what is the point of washing your clothes?

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That made me laugh. I really needed that right now. Thanks.

Sure, in the summertime, but you canucks gotta use snow and ice the rest of the year.

I don't wash jeans all that often. I like that lived in look/feel. Shoes, on the other hand, are the worst source of odors with all the sweat glands stuck in a confined space, and few people actually wash their shoes.

stop washing your clothes and you'll figure it out sooner or later

For a number of reasons, first of which is sanitation. Bad hygiene not only makes those around you uncomfortable, but it increases the chance of disease. Then there's the personal sensation of dirty clothes, they get hard and crusty, and often scrape the skin, especially the inner thighs. Lastly, dirty clothes deteriorate, literally, they fall apart.

Observations from watching my older brother.

I just hate wearing dirty clothes. Never mind hygiene, I hate being dirty.

It's odd that although we use so many products that clean better and faster, that we don't spend LESS time cleaning... we spend MORE! I think there's something to this theory - we are TOO clean, and it probably makes our immune system less responsive when threats do occur. At the very least, listening to TV commercials remind us of how every speck of invisible dirt demands our strictest attention (and their product), is gonna make you a neurotic mess.

That being said, clothes should be washed.

Waste creates opportunities for bacteria and other bad guys to damage your body. Your body has ways of disposing of this waste, which go on even when we don't realize it. (Shedding old cells, sweating, etc.) Clothing gets in the way of these processes, and traps waste materials against the skin. Your clothing does NOT have a way to dispose of waste, so it makes sense to wash them regularly. And it makes sense to wash your body regularly (though not TOO often), to keep the waste moving on its way out.

Personally, I don't think it's necessary to wash every article of clothing every time I wear it. A t-shirt gets a good 2-3 wears unless I've done something to make it visibly dirty or noticably smelly (like exercise). Jeans may get 3-4 days without a wash, provided the same. Boxers, undershirts and socks get one wear per wash, because people really notice if you smell like butt, pits or feet! If you insist on smelling totally laundry fresh, so that people who expect a neurotic level of cleanliness are happy with your presence, wear fresh clothes. Job interviews, going to church, and visiting a physician, are situations where it's socially expected to be especially hygenic.

Edit: Also, if you're going through puberty, it's basically a FACT that you smell worse than you think you do. I'd suggest erring on the side of TOO clean, at least until you're done with high school.

Vintage clothing that hasn't been cleaned will rot under the arms from the sweat.

Momma told me if I wash my clothes the magic faries will come at night and sprinkle me with happiness dust.

Your momma lied. It's gnomes. And they don't sprinkle you with happiness dust. They come party in your dresser drawers, often spilling copious amounts of beer on your t-shirts, and keeping you up to all hours. If clean clothes are really worth becoming an insomniac who smells likea drunk, by all means, bust out the Tide.

Edit:



Here's one of 'em after a long, hard night of spilling Guiness in your sock drawer. And yes, I realize he's not drinking Guiness right now. He's drinking a light cider, because he has to go to work mending shoes in three hours. Ah, the life of a gnome.