2008 Woodie Awards
Gender Bender
Defining Dirty: What is "clean" when it comes to laundry?
Issue date: 10/10/05 Section: Opinion
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Female Perspective
Being a college student, I know one thing I put off doing is laundry. But just how often do you need to do it? I do not know about other girls, but I have a large amount of clothes. But defining what is clean enough to actually wear more than once is a little more difficult.
First, shirts, socks, and underwear are one time use only. To have more socks close to laundry time can be helped by wearing sandals and flip flops until more can be washed. It reduces the need for socks. As far as underwear and shirts, a large stock of both will get you through long periods without doing laundry. I probably have enough underwear to get me through a month without doing laundry.
Jeans and some pants can be worn more than once. If this is done try not to wear the same pants two days in a row. Sometimes pants cannot be worn again, like if it is raining and the edge of your pants gets all muddy, or something gets spilled on them. I would not recommend wearing them more than four or five days overall, if that.
Pajamas pants or pajamas, often can be worn again (or not, it is your own personal preference). After all, they are only worn to sleep in.
Sweatshirts are probably the piece of clothing that you can get away with without washing the most often. Sweatshirts can go weeks without being washed, but if one sweatshirt is worn constantly, I recommend washing it after a week or two. It can get as bad as a shirt then. But if worn sparingly, a sweatshirt can last you a while without having to be washed.
Overall, as long as you have enough shirts and underwear to get you through and enough pants and sweatshirts to alternate, you could probably make it through quite a long time without doing laundry. But do not be surprised if it costs you a little bit of money, because by then, you are going to have quite a few loads.
Male Perspective
Admittedly, guys are anything but meticulous when it comes to laundry. Some of the more amusing stories I have from my closest male friends somehow include very large piles of dirty laundry.
Being a college student, I know one thing I put off doing is laundry. But just how often do you need to do it? I do not know about other girls, but I have a large amount of clothes. But defining what is clean enough to actually wear more than once is a little more difficult.
First, shirts, socks, and underwear are one time use only. To have more socks close to laundry time can be helped by wearing sandals and flip flops until more can be washed. It reduces the need for socks. As far as underwear and shirts, a large stock of both will get you through long periods without doing laundry. I probably have enough underwear to get me through a month without doing laundry.
Jeans and some pants can be worn more than once. If this is done try not to wear the same pants two days in a row. Sometimes pants cannot be worn again, like if it is raining and the edge of your pants gets all muddy, or something gets spilled on them. I would not recommend wearing them more than four or five days overall, if that.
Pajamas pants or pajamas, often can be worn again (or not, it is your own personal preference). After all, they are only worn to sleep in.
Sweatshirts are probably the piece of clothing that you can get away with without washing the most often. Sweatshirts can go weeks without being washed, but if one sweatshirt is worn constantly, I recommend washing it after a week or two. It can get as bad as a shirt then. But if worn sparingly, a sweatshirt can last you a while without having to be washed.
Overall, as long as you have enough shirts and underwear to get you through and enough pants and sweatshirts to alternate, you could probably make it through quite a long time without doing laundry. But do not be surprised if it costs you a little bit of money, because by then, you are going to have quite a few loads.
Male Perspective
Admittedly, guys are anything but meticulous when it comes to laundry. Some of the more amusing stories I have from my closest male friends somehow include very large piles of dirty laundry.