Is It Better To Wash Clothes Inside Out Or Outside Out?

Clothes are bound to get dirty when you wear them. Therefore, they must be washed correctly to retain their shine and attractiveness. Some of these clothes are very delicate and require tender care. Undue agitation or the use of harsh detergents can damage your garments. On the other hand, proper care and washing can increase their lifespan.

When you want to wash your clothes, it’s best to turn them inside out. This will ensure proper cleaning and protect any designs or embroidery on them. Turning clothes inside out before washing also reduces wrinkles and minimizes pilling and creasing.

Remember, it’s the inside of the garments that are most exposed to sweat and all manner of dirt from the body. This article describes how to care for clothes and why you must turn them inside out before washing. Read on. 

Is it Better to Wash Clothes Inside Out?

Female hands washing color clothes in sink

Clothes cost money. That’s why you need to take good care of them to serve you for many years and conserve the environment. Doing your laundry the right way also ensures your clothes come out cleaner.

Cloths are made of fabrics, some of which require special care because they are incredibly delicate—turning your clothes inside before washing is one way to increase their lifespan. It’s also advisable to turn them inside out before putting them into the dryer.

Ensure all the zippers are secured, especially those that can snag your clothing. Also, remember to open the collars, cuffs, and buttons.

Colors that Fade

Friction is necessary for cleaning clothes, but too much of it can damage your clothes during the washing cycle. When you turn your clothes inside out during washing, you’ll reduce the friction on the outer side of the clothes. This not only reduces damage but also prevents colors from fading.

Though the colors on your dark clothes are bound to fade with time, you can lower the rate of fading by turning your clothes inside out before washing. This is because if you expose the colors to too much friction, they’ll fade off faster.

Colors look their best and last longer than protected. And after washing them, you also have to hang them to dry when they are still inside out.

If you aren’t sure if the color on your clothes will bleed, it’s safe to turn them inside out before tossing them into the washer. This is good because even if they bleed, other garments in the washing machine won’t be affected.

Most types of dyes and fibers can’t withstand vigorous washing cycles. For example, dark colors are prone to bleeding on other clothes or fading because of high temperatures and tumbling. As a result, these colors are always on the outer surface of the garments. 

Proper Cleaning

Turning clothes inside out before washing gives better results for many reasons, including:

Protects Against Detergent

Some detergents, solid or liquid, can cause garments to shrink and damage fabrics, malt fiber, and dyes. Things can get worse if the detergent attacks the garment’s outer surface.

By turning your clothes inside out, you’ll protect the external parts from harsh detergents while exposing the dirtiest parts of the clothes. 

Ensures the Inner Side is Washed Thoroughly

The inner part of your clothing contacts your body throughout the day, meaning it gets dirtier than the outer part. This means the inner part requires more attention than the outer part during laundry. 

Cleaning clothes usually means getting rid of bacteria and dirt on soiled parts and sanitizing. You’ll notice that the side with the greatest burden is the inner side.

You’d not have to wear smelly or dirty clothes, more so undergarments. So, for your health and hygiene, wash your stockings, bustiers, lingerie, panties, intimates, undershirts, socks, and underwear inside out.

Prevents Staining of Exposed Layers

Have you ever noticed some twins outside your clothes after a washing cycle? The high temperature in a dryer or washer can stain your clothes if you aren’t careful. The staining could result from the other clothes in the dryer or washing machine. 

The staining could also result from the fabric softeners you use to reduce static cling or soften clothes. Again, if you like to add some scent to your clothes, they can also stain your fabrics. The best way to prevent staining the outer part of your fabrics is to turn them inside out before washing. 

Eliminates Odor from Clothes

It’s common knowledge that clothes smell more on the inner than outer parts. If you wash your clothes without turning them inside out, they may retain some odor, and you can feel it when you put the clothes on. Heavy fabrics like denim jeans are the worst regarding odor retention. 

Other clothes that retain odor are leggings, sports bras, activewear, and other workout clothes like swimwear, athletic gear, sportswear, dancewear, and gym clothing. All these, and other clothes, should be turned inside out before washing to ensure all the odor is eliminated. 

Protect Designs and Ornamentation

Part of proper cleaning also involves protecting the designs and ornamentation of fabrics. Washing your clothes inside out will protect any designs or ornaments on them.

Embellishments, embroidery, unique designs, and ornamentation may come off due to undue agitation or friction. Unfortunately, these designs and decorations are generally on the outer parts of the clothes.

If your clothes have attached decorations, you wouldn’t want to degrade them or lose them when the decorations loosen up. That’s why you have to keep them inside out when washing. Turn them to the right side only after they are completely dry. 

Lessen Piling And Creasing

Hand washing clothes in Blue basin

When you use a washing machine or a dryer, your clothes will likely suffer from creasing, wrinkling, and pilling. In addition, the friction in the washer results in some fibers breaking off.

Hand washing your clothes at home releases lots of microfiber into the drainage and water system. For your information, just one liter of water from a washer can have over 200,000 fibers from textiles.

To reduce piling and creasing and keep the outer parts of your garments fresh and clean, turn them inside out before tossing them into the washing machine.

Also, remember to use low temperatures. They are better at maintaining the integrity of garments. Cold water reduces the number of textile fibers ending up in water systems. Use a tumbling cycle and gentle washing. High temperatures and high speeds can damage your clothes.

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