Should You Wash New Clothes Before Wearing Them?

If you’ve ever wondered whether you should wash new clothes before wearing them, here’s the short answer: yes. It’s a good habit for everyone, and it’s an especially good one when you’re washing baby clothes before the first wear.

New clothes may look spotless, but they’ve been on quite a journey between the factory and your closet: treated, folded, packed, shipped, stored, and handled many times along the way.

Why Should You Wash New Clothes Before Wearing Them?

During manufacturing, fabrics are often given finishing treatments that keep them looking crisp in transit, and some of those substances can remain on the surface of the fabric, along with whatever the garment picked up during shipping, storage, and handling.

Washing new clothing can help remove those surface residues, and it only takes one wash cycle.

What Can a First Wash Remove (and What Can’t It)?

What it can do. Washing can help remove surface residues left behind by manufacturing, shipping, storage, and handling.

What it can’t do. Washing doesn’t change what a garment is made of. Finishes designed to stay in the fabric, such as stain-resistant or wrinkle-resistant treatments, are made to survive the washing machine. And a polyester garment is still polyester after ten washes.

Should You Wash Baby Clothes Before the First Wear?

Yes! A baby’s skin is more delicate than an adult’s, and babies spend most of the day wrapped in fabric: onesies, sleepers, swaddles, blankets, and bedding.

A few simple tips for that first wash:

Use a fragrance-free detergent. Fragrance is a common irritant in its own right, so unscented is the standard advice for babies.

Skip the fabric softener. It isn’t necessary, and it can leave residues of its own.

Wash everything. New outfits, gifts, and hand-me-downs alike.

If you’d like extra reassurance while shopping, certifications such as OEKO-TEX Standard 100 test finished textiles against limits for a wide range of substances, with stricter requirements for items intended for babies.

How Can Lynen Help?

Washing handles what’s resting on the fabric. What a garment is actually made of is a separate question, and the label only tells you what the manufacturer says.

Lynen helps you go beyond the label by checking fiber composition against independent testing when verification is available. That way, you know more about the fabric itself, not just its surface.

A first wash is one of the easiest wins in the laundry room. Make it a habit for your own clothes, and especially for your little one’s.

Frequently Asked Questions

Should you wash new clothes before wearing them?

Yes. Washing new clothing before the first wear can help remove surface residues left behind by manufacturing, shipping, storage, and handling.

Does washing new clothes remove chemicals?

Washing can remove some surface residues, but it won’t necessarily remove dyes or functional finishes designed to remain in the fabric.

What should you use to wash baby clothes?

A fragrance-free detergent is the standard advice for babies, since fragrance can be an irritant on its own. Skipping fabric softener for the first wash is also a good idea.