Care of new tights

by Geraden

Geraden's Tips No. 10

What do you do with new tights (pantyhose) before wearing them?

Here are two things you really should do, and one that you can do if you want, but it probably won't make any difference.

1. You should wash them.

Contrary to popular belief, manufacturers do not wash hosiery after dyeing it. That means that there are usually chemical residues on the fibres, which can cause skin irritation. Dyes that are made to colour nylon have to have nastier chemicals in them than dyes for natural fibres. Often, especially with darker hose and opaques, some dye comes out in the first wash. What can also come out, without you seeing it, is the residue of fixative that fixes the dye. You do not want those chemicals on your skin!

Wash the tights in soap, or a mild detergent (shampoo is good!). Rinse them well. Use fabric conditioner in the final rinse. Hang to dry naturally. (If you are in a hurry, pat them with a towel first , then put them on damp. It is unlikely that you will get pneumonia by doing so, though my Mum would no doubt have disagreed.)  Do not tumble dry or apply heat.

Advice for those who need it (ie those who think that a packet of peanuts should bear the legend: "Warning - may contain NUTS")  - Do not iron!

2. You should stretch them

You are going to stretch them when you put them on! Better to get them used to the idea of being stretched without anything poking through at the same time. Hold the waistband in one hand and the feet in the other, and pull your hands apart gently two or three times as far as you can. It does wonders for the pecs, too. That stretches them lengthways. You can stretch them widthways when you have gathered up all the leg material in readiness to put them on.

3. You can put them in the freezer

Some people swear that it extends the life of the tights, but the consensus view is that it makes no difference. See the following snippet found on the 'net:

I have been teased for putting unopened packages of pantyhose in my freezer. But I read years ago that freezing changes the chemical bonds so that the nylons "run" less easily. True?

That's a new one to me, but then since neither the dog nor I wear pantyhose, I guess it's not surprising I hadn't heard about it.

Apparently a lot of people freeze their pantyhose. Putting them on in the morning must be kind of an eye-opener.

However, according to the February 1999 issue of Consumer Reports, freezing them doesn't make any difference in longevity of your pantyhose. It doesn't hurt them, I guess, but it doesn't make them last longer.

Clay Thompson 07.11.2006, http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/
local/articles/1107clay1107.html

However, tights in the freezer do not often get laddered!

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