Before putting on your new blouse or the pants you just bought, remember to wash them! But why is it important? We’ll explain it to you.
Whatever the origin of the clothing you have just purchased, remember to put it in the washing machine before putting it on for the first time. Even if it looks nice and clean, it’s just an impression. Indeed, it most certainly contains substances that you would not like sticking to your skin.
Chemical substances
Ready-to-wear manufacturers use numerous chemicals to manufacture and then treat their products, with the aim of improving their flexibility or reducing wrinkles. Thus, many new clothes contain volatile organic compounds: the latter are polluting substances found inairair interior, and some of which are considered carcinogenic – this is particularly the case for acetaldehyde.
A study by researchers at Stockholm University in Sweden in 2014 found that synthetic clothing, polyester in particular, frequently contained quinoline, a substance used to dye clothing. But the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has classified it as potentially carcinogenic, not to mention that most allergic contact dermatitis caused by clothing is triggered by dye residue.
Organic substances
New clothes are also the breeding ground for many pathogens. From their manufacture to their display in the store, they are touched by many people, who can unwittingly leave bacteriabacteriaof the mushroomsmushrooms or even virusvirus on the fabric. These clothes may also have been tried on by many other customers before being purchased. All the more reason to wash your latest purchase before putting it on!
