This archive report was first published on 23 November 2019.
Published on November 23, 2019, a survey by underwear maker Tommy John has exposed the shocking truth about Americans' underwear habits.
According to the research, a staggering 45% of respondents admitted to wearing the same pair of briefs for two days or longer, while 13% confessed to sporting the same undies for seven days or more.
Men were found to be the worst offenders, with a 2.5 times higher likelihood of wearing their pants for a week compared to women.
However, women didn't fare much better, with the survey revealing that they were more at risk than men to experience health issues due to unclean underwear.
A representative for Tommy John, which surveyed 1,000 Americans, stated: “These results were split fairly evenly between men and women, which throws any theories out the window that women are more hygiene-conscious than men, or vice versa.”
Tommy John offers the following tips for cleaning your underwear:
- Tumble dry your underwear on low heat for 30 minutes after washing.
- Don't mix your underwear in the same load with your significant other or children if they're sick.
- Avoid washing contaminated underwear with other pairs and clothing.
- Wash your underwear separately from clothing containing other bodily fluids.
- If any article of clothing is stained, it's better to wash it separately from your underwear.
The research also revealed that people rarely invest in new underwear, with 46% confessing that they'd owned a set for a year or more, and 38% admitting that they had no idea how long they'd had certain pieces.
Tommy John recommends changing your underwear every six months to a year, due to the fact that it accumulates microorganisms and fungi, which can lead to yeast infections or urinary tract infections.
