You want to wear new clothes as soon as you buy them. However, many manufacturers advise washing your new favorite item first. Do new clothes really have to be washed first?
Garments are usually treated with chemicals so that shirts, trousers, blouses and the like retain certain properties. Manufacturers guarantee, among other things, the durability and appearance of the clothes. If clothing is manufactured abroad, it must also be treated with chemicals before transport, for example to prevent mold growth.
Before the garments are sold, they are also tried on by numerous customers. Experts therefore advise washing clothing before wearing it for the first time.
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Clothing mostly treated with harmful chemicals
If you sweat while wearing it, the sweat releases pollutant residues from the clothing, which get on the skin and can trigger rashes or, in the worst case, even an allergic shock. Many of the chemicals used are harmful to health and can cause diseases, including cancer, in addition to skin irritation.
Watch out for seals
Consumers can look out for seals that guarantee low-emission clothing. These include “Öko-Tex 100” and “Global Organic Textile Standard” (GOTS), whose clothing labeled with this standard may not contain certain chemicals at all or only in small amounts.
Among other things, the sustainability portal utopia.de recommends paying attention to clothing with the “IVN Best Label”. This is the strictest of all textile seals and, in addition to the materials used in production, takes into account the entire supply chain and the production conditions.
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