45 percent of Americans admit they wear same underwear for 2 days or more in row, survey finds

LOS ANGELES - A survey conducted by an underwear company found that 45 percent of Americans have worn the same underwear for two days in a row or longer.

The company, called Tommy John, surveyed 2,000 men and women on how long they wear their underwear as well as how long they keep the items.

“Since underwear hygiene is typically kept behind closed doors, we were curious to see the habits of Americans – and air their dirty laundry,” the survey said.

One in two Americans surveyed stated they’ve worn the same pair of underwear for two days or more, according to the data.

The survey stated that “conventional wisdom – and basic common sense” indicate underwear should be changed every day or at least washed after every wear.

But when researchers spoke with 1,000 of those surveyed, they found that “basic standard” wasn’t universal. Forty-five percent of the people surveyed admitted to wearing the same pair on multiple days, while 13 percent said they’ve worn the same pair for a week or more.

Of those 13 percent, it appeared men were 2.5 times more likely than women to skip changing their undies. The survey found that 20 percent of the men surveyed and only 8 percent of women admitted to not changing their undies for more than a week.

Researchers then surveyed another 1,000 people about their oldest undergarment and found that 46 percent said they’ve owned the same piece of underwear for a year or more. Thirty-eight percent claimed they had no idea how long they’ve had their undies.

The results were “fairly even” between men and women, according to the survey.

Another underwear rule, the survey stated, is to get rid of old undergarments every six months to a year.

The survey cited a study from goodhousekeeping.com that stated even clean underwear contains up to 10,000 living bacteria – even after being washed.

“Over time, underwear accumulates various types of problematic microorganisms and fungal germs that increase your susceptibility to certain illnesses like yeast infections and urinary tract infections, among others,” the survey said.

Only 16 percent of those surveyed said their oldest pair of underwear was less than a year old.

The survey suggested that people keep enough pairs of underwear for two weeks, which is 14 pairs.

“Just like brushing your teeth or taking a bath, changing your underwear on a daily basis is a must – and making sure you maintain your underwear wardrobe by swapping out old pairs for new pairs is just as important,” the survey said.