This is the consequence if you do not dry your clothes before wearing, especially underwear

Hanoi and the northern provinces are still engulfed in foggy, humid weather. From now until the end of the week, the forecast shows that the air humidity will remain at an average of 90%. That means the clothes you wash today won’t be able to dry tomorrow.

As our closet stock dwindles, some people will try to hang on to dry clothes that are still damp and think: It doesn’t matter a little bit of water on them, they’ll dry out soon after exposure. with my 37 degree body.

However, the truth is not so simple. In addition to odors and discomfort, damp clothes are also a hiding place for dozens of types of bacteria and fungi, which can make you sick if you wear them on purpose.

So, dry your clothes, especially your underwear, before you put them on. If not, below may be the consequences that you have to bear.

1. You may have a urinary tract infection

A 2019 study in the journal Applied and Environmental Microbiology found that washing clothes doesn’t kill all the bacteria on them. Strains of hydrophilic bacteria such as Enterobacterales, P. aeruginosa and Klebsiella were found on samples of socks and hats after washing.

Although this study did not sample clothing (because the washing machine tested was specialized for washing hats and socks for pediatric patients in the hospital), the survey showed that these strains of bacteria can survive in washing machines, an environment where they should have been destroyed by the presence of soap.

Extrapolating this result, we would not be surprised if hydrophilic bacterial strains persisted on clothes after washing. And humid weather is also an opportunity for them to grow and multiply.

Enterobacterales, Klebsiella, and P. aeruginosa are all bacteria that can cause urinary tract infections. P. aeruginosa in particular can cause severe infections with symptoms such as:

– Urinating often but urinating less and having pain

– Urine is cloudy, dark, has a strange smell, or is red with blood

Pain or pressure in the lower back or abdomen

– Feeling tired, shaking

Fever or chills (signs of infection that may have passed through the bladder and into the kidneys).

Women have shorter urethras than men, making them more susceptible to bacterial infections. But that doesn’t mean men can’t get the disease. Wearing damp clothes, especially damp underwear is one of the risk factors for urinary tract infections that you must avoid.

2. Fungal infections of the genital area

In addition to bacteria, another microbial species that can thrive in moist environments is fungi. Women are also more prone to fungal infections than men, because their vaginas are a frequent breeding ground for Candida Albicans, an oval-shaped yeast about 2–5 µm in size.

Under normal conditions, Candida Albicans will be controlled by other healthy bacteria and fungi. But if for some reason this balance is disrupted, the Candida Albicans fungus will make them sick.

Wearing wet underwear for a long time is believed to be one of the triggers for Candida Albicans. And again, men can also get this yeast infection because small numbers of Candida Albicans are also present on their skin and in their mouths.

An overgrowth of Candida Albicans in the mouth causes thrush. While if it develops in the genitals, it will cause symptoms such as:

– Itching, burning or swelling in the penis, foreskin

– Redness, appearance of white patches or sores

– Feeling that the tip of the penis is always wet

– Appearance of cheese-like liquid coming out of the penis

– Difficulty urinating or not being able to control the flow of your urine

Regular cleaning of the intimate area and keeping underwear dry is the way to prevent genital fungus in both men and women.

3. Contact dermatitis

A 2015 study published in the journal Current Allergy found that damp cloth in contact with the skin can cause atopic dermatitis. The greatest risk occurs in areas of skin that frequently rubs against damp clothing, like in the groin if you wear damp underwear.

Symptoms of the disease include:

– Itchy

– Dry, cracked skin

– Blisters appear

– The skin area becomes dark

When you change out of wet clothes to a dry one, this dermatitis can go away in a few hours. But if it is constantly irritated, contact dermatitis can last for several days, even becoming a chronic, persistent disease.

In addition to moisture, agents such as bacteria and fungi in unwashed clothes can also trigger atopic dermatitis. So, always make sure the clothes you wear on hot days are washed and dried carefully.

4. Some tips to help dry clothes in humid weather

If your home has a dedicated clothes dryer, that is of course the first tool that you should think of on humid days. But if not, here are some tips that can help you speed up the drying speed these days:

– Spin many times with washing machine: Turning on the spin mode and spinning the clothes again will help you to remove the maximum amount of water mechanically. This will help your clothes dry faster.

– Drying clothes in the house: Choose an enclosed room with a dehumidifier or air conditioner. You can then turn them on dry to reduce the amount of water vapor in the air. This will speed up the evaporation of steam from wet clothes.

– Hang clothes on a dry cotton towel: It’s a sacrifice when you want to transfer moisture from your clothes to a towel to dry them faster. In return, you will have to continue to wait for the damp towel to dry to reuse them.

– Using a hair dryer or iron: This is a last resort if you’ve done everything you can and your clothes are still not dry before you need to wear them again. Hair dryers can quickly dry damp clothes, as long as you have patience to dry them. Putting a dry towel over damp clothes and ironing it under the iron is also a great way to quickly dry a piece of clothing that you need to put on right away.

Consult Webmd, Healthline, NHS, WashingtonUni, Theguardian