Cleanliness - is Stella Mccartney right or just barking?

You're damn right - 'underwear worn twice isn't nearly so nice' as I've heard. I don't believe that I over-do it either but that's just plain batty.

Do agree with her comments that many things labelled as "Dry clean only" are just fine being washed carefully in water thus reducing the need for toxic dry cleaning fluids but some of her other comments do come into the 'woof woof' category.

I bet she doesn't keep wearing her week old knickers! She may subscribe to my long ago teenaged son's theory about "airwashing" his clothes by just draping them around his bedroom. Perhaps she doesn't need to wash clothes because she always has new ones?

I will admit to only washing jeans every 3 wears, all underwear, blouses and tops are washed after 1 wear, especially in this hot weather!

I wash pants and socks daily. The rest when its dirty. I dont understand this thing of not putting a once worn item back in the wardrobe to be worn again.

Once worn gets hung outside the wardrobe to air and might get a few more wears , but underwear is changed daily , oh yes and socks !

Apricity but sadly I ruined a really smart pair of chinos that I had only worn once because I ignored the "Dry Clean Only" label. The fabric is Tencel (I think).

I also thinks she's a bit barking. But the remark may just have been "off the cuff" and not to be taken seriously.

I remember reading this yesterday and wondered how many other celebrities weren't as clean as us ladies. Some changing rooms in theatre areas stunk of sweat from costumes which were changed. I couldn't think of anything worse than unwashed clothes.
Underwear is cheap enough to renew every day or even twice a day, as you do when it's hot. Then I boil them, not wash them.
Smells=germs !!

All underwear changed daily sometimes twice if needed and boil washed I only wear white underwear so no chance of fading colours.Stella must have a vast amount of clothes that she wouldn't be bothered about putting on clean every day.

over washing clothes means more pollution , more wear and tear and I can't see why things need washing after one wear , unless you spill something or leak

When you have a solid wood dressing room to air worn clothes it, the "airing" can refresh them.

When you have a cheap laminate wardrobe where you have to squash all your things into a small space that is prone to condensating, returning worm clothes to the pile cam result in all your clothes going mouldy and needing to be discarded - not so eco friendly now eh?

It's a tip from the out of touch, I bet she has space to hang her worn items so they arent touching anything & get lots of air flow in a bright airy well ventialted space with the scent of her herb garden wafting up ...

Come squish ALL your worn and unworn clothes together in the only wardrobe that fits in my room Stella and see how you like going to work in musty work outfits that have been squished in with yesterday's housework clothes!

P.s. I DON'T wash EVERYTHING after one wear, Cardies rarely need washing but the vests or tees beside my skin I do wash after one wear. Skirts and trousers it depends on what I have been doing with them, if they are okay for more wear I hamg them on the back of my door not in with clean-clean wardrobe clothes.

If thats all she means then she cant seriously think shes a bright spark with a new idea cam she?

It's not 'all or nothing' - knickers, socks or stockings need to be changed every day. Otherwise it depends on your lifestyle. IMO anyway.
Husband and I each have old clothes we wear when doing jobs around the house and garden. Then shower and change into neater cleaner things.
He's more obsessional about cleanliness than me.
I remember (sorry, about the old days) having a temp. teaching job back in the '50s in a Durham colliery village. At the beginning of winter some of the children were rubbed over with poultry fat, sewn into liberty bodice etc until spring came. No washing machines then.

At the beginning of winter some of the children were rubbed over with poultry fat, sewn into liberty bodice etc until spring came.

In living memory, then?? Just totally gobsmacked.

Will anyone admit to how often they wear their bras before washing? I think I saw a thread where people wore theirs for 2 weeks or more . You definitely see the grey straps of a once-white bra this time of year.

Bras that fit and support me cost about £30 each and my size fluctuates so I dont have daily bras. If Ive been sweaty / active they get washed, otherwise 2/3 days, but they get hung over my bedroom chair inbetween not in with the clean ones.

I get a couple of wears from a bra ,white ones are washed every time ..that doesn't mea I put the machine on for one bra though .As with everything else whites get collected and washed once a week ...my bedding although changed twice a week only gets washed once with the other whites too .

My bra does me a week. As do my current footlets. (I leave them to air when I come in. Don't stink at all next day)

My new frock is hanging on the outside of my wardrobe. It has been worn twice using a good deodorant. No pong at all. I will get another couple of wears out of it.

I am on my third day of this bra , first day I have to seriously struggle to fasten it , second day a lot better , third day it is comfy , might wear it tomorrow or might not

Boiling one’s knickers? My silk underwear is hand washed after each wear, with some Dettol in the water! I spend a lot of money on my clothes and they are well cared for. Jeans are only washed if they are muddy or food has been spilled. Tops are worn several times but left outside the wardrobe to air, following each wear. I take a daily shower and use a strong antiperspirant/deodorant. Would not dream of wearing socks or undies more than once!

With you all the way Kitty 'I wash pants and socks daily. The rest when its dirty. I dont understand this thing of not putting a once worn item back in the wardrobe to be worn again.'

it is an ecological disaster and a massive waste of water and electricity, and polluting too - nothing wrong with putting a t-shirt or blouse on a hanger to air by the window, and wear again if it is not dirty or very hot and sweaty. I separate washes too- and many things are washed on quick wash at 30C - whilst towels etc, are done at 50C on normal wash.

That's just it aggie. Hate Sunday mornings when I have to start a clean bra. I either give it a good yank or two before I try to put it on, or climb into it.

Even the Elizabethans thought spotless linen was important. What a load of rubbish Mccartney is talking. Personal linen should always be spotless, think of having an accident with less than clean linen???.

With regard of everything else, I think it is common sense. My cashmere lasts as long as it will, but honestly the washing liquid is so good these days it’s no problem. Silk is the same. But my posh frocks I only wear occasionally and they get re hung and covered until the next wear. Same with my winter posh stuff. They get dry cleaned or washed when necessary. Everything else gets washed after a maximum of 3 wears.

Bugs survive in dirty clothing. Yukity yuk.

Young people seem to wash everything after only one wear. I do this with underwear only. Outerwear only as required. Skirts and trousers usually get worn quite a few times, tops and dresses several times.
It is waste of resources to wash after one wear.

Somethings need to be changed daily of course, knickers, socks (if worn) and anything under the armpits, so that means the whole garment. I wear jeans a couple of times, 7/8th trousers for the summer washed after every wear. Bras, mine are all black don't get changed daily, if I go to the gym I wear a sports bra to keep the annoying appendages under control, then I change back into a normal bra. So no I wouldn't wash a bra every day, I'm with Stella on that one.