Eldorado for germs? A quarter of all men do not change their underwear every day, according to a survey

If something is visibly dirty and stinks, it belongs in the washing machine.

That's the rule of thumb.

But underwear and socks should be changed every day – which not everyone takes very seriously.

Sweaters and jeans stay like new longer if you air them out instead of washing them.

From a hygienic point of view, this is usually not a problem.

The situation is different with underwear that is worn close to the body.

Sweat, dander or even bacteria end up directly in the underwear, which lies directly on the skin.

Therefore, most people change their underwear and socks on a daily basis.

But not all of them.

According to a survey by Germany's largest market research institute, GfK, every fourth man in Germany does not change his underpants every day.

Among women, it is only one in ten who do not put on fresh underwear every day.

Overall, however, 84 percent of those surveyed said they changed their underwear at least once a day.

Bacteria in your underwear: why you should wash them often

But does that really have to be the case?

Wouldn't you save a lot of time, nerves and money if you simply washed less often?

Some don't mind the musty smell or just cover it up with a few squirts of perfume.

However, one should bear in mind that pathogens like this approach quite well.

+

There are few who like to take care of the dirty laundry.

According to a survey, men in particular find the solution to simply washing less often.

© Imago

Don't miss anything: You can find everything to do with health in the regular newsletter from our partner 24vita.de.

From Escherichia coli as a trigger for diarrhea to Treponema pallidum, the syphilis pathogen: a large number of diseases can be traced back to bacteria.

Most of them need warmth and moisture to survive.

While underwear isn't the perfect habitat for germs, it's possible for them to take hold.

To avoid this, underwear should be changed daily, especially by those suffering from a bacterial infection.

These viruses and bacteria make us sick

These viruses and bacteria make us sick

Washing underwear: how to get it hygienically clean

If you want to be sure that all infectious germs are killed, you should use the washing machine's conventional 60°C program, according to the ARD program "Haushaltscheck".

Mushrooms would also be rendered harmless in this way.

At temperatures below 40 °C, it becomes difficult to achieve a hygienically perfect washing result if the laundry was previously contaminated.

But nobody has to swing the chemical club now.

On the contrary: You should never use disinfecting hygiene detergents, as the Bavarian State Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Forestry (stmelf) informs.

These would be among the biocidal products that kill insects, viruses and bacteria.

However, hygiene rinsers are of no use in the washing machine, as Professor Benjamin Eilts from the Chair for Applied Cleaning and Hygiene at Albstadt-Sigmaringen University explains.

He recommends not using any hygiene detergent because none of the products tested by him and his students had any effect, according to stmelf.

Instead, Eilts recommends running as many rinse cycles as possible, because this would mechanically wash away harmful organisms.

According to the

, Thomas Hauer from the Freiburg Advice Center for Hygiene informs that a 60-degree wash with heavy-duty detergent is sufficient to deal with most bacteria and fungi.

Even if you clean the washing machine from time to time, you don't need to worry, says Hauer.

This article only contains general information on the respective health topic and is therefore not intended for self-diagnosis, treatment or medication.

In no way does it replace a visit to the doctor.

Unfortunately, our editors are not allowed to answer individual questions about clinical pictures.

List of rubrics: © Imago