Many of us are guilty of having underwear that seems to have been with us for far way longer than we care to remember. Yes, we are talking about that faded but comfortable underwear with holes in it, yet we cannot get rid of it for some reason.
According to a hygiene expert, we should consider getting rid of our underwear if we’ve had them for more than six months and replace them with new ones.
Intimate health specialist Dr Shirin Lakhani has explained how bacteria can remain in underwear even after they’ve been through the washing machine.
Speaking to Tyla, she said:
“Your underwear is in close contact with your skin and more specifically your intimate areas for prolonged periods of time.” As a result it comes into contact with a lot of dead skin from those areas as well as bacteria – both healthy naturally-ocurring bacteria that we all have, as well as more sinister bacteria that can be a result of infections such as thrush and STIs.
“There is some research that suggests that even washing your underwear in a washing machine won’t always rid it completely of bacteria such as E.coli.”
The expert went to advise throwing out old underwear and buying new knickers “at least once a year”.
Though for underwear worn more frequently for activities such as exercise at the gym, she recommends “disposing” of them more often.
