Should you wash clothes inside out? Experts suggest it makes a difference

I lost count of the number of times I was told off as a child for leaving my clothes inside out when I put them in the laundry pile. It supposedly made putting the laundry away more tedious, however, fabric care scientists are now suggesting that my ‘laziness’ was actually beneficial.

Although everyone has their own routines and rules for doing laundry, the washing inside-out debate has been raging for years. On the one hand, my mom was right, putting laundry away takes a little longer, but it can also help to prolong the lifespan of your clothes.

So, should you wash clothes inside out? Laundry experts recommend it – and this is why.

Should you wash clothes inside out?

When doing laundry, we likely bundle all our dirty garments together and shove them in the machine, hoping for the best. However, Kim Romine, P&G Tide Scientist suggests that taking a little extra time to ensure that all your clothes are turned inside out could make a big difference to the lifespan of your wardrobe:

‘While it’s not necessary to wash clothes inside out, there are a few reasons to turn clothes inside out before washing,’ she begins. ‘Firstly, washing inside out helps to protect the item from abrasion or dye transfer (for example, heavier-weight items like denim that have zippers and buttons can abrade or damage lighter-weight fabrics like athletic clothes or leggings), It helps to protect other items in the load from abrasion or dye transfer, and it exposes the inside surface to more cleaning/tumbling action (ex: if there’s a tough stain on the inside or if the inside surface is especially dirty).’

Washing inside out benefits most clothes, but it is especially useful for items that we sweat in such as gym wear, Kim continues, as it exposes the dirtiest surface to more cleaning action. That being said, if your items are especially dirty on the outside (like sports uniforms) or if you have a tough stain, you may want to keep them right-side-out so that the detergent and agitation of the washer can clean the dirty surfaces of those items thoroughly,’ she adds.

It can also be beneficial to turn delicate items inside out before washing, especially if you do not want to hand-wash clothes, to help protect the fibers and maintain the overall appearance of the garment, adds the clothing experts at Superdry. Along with turning inside out, you can also ‘safeguard your delicate items, such as lingerie and knitwear, by washing them in mesh laundry bags, which provide an added layer of protection against stretching and snagging during the wash cycle,’ they add.

Just be sure to check the laundry symbols on the care label first to check the material of the garment before washing it in your machine to ensure you will not shrink or stretch the item, they warn – ‘match the solution to the problem.’

It is important to note that washing clothes inside out will not make a difference in making laundry smell better, however, Kim reminds us:

‘If you’re noticing lingering odors on fabrics, the culprit could be an incomplete clean rather than whether you are washing the item inside out or not,’ she warns. ‘Sweat and other body soils can cling to clothing fibers and build up, creating deep, set-in odors. That’s why we created Downy Rinse & Refresh, at Walmart which is a deep-cleansing fabric rinse that removes the source of odors versus covering them up.

‘To use, load your detergent as normal and then add Downy Rinse & Refresh into the fabric softener compartment and activate the softener/rinse cycle – this will dispense the product during the rinse cycle, which is after the detergent’s wash cycle.’

FAQs

How many times should you wear clothes before washing?

Unless the garment is stained or smells, you should wear your clothes around two to three times before washing, increasing to four to five wears for heavier items such as denim. Washing as infrequently as possible will help to prolong the lifespan of the garment.

Of course, it takes more than washing clothes inside out to protect your garments and prolong their lifespan. Washing them on the correct setting with delicate detergents, separating laundry before washing, and air drying laundry will all contribute to a closet that lasts.