Cleanliness - is Stella Mccartney right or just barking?

I am my own worst enemy, I have a mountain of ironing every week because I have everything clean every day and a clean nighty every night. I also have to have a clean towel every shower. I think it’s because as children, we seemed to wear clothes for ever without washing them

I wear my knickers and socks only once, and they are then thrown into the laundry basket. My bras last a week between washes, and I only wash outerwear when I deem it needful. I wash bed linen weekly.

I’m saying nothing.

I’m with you MimiMoon, common sense really isn’t it.

Going back in history to all the things OP says, it was lack of space, poor sanitation, poor nutrition to name a few of the problems that led to the disease, infestations and smells.
If you cannot afford the fuel to heat the water, to wash yourself never mind the laundry then how could you focus on laundry. Natural fibres such as wool take longer to dry and absorb a lot of water so without a change of clothing, which many didn't have, laundry was difficult.
We are very fortunate to live now but we don't need the vast amount of clothing we currently buy, cheap fabrics, cheap quick seasonal trends (I'm not always talking cheap to buy) cheap throw away items.
I'm with a few of you in that I change underwear daily except my bra, I wear different ones but usually wash after a few wears. Woollies, jeans, skirts, dresses and maybe blouses are washed if they need it. I'm clean, I shower or bathe daily so they don't require more than that, I don't have a demanding job and I don't get too dirty. ... mostly anyway

I wear a bra for 2/3 days (they tend to come off in the early evening!). Knickers and socks clean on every day, of course. Tops and dresses changed every day if the weather is hot - otherwise every 2 days. Trousers subjected to the 'sniff' test to decide if I can wear 'em again!

I do wonder if the advent of sutomatic washing machines led on to people washing clothes and linens more frequently. If clothes release plastic into the water system has this led on to the terrible pollution we now see in our oceans do you think.? When i worked i worn everything clean every day. Now it is undies and socks that are changed daily and i usually wear joggers and t shirt a couple of time around the house and garden, Going out shopping clothes may get a second go if i have only had on a couple of hours, they are hung on the wardrobe door to air.

I don't think SM was referring to knickers! she said she'd wear a bra more than once, I reckon most of us agree. Her point was that clothes that have e.g. mud on can be brushed off, they don't need washing/cleaning, sounds OK to me.

Bra every other day in winter but daily in summer in hot climes, socks/tights daily, knickers daily and another change if out for the evening. Every thing else on a sniff test really - pits and groin to put it indelicately!

We’re so lucky nowadays that clothes worn to a restaurant/pub/party no longer stink of cigarettes and the days of having to hang a dress on a washing line the following day just to air it, are long gone.

I have my dog clothes, allotment clothes, laid on a chair in the bedroom, I can quickly access them for an early start.
They will be washed when muddy or smelly. I have been known to nip to the supermarket in my dog stuff though.
In the wardrobe are my nice clean things, not worn nearly enough these days since finishing work eleven months ago.

I have at the moment just one comfy bra, out of about half a dozen, it gets its own special handwash every couple of weeks!

^ 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).^
Possibly not Tencel, then Grannyknot
I've had tencel chinos/cargo trousers and they wash well and I have occasionally tumble dried them too.

wellshe could be right in a sense. i do two washes a week and bed linen every two weeks. no i dont smell and nor do my sheets. i save on water(full load each time)and electricity do it after 10.30pm in the evenings. i dont use any sprays or chemicals in my home.tell a lie i do have a bottle of bleach to whiten my net curtains.sprays i cannot stand as there is enough chemicals in the air without adding more. i vacuum maybe once a week depending if the cat has been in his litter tray and left sawdust over the carpet. but usually use a dustpan and brush.......am thinking of taking up carpets and using ther tiles underneath instead.knickers i wear panty liners so knickers dont get dirty. so maybe those every two days...bra's once a week. who is going to see my bra no one except me.clothes like trousers/legging type trousers. depends on how dirty they get. but maybe every two days.socks maybe every two days....but it all depends on whether you go round half naked or not.

Ditto pants, socks, tee shirts etc. all one wear. I usually have at least 2 bras on the go for at least week and 'air' the ones I'm not wearing ready for the next wear - works well as have light and dark coloured tops and some tops/dresses require a prettier strap that might show.
Jeans, trousers, etc. usually 5 or 6 wears but if they've been sitting round for a while might be more often.
Like everyone else I hang things that are not absolutely clean on the front of the wardrobe much to DH's annoyance ('why can't you put them away?!')
I often only wear clothes for 2 or 3 hours as I change when I am just in the house - a tip I got from MIL. Spend a decent amount of ££ on going out clothes and look after them. Have some cheaper, comfy stuff for in the house, doing chores, etc. - the latter usually get washed after one wear as get dirty when cleaning/gardening, etc.

