Should You Wash Clothes Inside Out? Experts Say Yes

If one thing’s certain in life, there will always be more laundry to do tomorrow. Laundry is enough of a never-ending chore as it is, so if someone says we can cut out a step, we’re all ears.

One part of the process we’ve been questioning the importance of lately is turning our garments inside out.

So, we sought out the opinions of two experts in the field to find out whether or not it’s actually necessary to turn your clothes inside out before tossing them in the wash—and they both said yes.

The Purpose of Turning Clothes Inside Out

Both of our experts vote yes to turning clothes inside out. According to Wang, there are a few benefits of turning your clothes inside out before washing them.

First, it can protect the outer layers of your garments from abrasion or dye transfer. Additionally, it exposes the inside surface to more cleaning and tumbling action—this is especially helpful if there’s a tough stain on the inside of the garment (bye-bye, pit sweat).

One interesting thing that Kungl points out is that dark clothes can actually become lighter in the washing machine because of abrasion. However, Wang notes that a little abrasion is actually a good thing.

“The cleaning process in the washer relies on physical tumbling in order to get fabrics clean, but excessive abrasion can damage clothes,” she says. “This is why turning clothes inside out may be beneficial for certain items or loads.”

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Which Garments You Should Turn Inside Out?

So the bad news is that you should still take the time to turn your clothes inside out for laundry day, but there is some good news. Not every garment requires this extra step. Here’s Kungl’s cheat sheet for which items to turn inside out:

• Cotton clothes with prints or other applications like patches
• Jeans and clothes made from other sturdy fabrics
• Clothes with zippers or larger buttons
• Black or dark clothes

Wang also says to always check the care labels on your clothes, since they may specify if you need to wash them inside out.

Does it Impact How Clean Your Clothes Get?

Both Wang and Kungl agree that turning your clothes inside out doesn’t have much of an impact on the level of cleanliness they achieve.

Wang notes that if you’re using a deep-cleaning detergent, the cleaning process shouldn’t suffer or benefit from turning clothes inside out. But there is one exception.

“If your items are especially dirty on the outside, like sports uniforms or gardening clothes, or if you have a tough stain, you may want to keep them right-side-out so that the detergent and agitation of the washer can clean the dirty surfaces of those items thoroughly,” Wang says.

Other Tips for Protecting Your Clothes

There are other protective measures you can take to avoid abrasion and dye transfer when washing some of your more meaningful articles of clothing.

For starters, sorting your clothes is important. Washing similar colors together is always a good idea, and the same goes for items with similar weights. Avoid washing items like jeans and heavy sweaters with lightweight or delicate items.

Mesh bags are also great for adding an extra layer of protection to delicates, and don’t forget to pull up zippers to prevent a snag.