How often should you wash your clothes? Ok, there's no hard and fast rule here. How frequently you should do laundry will depend on factors like the fabric type, season, and how close the clothing is to your skin. Jeans can be worn 3 times before washing, for example, but a white shirt should be laundered after every wear on a sweltering summer day. Jackets, blazers, and other outerwear can work with 4-5 wears per wash.

While there's no hard and fast rule on how often to wash clothes, we'll give you a guide recommended by the American Cleaning Institute. We summarize it all in a washing frequency chart below to make things easier.

Why Is It Important to Wash Less Frequently?

If you bought a lovely piece of clothing for $100, you want to get the most wears out of it. It so happens that excessive washing can compromise that, as it gradually weakens the fabric integrity and vibrance. But most importantly, laundry is a sustainability issue. Large amounts of water and energy are consumed, and toxic microplastics shed from the fabric into the wastewater, which runs off into and contaminates our waterways. We can keep all that to a minimum by washing our clothes only when necessary. Question is, when is it necessary?

Find the answers below.

How Often Should You Wash Jeans?

Jeans can typically be worn 3 times before washing. Especially if it's a blue or black pair of jeans, stains barely show up after just a few wears. But most importantly, denim jeans contain heavy amounts of toxic dyes and harmful chemicals that pollute waterways with each wash. If you can wear your jeans 5-10 times before laundry, you'll reduce your carbon footprint by a lot while improving the fabric's lifespan.

Pro tip: if you have a dryer with a steam cycle, you can use it to refresh your jeans and dress pants without washing.

How Often Should You Wash Shirts?

The American Cleaning Institute recommends washing T-shirts, tank tops, and camisoles after each wear. Common sense should be applied here though. For instance, a dark-colored t-shirt can do with a couple of wears in a cool climate. But in the peak of summer, you want to wash off your perspiration after every wear. The sniff test can be particularly handy in this case.

How Often Should You Wash Bras?

While it's intuitive to want to toss your bra into the washer after each wear, that's unnecessary, especially if you don't sweat much. Wash your bra after 2-3 wears. It's also recommended to skip a day between wears to allow the elastic to return to its normal size.

How Often Should You Wash Outerwear?

Winter coats, sweaters, jackets, suits, and other thick outerwear should be washed after 5 wears. If it's wool, make it 3-4 wears. You want to dry-clean suits and coats to preserve the fabric's integrity and shape. (Water can particularly shrink wool.) Better still, have a pro launder your wool coats and other high-end jackets to avoid damaging the structure too soon.

If you must dry clean though, use green dry cleaning, as traditional dry cleaning is bad for the environment. To be on the safer side, clean wool coats just once or twice a season. This is gentler on both the environment and the clothing.

How Often Should You Wash Natural Fabrics?

Natural fabrics like cotton, linen, wool, and silk require special care to maintain the softness and durability we love them for. Cotton, linen, and cashmere should be washed after 2–3 wears unless visibly dirty, while silk should be washed at most after 2 wears to prevent sweat and body oil buildup. To extend the life of your sustainable clothing, use cold water and mild detergent and air dry whenever possible.

Read more on how to wash our eco-friendly fabrics.

If you’re big on sustainability, check out our eco-friendly block print clothing! All naturally dyed with zero toxic chemicals to help reduce your carbon footprint.

How Often Should You Wash Dress Shirts?

You can wear dress shirts, aka button shirts, and khakis a few times before washing unless you sweat, then you'd need to wash after a single use. Ideally, wash dress shirts once they're visibly stained or dirty.

How Often Should You Wash Dresses?

Tops and dresses should visit the washing machine after 1-3 wears. For formal dresses, dry clean after each use. Again, we recommend sustainable dry cleaning.

How Often Should You Wash Whites?

White clothing items should be washed after each wear as they're more prone to stains and discoloration.

How Often Should You Wash Chinos?

It's fine to wear your chinos 3 to 5 times before tossing them in the washing machine, especially if they don't look visibly dirty. Wash as soon as you perceive obvious stains or odor.

How Often Should You Wash Bathing Suits?

Wash your bathing suits after each wear. Bathing suits pretty much stick to your skin, allowing them to trap sebum and bacteria quickly.

How Often Should You Wash Tights?

Tights, leggings, workout clothes, and other close-fitting clothes should be washed after every wear.

How Often Should You Wash Your Towels?

Bath towels should be washed after 5 uses. Although you don't need to wash your towel after each use, be sure to hang and let it dry between uses. For starters, a dry towel feels more pleasing to the skin. But most importantly, a damp fabric is a perfect breeding ground for bacteria, mold, and other harmful microbes, leading to unpleasant odors and poor hygiene issues.

How Often Should You Wash Pajamas?

Wash pajamas after 3-4 wears. If you often bathe just before bed, you should be able to get a few more wears out of your PJs.

How Often Should You Wash Your Sheets?

Bed sheets should be washed once every 1-2 weeks. If you're a night-sweater, wash your bed sheets every week.

Washing Frequency Chart

While loads of laundry is everyone's nightmare, it's helpful to realize you don't need to wash as often as you think. Or not as tall a pile. With these simple changes, you'll have fewer items to stuff into the wash when the next laundry day rolls in. You'll save water, energy, and the planet, and your fabrics will remain as good as new for many wears to come!

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

How many times can you wear the same clothes without washing?

How often you should wash your clothes depends on the type of clothing and how much you sweat. Items like jeans and jackets can go 3-5 wears before washing, while white shirts and underwear should be washed after each use.

What happens if you don’t wash your clothes often?

Dirt, sweat, and bacteria can build up if you don’t wash clothes often, leading to odors, skin irritation, and fabric deterioration. However, over-washing can also wear out clothes faster, so it's best to follow a balanced washing routine.

Is it bad to wash clothes too often?

Yes, frequent washing can cause fabric to wear, fade, and shrink, reducing the lifespan of your clothes. Washing only when necessary helps preserve fabric quality and reduces your environmental footprint.

Is it good to wash clothes daily?

Most clothes don't need daily washing unless they are heavily soiled, sweaty, or worn next to the skin. It’s best to air out lightly worn clothing items and wash them when truly needed to save water and energy. A more relaxed laundry routine is better for your clothes and the environment.