Some people do some dirty-ass things in the name of science... or something. Josh Le, a student at the University of Alberta, wore the same pair of skin-tight jeans for 15 month without washing them. GROSS. But apparently not as unsanitary as you might think: No harmful bacteria found in Alberta student's jeans not washed for 15 months.
The idea was to break in the raw, untreated, unwashed denim so the fabric would hug the contours of his body, leaving district wear lines and creases. But just how dirty did the jeans get during the fifteen months? Le got the jeans tested for bacteria before he washed them for the first time. Turns out, the bacteria count remained relatively safe:
The results showed high counts of five different kinds of bacteria in the denim, but nothing that posed a health hazard.Disgusting, but not radioactive. The colonies were normal skin bacteria and did not include anything dangerous like E. coli. The real problem was apparently the smell. You wear the same pair of pants for over a year without washing them, things are going to get pretty rank. But Josh claims his stink-ass jeans did not lose him any friends. Good friends.
"I was blown away. I thought there would be a lot more bacteria than was present," Le said Wednesday. "It sort of shows that it is OK to not wash jeans."
Raw or dry denim is not washed or treated with chemicals when it is manufactured. The dark indigo pants are as stiff as cardboard. It's trendy to wear the tight jeans without washing them in the hope the indigo will wear away at stress points in the fabric. When the jeans are finally washed, they leave wear patterns that are as personal as a fingerprint.
Human Ecology professor Rachel McQueen said the highest recordings of bacteria were found in the crotch of the jeans at 10,000 units per square centimetre, with lower readings in the back and front of the pants.
Admit it, man. You were just lazy, and didn't want to do laundry. More here: Not washing jeans for 15 months OK, health-wise at least: study.