Why wash new clothes?

However, experts advise against wearing these items unwashed for the following reasons.

Residual formaldehyde on fabric surface

Formaldehyde has the effect of removing wrinkles, preserving color and preventing corrosion, so it is used in clothing processing. Therefore, the sold products will have a certain amount of formaldehyde residue on the fabric surface.

When new clothes are not washed properly, residual formaldehyde can irritate the skin, harm the respiratory tract if inhaled, and even cause symptoms such as dermatitis and itchy skin.

Residual dye

Most fabrics made from synthetic fibers such as polyester, acrylic, etc. are dyed with azo-aniline dyes. These dyes can cause serious skin reactions, especially in young children.

Therefore, when you wash newly purchased clothes for the first time, you may notice slight fading, which is a sign of excess fabric dye remaining.

Bacteria, fungi and insects

A set of clothes, from the cutting stage to the shaping stage and being displayed for sale, will go through many stages, coming into contact with many workers, machines... During this process, the fabric surface may have bacteria, fungi, insects...

How to deal with newly bought clothes?

New clothes should be washed according to the product instructions. Depending on the fabric and style of the garment, the manufacturer will specify the appropriate washing method. For some products, you should wash them separately and check to see if they have faded. If they have faded a lot, continue to wash them separately and use the appropriate detergent.

New bed sheets and towels should be laundered to remove chemical residues from the fabric as they come into direct contact with the skin. Laundering will also improve the fabric's absorbency by removing surface coatings.

You can also soak the clothes in a little salt for a few dozen minutes and then wash to disinfect and prevent the cotton fabric from fading. Then, you dry it in the sunlight - which helps evaporate the undissolved formaldehyde.

Light-colored clothing that absorbs light strongly should be stored immediately after drying. This will prevent the clothing from turning yellow. Dark-colored clothing that absorbs UV rays can fade, so they should not be dried in direct sunlight.

According to VnExpress