Here’s Why You Should Always Wash New Clothes Before Wearing Them

Shoppers, take note: there's an unpleasant reason you should never wear new clothes straight from the store.

​The old saying goes, "Lie down with dogs, wake up with fleas" — and a retail employee is now sounding the alarm about a similar risk when it comes to trying on unwashed clothing.

In a viral video, content creator May Ricketts urged viewers to wash their new clothes before wearing them. “I know it’s tempting to wear something straight off the rack, but I ended up with ringworm just from working in a clothing store fitting room,” she said.

Ringworm, despite its name, isn’t caused by an actual worm. According to the Mayo Clinic, it’s a fungal infection that appears as a red, circular, and itchy rash. It spreads easily through skin contact and contaminated items like clothes, bedding, towels — and even makeup brushes.

​The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warns that ringworm can linger on fabrics and surfaces touched by infected individuals. In recent years, new strains of the fungus have emerged, making the risk even greater.

Ricketts, who has more than 300,000 followers on TikTok, shared her experience in hopes of preventing others from going through the same thing.

“It’s nasty out there,” she said. “People try on clothes, return them, and sometimes they smell awful or carry infections like ringworm.”

“I didn’t even try the clothes on,” she added. “I just handled them — and that was enough to get infected.” She emphasized that just because clothing looks clean on a hanger doesn’t mean it actually is.
“Chances are,” she warned, “that item has been tried on by dozens of people before you.”