How dirty are your underwear? Have you ever washed your underwear? You must know these!

Many people are unable to change and wash their underwear every day. They either put the changed underwear aside and pile them up to wash the unworn ones, or throw the underwear into the washing machine with a pile of dirty clothes and socks. These practices are wrong! Underwear is the most intimate clothing for everyone. Whether it is clean or not affects the health of the reproductive system. Many gynecological and urinary system diseases are caused by improper cleaning of underwear or wrong methods.

Faced with such a soul-deepening question, let's talk about the trivial matter of washing underwear today. First of all, we need to know the importance of washing underwear properly.

01Why should you wash your underwear carefully ?

Although it is just a small pair of underwear, it contains great health risks. After all, a pair of underwear worn for a day is not much cleaner than a pair of smelly socks.

Although underwear tries its best to block external intrusions, it cannot avoid the "filth" from the inside. This small piece of cloth will slowly be stained with urine, feces, reproductive tract secretions, sweat, sebum, and even various pathogens that parasitize the vulva, E. coli carried in feces and their metabolic waste, etc.

Foreign studies have found that there is about 0.1 grams of feces on each pair of underwear on average, and 1 gram of feces contains 10 million viruses, 1 million bacteria, 1,000 parasite cysts and 100 eggs.

So changing underwear every day is a must.

02Why do underwear turn yellow and hard ? Can I still wear it ?

Underwear will turn yellow and harden after being worn for a long time. The main reasons for this are as follows:

1. A detergent with too strong alkalinity was used during the cleaning process.

2. Using too much force during the cleaning process or using a washing machine to clean can cause fiber breakage and fabric deformation.

3. Excessive exposure to the sun causes fiber aging and breakage, and the surface of the fabric becomes rough.

4. Stains such as semen, menstrual blood, urine, leucorrhea and feces that are stained during wearing are not cleaned for a long time, and tiny particles accumulate between fabric fibers, causing fiber compaction.

Image source: Pixabay

When underwear turns yellow and hard, and cannot be cleaned after multiple washings, it is time to change it. This means that the surface of the cotton fiber fabric is almost damaged. The vulva is relatively fragile and sensitive, and hardening will increase friction and may cause inflammation. Therefore, it is generally recommended to change it every six months.

03 If you don’t wash your underwear properly, there will be 3 consequences

1. Bacterial infection

If your underwear is not cleaned properly, even if you have the best resistance, it will not be able to withstand the attack of bacteria.

For women, many gynecological diseases will come to them, such as urinary tract infection, vaginitis, etc., and for men, the chance of prostate problems will also increase.

2. Residual odor

Because there will be secretions and excrement left on used underwear, if it is not cleaned properly, it is very likely that there will be residual odor, which is very embarrassing.

3. Get colorful underwear

For women, menstrual blood and leucorrhea often remain on underwear. If they are not cleaned properly, they will become a pair of "colorful" underwear after a long time, which will increase the difficulty of cleaning next time.

Therefore, it is important to wash your underwear well. So, how do you clean your underwear?

PART 04How to wash underwear?

1. Change clothes every day and don’t accumulate them

Nowadays, work is stressful and housework is heavy. In order to save time, many people buy more than a dozen pairs of underwear at a time. When they don't have time to wash them every day, they accumulate them and wash them together on weekends. "This practice is not advisable. Although you change new underwear every day, if you don't wash it in time, the secretions on the underwear will continue to breed bacteria at room temperature, and it will be more difficult to clean it over time." Underwear must be changed and washed on the same day.

2. Rub the soap for 3-5 minutes

Some people tend to rub their underwear hastily when washing it, and sometimes they don't even use soap. Underwear still needs to be washed with soap. The two common gynecological bacteria, mold and trichomonas, can be killed by the alkaline environment of soap. Using soap can achieve this effect. As for the scrubbing time, it is best to rub it carefully for 3-5 minutes after applying soap to allow the bacteria to fully contact with the soap.

3. Rinse with running water

After rubbing, be sure to rinse thoroughly in running water to wash off the soap bubbles. If you don't rinse it in time, the underwear will become hard over time, which is not good for your health.

4. Don’t wash with socks

Some people are used to washing their underwear, socks, and autumn clothes together in the washing machine. Underwear should be washed separately. Mold and other germs can breed on human feet. If socks and underwear are washed together, the mold may be contaminated on the underwear. In addition, the underwear of family members should also be washed separately and not mixed together.

5. During the inflammation period, women should use boiling water to scald their underwear

For women with fungus or inflammation, they should wear cotton underwear. After washing, they should be scalded in boiling water or boiled directly, which can completely eliminate the germs.

6. Dry in the sun

Drying underwear is very important. Washed underwear must be dried in the sun. Ultraviolet rays can kill germs on them, which is very beneficial to health. If you really can't dry them in the sun, you must not put them in a humid bathroom to dry. You should hang them in a ventilated place such as a balcony to dry them naturally.

Source: Chongqing Tianji Network Co., Ltd.

This article is compiled from: Suzhou Health 12320, Brother Enge Chats About Health, Xinri Biotechnology, Miaoshou Doctor Health

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