I don’t wash my pajamas after every wear — and people are disgusted

A laundry debate is unfolding on TikTok after an Iowa woman made a video revealing she doesn’t wash her pajamas after every wear.

In the video, creator Allison Delperdang claimed her parents made her wear her pajamas multiple nights in a row without washing them because they weren’t dirty. She wondered if it’s socially acceptable to do so as an adult.

The 29-second clip has racked up 495,000 views since it was posted last week.

“I need to know if people wear pajamas, like, multiple nights in a row,” Delperdang says in the video before showing off her beige-colored, buttoned-up onesie.

“I’ve worn these, like, three nights in a row,” Delperdang announced. “So I need to know if, like, as adults, we’re still doing that, or should I be literally making dirty clothes every single night?”


TikTok user Allison Delperdang sparked some serious debate in her comments section about how often you should be washing your pajamas.
TikTok user Allison Delperdang sparked some serious debate about how often you should be washing your pajamas.
Tiktok / allisondelperdang

In the comments section, several users seemed disgusted that Delperdang would even consider wearing her jammies more than once without washing them.

“Never, always fresh every night,” one user declared. “Also only use a towel once. Same with my kids.”

Another agreed, insisting, “Nope, new ones every night! Same as showering daily and using different clothes daily including jeans.”

One commenter revealed, “No. I have allergies, and I now sweat in my sleep, no matter how cold it is. Clean pjs every night.”

Someone admitted they will wash a pair of pajamas depending on if they ate dinner while wearing them.

“Depends on if I eat supper in pjs,” the TikToker commented. “Sometimes they carry the smell and I can’t, but otherwise, yeah, multiple nights.”

Carolyn Forté, executive director of the Good Housekeeping Institute‘s Home Care and Cleaning Lab, recommends washing your pajamas every three days, a dirty little secret she explored in a 2015 Good Housekeeping article.

Professor Sally Bloomfield of the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, meanwhile, told the Daily Mail in 2015 that since we shed skin cells at night, not having proper hygiene can pose possible health problems for some.

“Quite a lot of us carry staphylococcus bacteria, which can cause infections if they get into cuts and bruises,” Bloomfield explained. “We all carry E. coli bacteria. Most strains aren’t harmful, but if they get into the urinary tract, they can cause infection.”

But, like Delperdang, some are stubborn when it comes to their laundry routines.


TikToker Allison Delperdang said that she only washes her pajamas once they're dirty.
Delperdang says she washes her pajamas after multiple wearings.
Tiktok / allisondelperdang

Some people could not believe that Delperdang did not wash her pajamas after each wear.
Some people could not believe that Delperdang did not wash her pajamas after each night.
Tiktok / allisondelperdang

“Who has the money now for the electricity to run the washing machine and tumble dryer constantly for the extra washing?” one commenter complained. “Use the pajamas several nights.”

One user even shared a story about discovering her friend’s pajama habits.

“I never knew people did this until I shared a hotel room with a friend,” the TikToker divulged. “She wore the same pjs for 5 nights in a row. She thought I was equally weird.”