Everyone knows the old inside out, back to front, inside out and back to front technique during times of underwear desperation.
However this is usually, as I said, in times of underwear desperation. Perhaps you’re at a festival and forgot your backup pair, or you ate some of the free dhal at said festival, quickly realised why it was being given out for free, and decided you better change your underwear because that smell seems to be lingering. On the other hand, if you’ve got dhal firing out both ends, a change of underwear is probably not going to solve the problem.
The American diet seems to induce the opposite response in people though, as research revealed around 45 per cent of Americans don’t change their underwear every day.
Perhaps it’s the meat-heavy diet, the notoriously large portions, or just that almost half of the country’s population can’t be bothered to grab a fresh pair of keks everyday. But either way, according to a survey by underwear company Tommy John, around 45 per cent of Americans wear underwear for ‘two days or longer’.
The survey of 1,000 underwear wearers also revealed 13 percent of those asked wear the same pair of underwear for a week or more, with men two and half times more likely to adopt this habit, as USA Today reports.
Though they might not be changing them all too often, 46 per cent said they have owned the same pair of underwear for least a year, while 38 per cent said they have no idea how long they’ve owned their oldest pair. Waste not want not, and all that. Until the dhal hits, anyway.
Regarding their research, Tommy John said:
It’s crucial to update your underwear wardrobe every six months to a year to ensure you’re protected from harmful infections and health risks. Women should be especially careful, as they’re more at risk than men to experience health issues due to unclean underwear.
They also shared some top tips for keeping your undies clean:
– Tumble dry your underwear on low heat for 30 minutes after washing.
– Don’t mix your underwear in the same load with your significant other or children if they’re sick.
– Avoid washing contaminated underwear with other pairs and clothing.
– Wash your underwear separately from clothing containing other bodily fluids. If any article of clothing is stained, it’s better to wash it separately from your underwear.
And a piece of advice from me, take an extra pair of underwear when you go to a festival, you never know what that scran will do to you.
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Charlie Cocksedge is a journalist and sub-editor at UNILAD. He graduated from the University of Manchester with an MA in Creative Writing, where he learnt how to write in the third person, before getting his NCTJ. His work has also appeared in such places as The Guardian, PN Review and the bin.