How Often to Wash Clothing Types to Keep Them Clean

Item of Clothing	How Often to Wash
Anything white or silk	After every wear
Bras	After 3 to 4 wears
Down parkas and vests	2 times a season
Dress pants and skirts	2 times a season
Fleece jackets and sweatshirts	After 6 to 7 wears
Hats, gloves & scarves	3 to 5 times a season
Hosiery	After every wear
Jackets and blazers	After 5 to 6 wears
Jeans	After 4 to 5 wears
Leather and suede jackets	Once a season
Leggings and yoga pants	After 1 to 3 wears
Pajamas	After 3 to 4 wears
Shapewear	After 1 to 3 wears
Shorts and khakis	After 2 to 3 wears
Sweaters: Cotton, silk, and cashmere	After 2 wears
Sweaters: Wool and synthetic blends	After 5 wears
Swimsuits	After every wear
T-Shirts, tanks, and camisoles	After every wear
Tops and dresses	After 1 to 3 wears
Formal dresses	Dry-clean after every wear
Wool coats	1 to 2 times a season

How Often Should You Wash Your Bra?

When it comes to cleanliness, our recommendation is to wash bras every three to four wears. But not everyone agrees, and some experts recommend washing more frequently. Brassiere expert Danny Koch, an owner of Town Shop, recommends every other wear, or by the third, maximum. The same goes for different types of shapewear.

“When you’re strapped in for 10 to 12 hours a day, the garment not only collects oils from your skin and deodorant, but the elastic stretches and loses its form through wear,” Koch says. “And when you’re investing anywhere from $50 to $100 for a quality piece, you need consistent care to maximize your investment.” Just make sure you wash your bra according to the care instructions while using a laundry bag so that the excess washing doesn’t compromise the garment. Don’t put them in the dryer—use a drying rack to air dry your bras.

How Often Should You Wash Coats and Jackets?

There are many categories of outerwear, and in general, cleaning them once or twice a season should suffice. Leather and suede jackets do not need more than one cleaning a season, and ideally done by a professional dry cleaner that specializes in leather goods. You can regularly wipe your jacket down with a soft cloth to brush off dirt in the meantime and touch up stains with water and a soft sponge.

Clean wool coats once or twice a season—you should also have a pro handle this as wool can be finicky. (Water can actually shrink the fibers if you’re not careful!) Down jackets, parkas, and vests should get cleaned around two times a season, and can often go in the wash. (Check the care label first though.) Use the tiniest amount of detergent—no more than a teaspoon—and wash on the delicate cycle. If you can place in the dryer, throw in some tennis balls to fluff up the pieces.

Sweatshirts, blazers, and fleece jackets should get spruced up around every 6 wears. Fleece pieces and sweatshirts are typically fine in the wash, while high-end jackets and blazers should be handled professionally or you risk ruining the structure of the piece.

How Often Should You Wash Hats, Gloves, and Scarves?

Winter accessories can get tossed in the wash a few times each season—roughly three to five times. If the material is cotton or synthetic, it shouldn’t be an issue tossing them in the wash. Just make sure to place them in mesh bags so they don’t snag on anything. If the pieces are wool, you can get away with handwashing them in a basin of cool water using a tiny bit of gentle detergent. Don’t tug or stretch the items and press water out. (Don’t wring!)

How Often Should You Wash Your Jeans?

For keeping bacteria at bay, we think you should wash your jeans every four to five wears. However, depending on the type of denim you’re sporting and your devotion to protecting its look and feel, some experts recommend washing your jeans way less. Think every six weeks or 10 wears.

“People make the mistake of washing their jeans far too frequently,” says Nicole Russo, private stylist and founder of NYC-based Let’s Get You. “The less you wash them the better, especially denim with any elastane (stretch). When you wash your denim, you’re putting it through a beating, and each cycle breaks down the fabric.”

How Often Should You Wash Your Leggings?

Assuming you’re wearing underpants, you might be able to stretch out washing leggings and yoga pants to every 2 to 3 wears. Though, if you’ve exercised or sweated vigorously in them, it’s best to wash them after every wear. Activewear should be washed in warm to cool water—never hot. Super hot water can weaken the elasticity found in most workout clothes. And use an enzyme-based detergent for super funky pieces!

How Often Should You Wash Your Pajamas?

Pajamas can actually go quite a few wears without a rinse, typically three to four. This might seem like a stretch but consider that many people shower right before hopping into their PJs, and then don’t do much in them beyond snoozing. If you’re an excessive sweater at night though, you should definitely wash your pieces more often.

How Often Should You Wash Your Swimsuits?

Wash swimsuits after each wear to properly rid them of any beach salt or pool chemicals, in addition to body sweat and sunscreen. After cleaning, don’t place them in the dryer or the heat will mess with the elastic material.

How Often Should You Wash Your T-Shirts?

You might be able to get away with washing tops after every other wear if you’re not a super sweater, but most people should wash them after each wear. (Think about the deodorant that rubs off your pits and onto the shirt—you don’t want that, in addition to other things like sweat and lotions, building up!)

Can You Wash Clothing Too Little or Too Often?

Part of the reason for washing clothing regularly is not just to avoid body odor and look presentable (although, that is the first priority here), but also to maintain your clothing and keep your clothes looking like new for longer.

Sweat and body oils can damage delicate fibers when left on clothing for extended periods of time. Plus, the longer you let stains and soil set into the fibers, the harder it will be to remove them.

That said, certain clothing items may actually hold up better the less you wash them, like jeans—or some may require more washes, like bras. But the exact frequency will vary depending on who you ask.