmly in the fiber. A color-catcher sheet can help in addition, but it doesn’t replace sorting.

Not sure about a bold item? Two quick tests: For the rub test, dampen a hidden spot inside the hem and rub it on a white cloth for a few seconds. For the water test, soak the item in cold water for about 30 minutes. If color comes off on the cloth or the water changes color, the item doesn’t go in with light colors until the test stays clean.

You usually only have to wash new clothes once. Consumer and health organizations don’t give a fixed number, but the first wash does the most: it removes most of the loose dye.

Two or more washes are worth it if …

• the item is for a baby or for someone with sensitive skin or allergies,
• the item still bleeds in the rub or water test after the first wash,
• it still smells sharply of chemicals after the first wash.

Washing rinses out what sits loosely. Intended finishes such as wrinkle-resistant or water-repellent partly stay in the fabric, so a wrinkle-resistant shirt usually stays that way.

Wash new clothes no warmer than the care label allows. In the US, the label usually gives the water temperature in words — cold, warm or hot — often alongside the washtub symbol (the one that looks like a tub of water). That is your upper limit. Within that limit:

• Bold and dark colors: cool: use the cold setting (86 °F / 30 °C or below), and turn items inside out.
• Everyday laundry: Colors usually come clean at 68–86 °F (20–30 °C), whites usually at 104 °F (40 °C) — on most US machines that means cold for colors and warm for whites.
• Wool, silk and delicates: wool, delicate or silk cycle (depending on the machine) or hand wash with wool detergent; fill the drum or tub no more than one third full.

Cycle: The label also shows which cycle fits: a bar under the tub means gentle, such as permanent press; two bars mean very gentle, such as the delicate or wool cycle. With no bar, the item can go in the normal cycle, so a new pair of jeans simply goes in the matching color load. Cold water and little agitation slow dye bleeding and shrinking in bold colors and cotton jersey (the stretchy fabric of regular T-shirts).

Unfamiliar machine: If you can’t find a matching cycle on an unfamiliar machine, pick colors or permanent press, set the water temperature yourself (on many US machines: cold, warm or hot) and turn the spin down.

Detergent: For colors and darks, use a color detergent or one marked color-safe; for whites, a heavy-duty detergent, which can make colors fade faster. New clothes are barely dirty: use the amount for lightly soiled laundry, following the dosing instructions on the package. More detergent doesn’t rinse out more; it is more likely to leave residue in the fabric.

So the first wash doesn’t ruin anything, go step by step:

1. Remove price tags, clips, pins and small desiccant packets (packets in the trash, not in children’s hands). Keep the care label attached if you can; if you have to cut it off because it scratches, take a photo of it first.
2. Read the label: temperature, cycle, dryer symbol (the square with the circle). No label? Then cold at 86 °F (30 °C) at most, gentle cycle, low spin, alone the first few times, no dryer.
3. Sort by color; wash strongly dyed items only with similar colors.
4. Turn inside out, close zippers.
5. Cycle by the label, detergent for lightly soiled laundry, no fabric softener — whatever stays in the fabric can irritate sensitive skin.
6. Take the laundry out right after the cycle ends; in a shared laundry room or with a delayed start, set a timer. Never leave wet dark items lying on light ones, not even on the drying rack.
7. Use the dryer only if the label allows it, never without a label. Cotton jersey shrinks easily in it and wool felts: the first time, better hang dry, and lay knits flat to dry.

Always wash new underwear, socks, swimwear, pajamas and bedding before first use, because they lie on your skin for a long time — new towels too. Tight dark items you wash a second time if they still bleed in the rub or water test.

New sportswear and performance shirts made of synthetic fiber you wash cool, inside out and without fabric softener — ideally not with towels, because fine synthetic fibers such as microfiber attract cotton lint and hold on to it.

Wash towels with towels and bedding with bedding in a similar color, so never new dark towels with white bedding.

Not everything new has to go in the wash; the rule applies mainly to items that touch your skin. The label comes first: if it shows a crossed-out washtub, you don’t wash the item at all, not even by hand — wear something washed underneath. These exceptions are fine:

• Suit, blazer, coat: They hardly touch your skin, with lining and shirt in between. Airing out is enough; they are cleaned only when dirty, as the label directs.
• Wool sweater and cardigan: If you wear them over a T-shirt, airing out is usually enough. Merino shirts and wool underwear, on the other hand, lie on the skin: wash by the label, no dryer unless the label allows it.
• Rain jackets and protective clothing: Performance jackets, high-visibility vests or motorcycle gear you care for only as the manufacturer says, so that protection and the water-repellent finish last. If your employer provides the clothing, ask there who washes it.

New clothes don’t always fit into the next load right away. Three typical cases:

Ordered online: Try on and decide first, then wash. Many stores won’t take washed items back for a full refund, depending on their policy.

Bought today, wearing tonight: Easiest is to wear something washed underneath. Thin items that may be washed can also be hand washed through: in cool water with a little detergent, rinse well, press out in a dark towel and hang up. A T-shirt is often dry by evening, jeans aren’t. That doesn’t replace a proper wash.

Shared laundry room or laundromat: A single bold item you wash in the sink the first few times; the water shows whether it bleeds. Before you start, check whether someone left something light in the machine.

Yes, everything that touches your skin. Secondhand items have usually been washed many times, so most loose dye and many finishes are already gone. For hygiene, you still wash them, if in doubt alone or only with the same color. Unworn old stock you treat like new clothes; for coats and knits, airing out is usually enough.

No label? Take the cautious route: cold at 86 °F (30 °C) at most, gentle cycle, low spin, alone the first few times, no dryer. If an item smells musty, hang it in the fresh air first instead of covering the smell with fragrance.

In short videos you often hear that vinegar or salt in the first wash keeps the color in. For store-bought clothes that isn’t true: according to university extension experts, neither sets industrially dyed color afterward; the effect comes from the wash itself.

Important: Never mix chlorine bleach with vinegar, other acids such as citric acid, toilet bowl or limescale cleaners, or with ammonia — doing so creates toxic gases. If you have been exposed to the fumes, call Poison Help at 1-800-222-1222 (free, 24/7); if someone has trouble breathing or collapses, call 911 (or your local emergency number) right away.