Question from Mary Marston
In September I will have to use community washing machines for several weeks. Concerned about my favorite clothes picking up odors from the laundry products of others, I bought several pair of inexpensive drawstring pants online for daytime and sleep. Two of the pants are made in China. One is a beige plaid. The other is white with dark blue flowers sketched over. The dark blue probably takes up 30% of the fabric.
Do you feel it would be safe to wear these for a few weeks? I would wash them at least three times before wearing them. Do you think the dye could contain heavy metals or pesticides? At 5.99 apiece, I could afford to throw them out if you think there is a big risk.Thank you.
Debra’s Answer
Well, here’s my logic.
They probably don’t contain pesticides from the fabric or dye. You don’t mention the fabric, but pesticides in cotton are removed during processing. Dyes don’t contain pesticides that I know of.
Heavy metals are used to fix some dyes, but I don’t know how much remains as a residue in the fabric.
It’s hard to give an evaluation without knowing the fabric and finishes, but I can say I have purchased some cheap clothing in the past and had no problem with it. Not that all cheap clothing is safe because the clothing I purchased was fine, but if you prewash it and only wear it for a few weeks, it’s probably OK. Use your own judgement.
