As an enthusiastic shopper, I know that few things are more entrancing and bewitching than a brand-new piece of clothing, still wrinkle-free and perfectly pressed, smelling sweetly of the department store. Eventually, the garment will stretch and fade, so that first wearing is one of the shopper’s greatest pleasures.
But even though new clothes may look and smell fresh, they’re actually anything but. Recently, Good Morning America enlisted the help of a bacteriologist and discovered that new clothes harbor dozens of strains of germs and bacteria, from dirty to disturbing.
An Unsanitary Surprise
The GMA team purchased fourteen different garments, from panties to jackets, at three stores with varying price points. Dr. Philip Tierno, PhD, a microbiologist and immunologist at New York University, tested the items, and what he found shocked everyone. The clothes contained respiratory secretions, skin fragments, vaginal organisms, Candida yeast, and other bacteria. The most contaminated areas on the garments were in the armpit and groin areas.
Tierno did tell GMA that it’s unlikely that anyone would contract a serious illness through contaminated clothes, but that’s not likely a risk many people would be willing to take. Certain germs, like the Norovirus, which causes stomach upset and diarrhea, could potentially survive on the clothes for several weeks.
Oh, the Places They’ve Been
New clothes may be new to us, but few people stop and think about all the people and places those garments have been in contact with before we take them home. They’ve been shipped, stored, and displayed, numerous other people (with varying standards of personal hygiene) have potentially tried them on, and some items may have even been purchased and subsequently returned. People try on clothes when they’re sick; they try on clothes when they’re sweaty or unshowered. Stores may request that customers not try on panties or bathing suits without underwear, but there’s no guarantee that all customers will follow the recommendation. The result of all this human contact is that “new” clothes can be just as germy as public restrooms.
