Is it safe to wear underwear bought from a department store without washing?

Question

I bought an adorable pair of Calvin Klein underwear today and need to wear it, well, now. I looked really closely at it, it looked clean...of course I would prefer to wash it, but since I can't, what's the deal with wearing brand-new underwear? Can I get an STD from it? Can I get germs from them? Is it the worst idea ever? I definitely need some input from you--thanks for your help in advance!

Answer 1

Wear it.  You will be fine.  I suspect many people wear new underwear without washing it.

Answer 2

I prefer to buy my undies that are cotton and prepackaged, clean and safe to wear without prewashing. Depending where you purchased it, is the store clean etc.. If you are not able to pre wash them, can you put them in a dryer, they will get sanitized by the heat. or iron them , or in the microvave briefly?  Even the heat of a hair drier will help sanitize them Or freeze them. Actually you may be able to wear them as is  without any problems, and you will not STD from them .

Answer 3

wow.......yeah not a good idea.....you never know who may have tried them on( and yes some nasty people do try on the undies even when they say you cant).......yes you could get an STD that way.......and yes germs as well......i would say not to wear anything at all before you wash it....the chemicals that are used in factories to make things smell fresh contain the same ingredients that are in rat poison......being on your body and then being absorbed into your skin is a terrible thing..........

Answer 4

If you HAVE to wear it now put a pantiliner or pad in (just in case)!

Answer 5

After working in retail for three years I have seen some pretty disgusting acts take place on pretty much any garment you can think of.  No matter what type of clothing it is, it would always be safe to wash it before wearing especially if the garment is not in a presealed package (like socks).   You never know who tried the garment on last whether it be the Herpees-infested customer infront of you or the Gonorrhea transmitting cashier running the register.

Just be safe rather than sorry.

Answer 6

The main reason to wash new clothes is that they are often treated with chemicals to preserve them and keep insects out etc.

They are made in some places where you need to take precautions regarding everything from preservatives to insecticides, so it's always best to wash new clothes just in case as the final washing process may not always be very effective.

I think germs and STD's are very unlikely, much less so than chemical contamination.  

Answer 7

You can't get STD's from it, maybe you could get crabs. I wash mine because new underwear makes me itch. They put sizing in it or something.  

Answer 8

The biggest thing to worry about when not washing clothes from the store is getting a rash from the pesticides they spray on the clothes when shipping over seas. Clothes must be sprayed both so they are not attacked by insects and moths and other things while in shipping crates. They also have to be sprayed in order to prevent bringing diseases and things across country lines. Of course things like underwear are often individually packaged during shipping and unwrapped when put on the shelves and a lot of this "spray" wears off on its own. But if you are sensitive you can get a rash or something like that from wearing without washing.

I wouldnt worry about STDs because not many people try on underwear before buying and if they do they are supposed to leave on their own undergarments. It would be very rare to get one.  

Answer 9

wear them inside out     confuse the cooties....lol

Answer 10

no thats nasty az h**l

Answer 11

Well, that's just a personal standard thing.

No one has had them on before but someone had to touch the material to make, package and ship them.  No way to know how clean the hand that touch them was.

Gross or not that is up to you.

Answer 12

Well when you think about it, you have NO idea who has tried those on before you bought them... But if it's just this oce it won't really do anything bad...

Answer 13

I got this email once, which showed me to always wash my clothes first. This women had boughten this bra and decided not to wash it right away. It had been imported and had something on it. After a little while, she noticed a rash on her breast. She went to her doctor, and it just got worse. She had worms in her breast from the bra, big holes with huge tapeworms. There were some pictures and boy oh boy, I am never going to go without washing my clothes again.

Answer 14

should be ok....they will get softer and more confortable with repeated washing, until they wear out that is :)    

Answer 15

i never prewash my new undies and i have not caught anything yet people are not allowed to try those on in the stores

Answer 16

Hand wash them with a little bit of detergent and hot water, and dry them with a hair dryer.  If you wring them out well, it won't take that long.

Answer 17

well if you really need to wear  them today then wear a panty liner to just be safe because you really never no who touche them or etc

hope this helps.