Wash clothes before wearing, avoid fabric softener, dye detergents: doctor

He’s airing out your dirty laundry.

Dr. Charles Puza, a board-certified NYC dermatologist, is sharing the three laundry mistakes that may be harming your skin. He advises against wearing clothes that you haven’t washed, using fabric softener and buying detergent with perfumes and dyes.

“How you do your laundry impacts your skin,” Puza explained in a TikTok last week.

Wearing clothes that you haven’t washed

“Everyone should be washing their clothes before they wear them, especially if you like fast fashion like Shein and Temu. They have things on them that you don’t want on your skin,” Puza said.

Frances Kozen, a Cornell University senior lecturer in fiber science and apparel design, told Self magazine last year that your new garment may have been treated with a fabric softener, a stain-resistant or water-repellent coating, or an anti-mildew agent that can cause irritation, redness or itching.

A 2014 study out of Sweden found quinoline, a possibly carcinogenic dye chemical, or one of its derivatives on nearly all of the 31 clothing textile samples researchers studied. The substance was most abundant on polyester items.

Excess dye, especially from darker apparel, also can rub off on skin. And duds can contain germs from someone who tried them on before you bought them.

Self recommends checking the clothing label and if it’s allowed, washing the attire for at least 25 minutes on the hot cycle before wearing.

Using fabric softener

“Please stop using … fabric softeners,” Puza urged. “I don’t know a single dermatologist who buys this stuff.”

Consumer Reports reports that fabric softener — which coats fibers with chemicals to make them feel softer, appear less wrinkly and staticky, and smell better — can irritate sensitive skin, weaken flame resistance on children’s pajamas and reduce towel absorption.

Puza instead suggests reusable wool dryer balls.

Buying detergent with perfumes and dyes

Puza prefers detergents free of perfumes and dyes, naming All Free Clear, Tide Free and Gentle Liquid Laundry Detergent and Arm & Hammer Sensitive Skin Free & Clear as his faves.

“Remember, chemicals on your clothes sit on your skin all day long, also your bed and your sheets like 24/7,” Puza said.