* Fennel* when i was first married in 1960, we lived in the country and a farmer neighbour used to put goose grease on his children in winter, i often wondered how they kept from sliding around in bed,
It was a common thing in those days, unbelievable as it seems

I think Stella Mccartney has been misquoted.
The original response was to dry-cleaning and she said she wasn’t a fan of dry-cleaning. She spoke about bespoke suits and the work involved, then she said:

”And the rule on a bespoke suit is you do not clean it. You do not touch it. You let the dirt dry and you brush it off. Basically, in life, rule of thumb: if you don’t absolutely have to clean anything, don’t clean it. I wouldn’t change my bra every day and I don’t just chuck stuff into a washing machine because it’s been worn. I am incredibly hygienic myself, but I’m not a fan of dry cleaning or any cleaning, really.”

So she does use a washing machine but doesn’t just chuck stuff in regardless of how dirty it is. The original interview is here: www.theguardian.com/fashion/2019/jul/07/stella-mccartney-its-not-like-i-am-here-for-an-easy-life?

moggie when I lived alone I had a once a week "wash day" of 3 loads (lights/colours/towels, darks, linens & whites)

Family life is constant laundry but it is needed.

I think she is absolutely right, I have been doing something similar for years, not for any worthy environmental reasons but because when you work full time, have two children and a DH who is away a lot, you cut any corners you can find, or at least I did and limiting the number of times clothes were washed and then, where necessary needed ironing, was a real time and hassle saver.

Pants and tights/socks last one day. Bras several, nightdresses a week. After that it is a question of a visual inspection and sniff after each wear, until I decide a wash is needed. use deodarent thoroughly, and tops shouldn't need washing after each wear, unless you are a sweaty individual - andI know some are.

I reckon I overdo the washing, at least two loads a day and more often than not a couple more. ( That’s for 5 though as I do the washing for DD and 2 DGC). However, reading the same item about Stella M on the BBC website, there was also reference to some executive at Levi’s I think who hasn’t washed his jeans for 10 years! I think i’d rather be the way I am.

Most of my dark trousers and jeans just go through the rinse cycle, sometimes with fabric softener depending on my mood. That is all thats needed and keeps them good.
Like another person we have stuff for working in and then we shower and change. So good clothes are easily wearable 2/3 times. We are much more hygienic nowadays so clothes stay fresh. Knickers changed each day and twice if going out in the evening. Bras tops as needed. Theres no hard and fast rule. Just use common sense. But wearing jeans ten years as one man (can't remember who ) said??? Definitely not.

I think she was referring to outer clothing, not underwear.

I've been thinking about what she said and I have decided she is probably right. If you bathe daily or twice daily, there is probably no need to wash clothes so often and I suppose there are environmental implications (and there's expense involved too - and more work). I wash tops every couple of wears but jeans perhaps after about 6 wears. I think I'll try and do less washing in future.

I change tea towels every two days though - I'm not a hygiene freak but I believe tea towels and washing up/surface cloths cancarry a lot of germs. I change bedding about every 6 weeks.

I change the bed every week !! and sometimes the pillows get washed oftener , tea towels washing up stuff and hand towels get thrown in the washer every day but only when there is a fair load do I turn it on ,
That's a great idea putting jeans through a rinse cycle , they don't fade as quickly

should be pillow cases get washed ....
I use protectors so pillows are washed less often

I’ve recently developed toenail fungus yuk yuk, from taking the grandchildren swimming and am having a course of treatment. The advice is to clean/disinfect shower after use. Use paper towels to dry feet. Use a separate towel to stand on as well as your own towel. Socks if you wear them must be washed at minimum of 40c. Changed twice a day. Towels washed regularly. Slippers washed daily. Plus all the sprays and creams as well as treatment. Still it seems to be working but it shows how bugs stay around and infect.

I dont know about anyone else but I dont get sweaty much any more. I'm a dried up old lady!

From the chief executive of the environment agency (march 2019)
we need water wastage to be as socially unacceptable as blowing smoke in the face of a baby or throwing plastic bags in the sea
He estimates that if we ( not me) carry on as we (not me) are, we will be in serious trouble in 25 years