How many times can you wear your pajamas, jeans and other clothes without washing them? The experts say

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(CNN) --

The number of times it's appropriate to wear unwashed clothing often seems to be based more on folklore or a person's upbringing than professional advice.

TikTok user Allison Delperdang sparked a heated debate online when she posted a video on January 10 saying she wears the same pajamas multiple times.

"When I was younger, my parents would always make us wear pajamas... several nights in a row because they weren't dirty, and I still do as an adult," she said.

"I need to know if, as adults, we're still doing that, or should I literally be doing laundry every night?"

The answer—both for pajamas and other clothing—technically depends on personal things like sweat level and lifestyle, though for many people other, more abstract factors may come into play, experts say.

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Our beliefs about clothing hygiene are largely "social and cultural," said Dr. Anthony Rossi, an assistant dermatologist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City and a member of the American Academy of Dermatology.

“People tend to over-wash and 'over-sanitize,' because especially in America, we have the luxury of being able to do all of that all the time.”

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Going back to wearing the same clothes—particularly on consecutive days—is "linked to avoiding decision fatigue, so wearing the same clothes means fewer decisions to make and less stress each morning," said Manal Mohammed, senior professor of medical microbiology at the University of Westminster in London.

Not knowing when to do laundry can have consequences on both ends of the spectrum.

Washing it infrequently could lead to skin problems or infections, and washing it too frequently could damage your clothes.

The latter can also result in laundering and use of unnecessary resources.

Here are some guiding principles to help you determine when a garment can be used again without washing it and when it's time to throw it in the laundry basket.

The universal rule: what you should wash

There's no hard and fast rule on how many times you can wear clothes again, but experts say there are a few types of clothing that should be washed after each wear: underwear, socks, tights, leggings, and activewear.

This advice also applies to any other clothing with stains, sweat, odor or visible soiling, Mohammed said.

These types of clothing are “in a part of our body that has a lot of natural bacteria that live in our body, like our microbiome, (yeast) and bacteria,” Rossi said.

“After day-to-day activities, we sweat.

That just creates moisture and an environment where this bacteria can overgrow.”

Bacteria overgrowth can lead to infections, fungus and other skin problems, he added.

In addition to bacteria from sweat, clothing worn in gyms or sports settings can come into contact with bacteria such as Staphylococcus aureus, leading to infections common in community and hospital settings.

Those infections can become serious if they enter internal tissues or the bloodstream.

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Some people may let their workout clothes air dry or tumble dry, hoping to make them safe to wear again the next day.

But that approach makes the situation worse, Rossi said.

“The heat will cause bacteria to grow.

It's not hot enough to sterilize them,” he said.

"It's really washing with soap and water (what you need), and especially hot water, because it will help loosen dirt and sebum and really kill bacteria."

When it comes to why you should never wear socks again without washing them first, "fungal infections on the feet and toes are rampant," said dermatologist Dr. Jeremy Fenton, medical director of Schweiger Dermatology Group in the city. of New York and clinical instructor of dermatology at Mount Sinai Hospital.

“Inside our shoes is the perfect environment for the reproduction of fungi.

It's hot, it's humid, it's dark."

So you should wash your shoes or at least the insoles at least once a month in a washing machine, Rossi said.

Clothes you can wear again

For pajamas, outerwear, jeans, and other clothing, the number of times you can wear them without washing is based on the same principles for underwear or sportswear.

“As far as your pants and your shirts, I think it all depends on your comfort level and how much you perspire throughout the day,” Rossi said.

“A lot of people wear T-shirts.

The undershirt would be something to wash, while the top shirt doesn't really need to be washed."

If you don't wear underwear, you should wash your clothing before you wear it again, since it came in contact with the skin of your genitals, Rossi said.

If you usually shower before bed, wear underwear, and sweat little or not at all when wearing pajamas, you could wear the pajamas for a week without washing them, experts said.

But if you don't do these things, you will have to wash it every time you use it.

Outerwear — such as coats or jackets — generally doesn't need to be washed more than once a month, since it doesn't touch the skin, Rossi said.

“If you use it every day, probably (wash it) every two weeks,” he suggested.

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The decision to wash jeans and how often can be a hot topic, as many people want to maintain the integrity of the fabric, which is often stiffer and more durable than others.

If the jeans aren't sweaty, dirty or stained, they don't need to be washed frequently, Rossi said.

“I personally don't wash my jeans,” he added.

Mohammed recommended washing the jeans monthly, but acknowledged that it depends on each person's lifestyle and environment.

“If someone told me that they wore their jeans for months without washing them and they haven't had any skin issues or odor issues, I wouldn't see any issues at all,” Fenton said.

The most important questions to ask yourself, experts say, when considering whether to wear something again unwashed are these: Does it smell?

Do I have a skin condition such as eczema, a rash, or a skin lesion?

Is it visibly dirty?

Are you sweaty?

Did you wear underwear with this?

“The main point is that the response is going to be highly variable,” Fenton said.

Hygiene