How Often Should You Wash Clothes? Garment by Garment

The rule: wash by need, not by routine

The simplest guide is three questions: is the garment visibly dirty, does it smell, or does it have a stain? If the answer is no to all three, it probably doesn't need the machine yet. Garments that sit close to the skin and take on sweat need washing often; outer layers and anything with a layer in between can go much longer. The rest of this guide translates that rule into concrete numbers for the most common garments.

How often to wash the most common garments

The numbers below are a starting point for normal wear. If you sweat a lot, it's hot, or the garment is visibly soiled, wash more often – these are guidelines, not rules.

• Underwear, socks and activewear: after every wear – they take on the most sweat and skin bacteria.
• T-shirts and tops against bare skin: after 1–2 wears.
• Shirts and blouses: after 1–2 wears – the collar and cuffs soil first.
• Jeans: rarely, around every 5–10 wears – air and spot-clean between washes.
• Trousers (non-denim): after 3–5 wears.
• Jumpers and wool knits: after 5–10 wears, airing between each wear.
• Suits, blazers and wool jackets: rarely – brush, air and press; clean only when needed.
• Dresses: depends on fabric and skin contact – a thin summer dress more often than a lined wool one.
• Bras: after 2–3 wears, and rest them a day between wears.
• Pyjamas: after 3–4 nights.
• Outer jackets and coats: a few times per season, or when visibly stained.

Why washing less is better

Most of the wear on clothes happens not while you wear them, but while you wash them. Every cycle drags the fibres against each other, washes out a little dye, and the lint you find in the tumble-dryer filter is literally the garment disappearing. Heat and friction shrink and felt wool, fabric softener clogs technical fabrics, and repeated washing fades blacks and dark colours. Washing less – but correctly when you do – is therefore not laziness but the simplest way to make clothes last longer and look newer.

What to do between washes

The key to washing less is having something else to do in the meantime. Most garments need freshening, not washing.

• Air the garment overnight somewhere with good airflow – it removes much of the smell without water.
• Brush suits, coats and wool with a clothes brush to lift dust and lint before it settles.
• Steam the garment lightly; steam refreshes the fibres and reduces both smell and creases.
• Spot-clean a single stain with a damp cloth instead of washing the whole garment.

The garments you shouldn't wash at home – and what to do instead

Some of the garments that should be washed least are exactly the ones you shouldn't put in the machine at all: suits, wool and winter coats, structured blazers, silk and anything marked 'dry clean only'. When they do need cleaning – after a season, a stain or an event – machine washing means shrinking, lost shape and ruined inner construction. The right approach is a professional clean that treats the garment gently and keeps the crease and shape. If you want it done right, you can send the garments to us – you order online, and you see the price before you order.

Frequently asked questions