I don’t know about you, but I definitely have some underwear in my drawer that are a bit… worse for wear, shall we say. They have random rips and tears, they long ago lost their original bright colors, and they’re just… well, a little sad. It’s not because I can’t afford new ones, I suppose I’m just lazy and like being comfy. However, apparently, I need to do a serious overhaul of my wardrobe because you should only keep underwear for a max of 12 months.
- It’s not just about the cosmetic appearance. While it makes sense that you’d want to throw away underwear that looked a bit dingy and dirty, it’s about more than that – it comes down to hygiene, which is way more important. Sure, we all wash our underwear regularly in hot, soapy water, but that’s not really enough, it turns out.
- Bacteria and germs can stay on your underwear even after washing. Intimate health specialist and cosmetic doctor Dr. Shirin Lakhani spoke with Tyla about how problematic these old underwear can be. “Your underwear is in close contact with your skin and more specifically your intimate areas for prolonged periods of time,” she explained. “As a result, it comes into contact with a lot of dead skin from those areas as well as bacteria – both the healthy naturally-occurring bacteria that we all have, as well as more sinister bacteria that can be a result of infections such as thrush and STIs. There is some research that suggests that even washing your underwear in a washing machine won’t always rid it completely of bacteria such as E.coli.”
- So when should you get new underwear. At least every year, Dr. Lakhani says. However, you could do it even more often if you have the money to do so. “I would advise buying new underwear at least once a year, although underwear that you consistently wear for activities such as the gym should probably be disposed of more often,” she explained.
- That being said, there are a few things you can do to extend the life of your panties. Don’t wash them in hot water, for one thing, as it can damage the elastic. Also, avoid tumble drying since again, heat = a disaster for the elastic in your underwear. When all else fails, just replace them.
