Everybody has tshirts they've never worn in their lives and then they have undies they've worn all their lives. An English survey says men hold on to their underwear for up to seven years. (whew!) 

While we keep replenishing our wardrobes everytime we see a sale, the underwear drawer is often ignored. And deep down in the dark crevices of the drawer are undies that’ve been with us way too long, itching (literally) to retire.

Underwears, too have a life and after a point they become unwearable. But in our routine of picking out underwear in the morning without thinking twice, we stomp on, dragging our lifeless undies with us.

Here are 6 signs it's time to say goodbye to your undies -

 

1. They’re Holey. (even the Pope would disapprove)

If you see holes and rips in your undies it's definitely time to throw them out. This is basically a sign that you’ve over worn them and the fabric is past threadbare and it will only continue to keep ripping. Not only that, but torn underwear is also rather uncomfortable to wear.

 

2. They’ve lost their shape 

With wear undies can get stretched out and can lose the elasticity of the fabric, making them shapeless. Loose underwear are ill fitting and dont even give you the support you’re looking for. Not to mention they're also irritating. 

 

3. They’ve shrunk

Underwears are the most washed clothing item and so shrinkage is expected, especially if it's cotton. Too tight underwear can cut off your circulation, digging into your skin and can also lead to rashes. 

 

 

4. You don’t remember buying them

If during the yearly cleaning, your underwear got you confused for a second if it's really yours because it's really been THAT long since you bought it, then it needs to go! 

There's a reason you’ve forgotten about it and instead of being cushioning for the drawer, it can be cleared to make space for fresh undies.

 

5. There are stains that Just. Dont. Go

Sure stains are common and can be washed off with detergents, special stain removers and even bleach. But if these stains stubbornly refuse to leave even after trying everything, it's time to throw them out.

 

 

6. They aren’t soft anymore

Really, what's this even about if the underwear just doesn't feel soft anymore? After repeated washes, fabrics can get coarse and harsh on the skin and then they’re just not worth holding on to.

Bonus point

A definite sign that you should throw your undies out is if you can identify them from any of the styles in our History of undies post. ‘Cause really, then they're not even from this age. 

 

However attached you are to your undies, if they display any of these signs it's probably a better idea to frame them for the sake of memories than to continue wearing them.

If you notice these signs, an underwear drawer refresh is probably overdue and once you're in some incredibly soft undies you’ll really wish you’d done it sooner!