When Should You Replace Your Underwear?
Spoiler alert: Probably sooner than you think. But don’t take our word for it...
It may come as no surprise that underwear is a breeding ground for bacteria. That’s why we at KOY Gear introduced the silver fibre pouch in our Silver Technical Boxer Briefs to help kill 99.9% of bacteria. But, there’s more reason to keep your gear fresh...
According to Dr. Charles Gerba, a professor of microbiology at the University of Arizona, the average pair of underwear still has roughly 1/10 a gram of feces on it after it is washed. Naturally, these dirty garments get worse over time and contaminate the rest of your clean laundry. Moreover this sort of exposure poses moderate health risks ranging from pink eye to skin conditions. Lucky for you, we’ve pulled together a list of practical ways that you can tackle these issues so that you can rest easy at night.
Our Top 4 Tips for Keeping Your Underwear & Other Garments Fresh
- Replace your underwear annually - This is typically Mom’s top recommendation and it’s ours too. But it’s not just intuition, this one is well-supported by the Good Housekeeping Institute's guide and many other experts in the field of microbiology, too.
- Change more often - Men’s Health reported that 1 in 5 men are comfortable stretching each wear to two days. This should come as no surprise, but it’s recommended to change your underwear every day and after physical activity.
- Wash with care - Web MC has some great recommendations for handling dirty laundry. The two big takeaways: be sure to wash your hands after handling dirty clothes and when washing underwear, use your machine’s hot setting (60 degrees Celsius/140 degrees Fahrenheit minimum).
- Clean your washing machine - Run bleach through your machine (like a regular load without the clothes) as much as every few weeks to help rid surfaces of any risky bacteria like E Coli and prevent its spread to other garments. Or here’s an extensive 'how to' guide.
Shameless plug: If you need more underwear, always check out our KOY Gear Boxer Briefs for the best in breathability, odour-control, and comfort.