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Thread: Does most wear on clothes come from washing them?

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Sep 2006
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    Las Cruces, NM
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    2,036

    Does most wear on clothes come from washing them?

    Ordinary street clothes, underwear, socks, t-shirts, not the things you wear while participating in the rodeo, get holes and rips in them after a few years. I wonder if most of the wear and tear comes from the washing machine - or perhaps from the chemicals in detergents. I usually wash clothes on the 'permanent press' setting and I don't often use bleach. Still, it seems that my t-shirts and socks turn into rags too quickly.

    I wonder if this was better or worse in the old days. Washing clothes on a washboard by hand must have been tough on the clothes. I don't know how the washing machines of earlier years compared to those of today. Perhaps I should blame the fragility of my garments on "those foreign textiles", but would that make sense?

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Mar 2003
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    San Francisco, CA
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    10,304
    I think so. Look at the amount of stuff that gets caught in the lint trap of your dryer. That used to be clothes.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Jul 2010
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    Northern Kentucky
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    the problem with wash boards were not the wear on your clothes but on your aching muscles ,you can buy clothes that is for heavy wear or for one wear then throw out

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Jul 2010
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    Northern Kentucky
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    compare the amount of LINT from towels versus other clothes when them get dry in a dryer

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Aug 2006
    Location
    Saint Helens, OR
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    I would offer that both wearing and washing contribute to the slow and gradual destruction of fabric.

    Dirt, sweat, oils, skin cells, to name a few, work their way into the fabric. Our clothes get stretched, squashed, compressed, exposed to a variety of environments (hot, humid, cold, damp), sunlight....

    I'd say cleaning is equally destructive to the fibers.
    Measure twice, cut three times, start over. Repeat as necessary.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Dec 2003
    Location
    Putnam County, NY
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    3,086
    Yes. The washing machine is not exactly your clothing's friend.
    I could cry for the time I've wasted, but thats a waste of time and tears.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Oct 2006
    Location
    Minneapolis, MN
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    5,427
    Front load washing machines are supposed to be easier on clothes than top load washing machines. I wouldn't replace a perfectly good top loader, but if you need a new one a front loader is something to look at .

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Aug 2010
    Location
    USA
    Posts
    5,582
    You've got to be kidding right? How does the washing mashine know to wear out the elbow area of your shirts, or the seat area of your pants?

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