How Often Should I Dry Clean or Wash My Clothes?

There’s not a standard answer to that question, so we decided to develop a list of general guidelines by garment.

Undergarments, including socks and stockings, tanks, camisoles, and slips, wash after every wearing.

Sportswear, wash after every wearing.

&Women’s Swimwear, hand wash after every wearing. Boys and Men’s Swimwear, machine wash after every wearing.

T-shirts and tops, wash after every wearing.

Leggings and tights, wash after every wearing.

With the above group of garments, the general rule is if it rubs up right next to your skin all day long, it should be washed or dry cleaned after each wearing.

Bath towels, wash after 3-4 uses and more often if you sweat excessively or if you work out regularly, making sure to hang it up between uses to dry. For more information check out our helpful hint on caring for bath towels.

Pajamas, wash after 3-4 times of wearing.

Bedsheets, wash weekly.

These three items have something in common – dead skin cells. Whenever you use a towel to dry off, dead skin cells accumulate in the fibers of your towel. Your pajamas rub against your skin all night, collecting the dead skin cells your body sheds. Finally, dead skin cells gather on your bed sheets as you sleep each night. Dead skin cells sometimes contain microorganisms that could lead to health issues.

Dresses, pants, skirts, and shorts, wash or dry clean after 2 wearing unless it is hot out, you’ve been sweating, or there is visible dirt.

Jeans, wash or dry clean after 2-3 wearings unless it is hot out, you’ve been sweating, or there is visible dirt. On a side note, dry cleaning is the best way to keep your jeans from fading or losing color.

Neckties, clean as needed. For information on caring for neckties, see this helpful hint.

Suits, in general we would say every 2-3 wears, but the answer really varies because it depends on the environment in which you wore it, how long you wore it, and if you spilled something on it. For more specifics take a look at our helpful hint on caring for suits.

Jackets and blazers, clean every 4-5 wearings.

Winter coats, clean before putting them away for the season and once during the season, if needed. For more information on caring for winter coats, check out this helpful hint.

Remember, these are general guidelines; if you spill something on you, get dirty, or perspire, you should either wash your garments or take them to a professional dry cleaner straight away. Never place a soiled garment back into your closet because it then becomes an invitation to moths. Plus, the longer a stain, spill, dirt, or perspiration sits on a garment, the harder it becomes to remove.

For more information, check out this video in our Learning Library