How long do you wear your underwear before putting on a clean pair?
According to a new survey by under maker Tommy John , 45% of Americans wear their underwear two days or longer.
Tommy John surveyed 2,000 men and women about their underwear-wearing habits.
The shocking findings include:
- 13% of those surveyed wear the same pair of underwear for a week or more
- Men are more likely to wear underwear for more than a week
- 46% of those surveyed have owned a pair of underwear for a year or more and 38% say they have no idea how long they have had the same underwear
Clean underwear can contain up to 10,000 living bacteria — that's clean underwear. It's probably best not to think how many bacteria could be living in the same pair of underwear by the end of a week.
Here is a list of 6 things that can happen to women that don't change their panties:
1. Rash
2. Weird odors
3. Yeast infections
4. Chafing
5. UTI
6. Pubic lice or scabies
There are also various health implications for men, including:
1. Itching
2. Inflammation
3. Bacterial infections
4. Genital wounds
Bottom line, dirty underwear can be unhealthy. Those that wear underwear for more than a day at a time and those that keep the same pair of underwear for more than six months may want to rethink those decisions — especially women.
Here are some other healthy underwear tips:
1. Dry your underwear on low for at least 30 minutes after washing.
2. Don't mix your undies in the same load of laundry with anyone in your house who is sick.
3. Don't wash contaminated underwear with other pairs or other clothing.
4. Don't wash your underwear with other clothing that may have bodily fluids on it.
By the way, if you are interested in the habits of the French and British, we found this information.
18% of British men wear their underwear 6 times or more
4% of French men wear the same pair at least 6 times
91% of French women and 93% of British women ALWAYS wear clean underwear.
This story was originally published by Joyce Lupiani on KTNV in Las Vegas.