What is the one garment in your wardrobe that is the most frequently worn? That would be underwear. For all of its importance to looking good it usually has the least amount of attention paid to it, particularly when it comes to caring for them properly.
Changing: Some men change their underwear daily. Some men take them off at night and put the same pair back on the next day. There are a few who don’t believe it’s necessary to take them off and a few who won’t put them on.
How often you change your underwear? While surveys suggest that one in five men don’t change their underwear daily and one in eight wear the same pair two or three times in a row the first rule is that they should be changed daily. If you exercise, they should be changed a second time.
When to toss: Underwear is not meant to live past its first birthday. If you haven’t tossed the oldest out now may be the time. Underwear that is damaged should also go. That means if there are holes, the elastic is worn out or the briefs/boxer briefs have begun to sag. It is also important to throw away underwear that is either too tight or too loose.
Quality: Buying mass market underwear may not be the best thing to do. The quality may shorten the timespan they are wearable. Buying a few pairs of well made, breathable underwear may mean they cost more and have to be laundered more but if care is taken they will most likely last longer.
Detergents: This is a biggy. Your laundry detergent is going to be the one thing that will take the biggest toll on your underwear if you choose the wrong one. Yes, regular laundry detergent is needed for most of your machine washable clothing but underwear is not in that department. Granted, it is easier to just toss them in with the other laundry and use the same thing for all. It is still counterproductive. Invest in a detergent meant for delicate clothes or delicate skin. This means something like Woolite or detergent for babies such as Dreft.
Lingerie bags: These are not just for women’s underthings. If you really want to protect your underwear invest in at least one of these. You can then safely add them to your other delicate laundry. Having laundry loose in the washer and dryer exposes it to zippers, snaps, hooks and buttons. You may not notice any problems on the first ten or fifteen washings but after that the problems can start.
There are some who suggest that men should start the practice of buying at least one new pair of underwear a week. A few think that’s overdoing it a bit but getting twelve new pairs in a year should take care of the aging underwear problem. It is also feels cheaper to buy them this way. Imagine the cost of buying all twelve all at once.