Cleaning Expert: 'You Don't Need To Wash Undies After Each Wear'

A cleaning expert has revealed that we should be getting more than one wear out of our knickers before tossing them in the washing basket.

TV cleaning queen Aggie Mackenzie, who rose to fame as the co-host of How Clean Is Your House?, has shared her top tips for cost-effective cleaning. Including washing knickers after every second wear and clothing after every three wears – even longer for children’s clothes.

*Aggie MacKenzie and Kim Woodburn: How Clean Is Your House*

Don’t wash knickers after each wear

Aggie’s first controversial tip is not washing undies after each wear.

“As gross as it sounds, you can get more than one wear out of your underwear”, Aggie told The Sun.

“By using panty liners it means that you can keep your pants fresher for much longer – so then you can change your knickers every other day.”

And she recommends washing bras only after every three wears, depending on how much you sweat.

Wash your kids clothes less than your own

We think that our kids are grubbier than we are, but Aggie says it’s not the case when it comes to clothing.

“Kids don’t smell as much as adults so they can go around in their clothes for longer,” she says. “If they spill food on them, it should just be wiped off with a damp cloth as quickly as possible before it can settle into the material.

“But there’s no need to put the washing machine on for any surface spills – save yourself the money!”

Use the washing machine quick cycle

Unless you’re washing towels, underwear or the bedsheets, Aggie recommends using your washing machine’s quick cycle. And if you’re not convinced that your clothes are clean – give them the sniff test.

“If you’re pulling clothes out of the machine and they’re still smelling bad then they haven’t been washed enough because the bacteria is still there. Then they may also need to be washed at a higher temperature.”

Hang your undies in the sun

Speaking of bacteria, Aggie recommends drying your underwear in the sun.

“HANG clothes that smell of anything strong outside on a sunny day – the UV rays of the sun are great at flushing out bacteria and smells. But if you don’t have the luxury of outdoor space, use a steamer or iron over the clothes – this will also get rid of the smells by loosening fibres in the fabric, which kills odorous bacteria.”

Wear your clothes three times

There’s no need to wash your clothing after each wear, says Aggie.

“Wear each piece of clothing – be it a T-shirt or pair of leggings – at least three times. If it’s an outer piece of clothing, wear it as often as you can before it starts to get grubby around the edges. Then it’s time to put it in the washing machine.”

What do you think of these cleaning tips? Let us know in the comments below.

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73 Comments

- - ChiWren said
  - 04 Sep 2024
    5:07 pm
Ewwww. Not advice I’ll take. And as someone has already said, liners are terrible for the environment. Such a crazy waste just to not do some laundry.

- - Ellen said
  - 20 Nov 2023
    5:03 am
Panty liners are bad for the environment and personally I get kind of an allergic reaction on panty liners. Besides that a pair of undies doesn’t take up a lot of space in the washing machine and our buttocks deserve a clean undie daily at the least.

- - mom208217 said
  - 30 Jun 2023
    8:49 pm
Omg sorry I will be changing my underwear after each shower thank you as I always hang my washing out if it’s not raining and try to not change my outerwear daily unless I’m going out.
- Ellen replied
  
  03 Aug 2024 , 4:28 am
  I agree that a bra and top clothing doesn’t need to be washed every day, but I have to say I hardly ever get sweaty. My husband who does get sweaty certainly need a clean shirt every day
- - romvar said
  - 30 Jan 2023
    1:09 pm
The only tip I agree with is using the washing machine quick cycle. I use this cycle often.
- Ellen replied
  
  03 Aug 2024 , 4:26 am
  I me too, I use the quick cycle a lot.
- - mom111059 said
  - 20 Jan 2023
    3:27 pm
Not taking her advice. Sorry but that’s just not an option. Liners are more of a hastle, expense and uncomfortable anyway.

- - mom462038 said
  - 04 Jan 2023
    4:42 pm
Uuummmm……..yeah, NAH! Party liners instead of washing…..to just get an extra day’s wear. No thank you. And kids might not smell as bad as adults, but they get their clothes a lot dirtier a lot faster. This woman is really a cleaning whiz?

- - Me Myself and I said
  - 02 Jan 2023
    10:54 am
Ummm No thank you I will keep washing my undies every day thanks

- - BellaB said
  - 31 Dec 2022
    10:15 pm
And apparently you should throw your underwear out every 12 months. Hm.

- - Ellen said
  - 19 Dec 2022
    5:34 am
Wow, great cleaning expert ! Who gave her this title anyway ?

- - mom101628 said
  - 18 Dec 2022
    10:34 pm
Doubt I will be water and energy saving this way anytime soon. It might be a great tip, but prefer to wash my clothes out after each wear.

- - 3kidmumma said
  - 14 Dec 2022
    8:15 pm
That is absolutely disgusting no way would i wear underwear for more than one day. Panty liners or not. I want to feel fresh down there.

- - Scientia said
  - 14 Dec 2022
    2:10 am
Not too sure about this. Will have to think about it. May try it and see how it goes, but it will take time to grow on me.

- - ~Loui~ said
  - 02 Dec 2022
    1:10 am
Yeah, no. Who wants to wear panty liners every day. They’re not pleasant and it doesn’t take much to wash your undies.

- - Jessica said
  - 30 Nov 2022
    11:30 pm
Ew. What a waste for the environment too using liners every day. Just wash your undies with the rest of your washing

- - Lividanke said
  - 22 Nov 2022
    4:39 pm
An interesting read. I agree the sun is powerful and can kill bacteria. I remember putting fabric nappies that even after washing were still brown, putting them in direct sunlight all day and sure enough they were white again.
I’m going to continue washing my underwear everyday though.

- - mom485263 said
  - 19 Nov 2022
    8:37 pm
Clean undies every day and if I shower a second time a fresh pair again… No way would I re wear them. Ewww.

- - Julzie13 said
  - 19 Nov 2022
    8:04 am
Yeah nuhh, I’m not wearing underwear more than 1 time before washing.

- - mom468034 said
  - 16 Nov 2022
    1:37 pm
I don’t think relying on panty liners is an appropriate solution, doesn’t sound very green to me, and I’ll stick to wearing undies once then washing. Other clothes can of course go longer, and all for drying in the sun for plenty of reasons too!

- - charmanda29 said
  - 16 Nov 2022
    1:28 pm
I dont think I can do multiple underwear wears without washing it daily! Even if it’s clean I’d still feel like they’re not.

- - penny05 said
  - 15 Nov 2022
    5:04 pm
Unsure where this advice comes from, but I definitely wash anything after wearing it once.