Getting out of bed is hard most of the time, let alone during a global pandemic when we’re all required to stay indoors. It feels effortless to just lie around in your pajamas or sweats all day, and honestly I won’t apologize for doing that. Still, there are some questions we should know the answers to, like, say: How often do I need to switch the underwear I’m wearing? And how often do I have to change into a different set of silk pajamas that I spent way too much on? Luckily, we’ve got the answers that you definitely don’t want but probably need to hear.
There actually is data on how often it’s advised that you change out of one set of clothes — especially during the pandemic when it’s important to keep up hygiene of all kinds — and when they become too dirty to stay in. According to the American Cleaning Institute (ACI), how often you need to change out of and wash your clothes all depends on what you’re doing while wearing them, the fabric type, as well as the weather. There are also rules about basic hygiene, even in isolation when we’re not seeing anyone besides roommates or partners we live with.
The ACI says that it’s best to wash your pajamas after three or four wears, but if you shower before bed, you may get a few more wears out of them before washing them. This applies to sweats, too. Of course, there are always exceptions to the rules.
For example, if your pajamas or sweats have stains on them, those should be washed as soon as possible and not worn again immediately. Spot cleaning might help, if you have special fabric cleaner, which will ultimately help extend the life of that piece of clothing, especially if it’s one of your favorites. On top of that, if your pajamas or sweats are white, you definitely don’t want to re-wear those too frequently between washes considering that they’re more prone to getting dirty.
In general, it’s easier to get away with re-wearing clothes like pajamas and sweats more often when it’s colder out, but with hot weather arriving, the sweat is about to get turned up a notch. If you’ve been doing yoga, walking around your home, or doing anything else that might cause you to sweat frequently (and let’s be honest, summer weather is here), it’s also a good idea to change into a different set of clothing to stay comfy and clean.
Robes also count in the realm of pajamas, and should also be taken off and washed about every four wears. Most importantly, however, is washing your sheets, which are meant to be washed on a weekly basis. After all, there’s no point in cleaning the clothes you wear to bed if you’re not washing the sheets you lie on as you try to convince yourself to get out of bed for the billionth time.
At the end of the day, there’s nothing shameful if you need to be as comfy as possible and don’t want to wear regular clothes, but that doesn’t mean we can’t take proper hygiene precautions.
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