Just like any bad habit, choosing to ignore your underwear hygiene will eventually come back to bite you in the butt - literally. Continuing to wear old ratty underwear can lead to acne, chafing, discomfort, foul odor, and embarrassing intimate moments.
Luckily, breaking this bad habit isn't as hard as you'd think; all it takes is a little extra attention by following our top men's underwear hygiene tips that are easy, simple, and effective.
Covered in This Article
1. Types of underwear style
2. The best underwear for men's health
3. Choose high quality fabric
4. Wear the right fabric at the right time
5. Wear the right size
6. Don't wear dirty pairs of underwear
7. Wash and dry them frequently
8. Change after sweating
9. Toss out old underwear
10. Avoid a dribble foul
1. DIFFERENT TYPES OF MEN'S UNDERWEAR
Before we reveal the top underwear hygiene tips for men, let's break down the four type of men's underwear style based on how hygienic each one is. Some are better than others, but regardless of your choice, maintaining proper hygiene is crucial.
Boxer Briefs
Boxer briefs are the snug fit style of underwear that reach around halfway down your thigh, a top choice for most men due to their versatility, comfort, fit, and appearance. They can be used in virtually every scenario imaginable, don't retain much bacteria when properly taken care of, and the right brand can accentuate your assets.
BoxerS
Not to be confused with boxer briefs, boxers are the looser underwear style that also reach roughly halfway down your thigh. Some men choose to wear boxers to improve their sleep quality while other men say sporting a bare commando profile is better; either way, choosing to wear boxers isn't the best hygienic choice as it tends to bunch up and irritate your skin.
TRUNKS
Trunks are the shorter and tighter style of boxer briefs that reach just past your crotch. These aren't the best when it comes to hygiene seeing as sweat and bacteria have a smaller surface area to cling to and they can easily bunch up like boxers.
BRIEFS
Also known as ratty tighty whities, briefs are style that young kids and old men wear. Even smaller than trunks, these are the least hygienic for men due to their tendency to fill your underwear up with moisture and bacteria as well as your shorts or pants, causing them to stain and smell prematurely.
2. WHICH UNDERWEAR IS GOOD FOR MEN'S HEALTH?
Correctly sized underwear with moisture wicking properties are the best underwear choice for men's health. They're versatile, durable, feel comfortable, and prevent chafing, odor, and discomfort.
All underwear at Drawlz hit all of these points and then some, providing a comfortable and secure fit without sacrificing style.
3. CHOOSE HIGH QUALITY FABRIC
You want to avoid wearing underwear that's made with polyamide or a majority percentage of polyester. Polyamide is known for poor breathability which can lead to acne and chafing in men where polyester holds an odor even after multiple washes.
Your top three choices for underwear fabrics are cotton, micro modal, and nylon. Whichever fabric you choose, make sure it's advertised with moisture wicking features. All fabric choices are hypoallergenic, breathable, and prevents odor and chafing - but not all of these fabrics are made the same.
You want to choose cotton that's breathable and plush, micro modal made from beech trees synthetic blends and not entirely synthetic, and nylon that's is blended with correct amount of elastane. (Preferably 85% nylon/15% elastane)
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4. WEAR THE RIGHT FABRIC FOR THE OCCASION
Wearing the right fabric for the occasion makes a massive difference; if you're one of those busy men always doing something different throughout the day, your underwear should be changed frequently throughout the day. Certain fabric is great for certain situations but less than ideal in others.
Where cotton excels in comfort and its ability to absorb and shed sweat from everyday wear, it's absorbency can backfire when you're sweating excessively. If you lead an fun and athletic lifestyle or work in a career that entails demanding physical activity, choose a pair of nylon underwear with great support instead.
For a sexy evening, special occasions that require a lot of sitting, or a sedentary career, change into a pair of breathable micro modal underwear. The soft as silk secure fit provides relief for men suffering from sensitive skin or chafing and natural moisture-wicking features won't fill your underwear up with bacteria and odor.
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5. GET THE RIGHT SIZE
Just because you've worn a medium since high school doesn't mean you're a medium now. Your body size can go up or down with age, and ensuring that your underwear aren't too tight against your body or too loose is vital to hygiene.
Wearing underwear that's too tight lowers blood and air circulation to all areas of your groin which can lead to erectile dysfunction in men, a decreased sperm count, chafing, and ongoing discomfort. On the other hand, loose underwear provides no support, easily bunches up, requires constant embarrassing adjustments throughout the day, and is prone to premature tears and holes.
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WHAT IS THE PROPER WAY FOR MEN TO WEAR UNDERWEAR?
The best underwear for men are pairs with a snug fit that aren't skintight against the body, don't overstretch when you put them on, and provides great support so your manhood can comfortably fill the crotch and move with you instead of flopping around with every step. If you're one of those men who lead an active lifestyle with a lot of physical activity, your underwear should be changed frequently.
6. WEAR ONCE THEN WASH
There's no debate - if you've worn a pair of underwear they need to be washed before you can put them anywhere near your body again. Laundry isn't fun but neither is catching a whiff of your stank.
Wearing pants, shirts, or hoodies are much different than underwear. Men can wear pants and hoodies multiple times between washes and a shirt twice if you weren't sweating while it was on, but the area of your groin accumulates the most bacteria, generates the most sweat out of your entire body, and is the most prone to infection and irritation.
I'll say it again so there's no confusion - it doesn't matter if you wore them for an hour, went for a walk or drive, and came straight back home - if your Drawlz touched your bawlz, wash them!
7. WASH AND DRY THEM THE RIGHT WAY
As mentioned above, your underwear is the article of clothing that absorbs the most amount of sweat and bacteria. As a result, they must be washed separately with their own protocol. You don't want the bacteria moving around your other clothes and the material in underwear is different than most material in other clothing.
HOW DO YOU WASH MEN'S UNDERWEAR?
Before you fill up the washing machine, separate your underwear from other apparel and turn them inside out. Once this is done, fill the washing machine with underwear of like colors run on delicate cycle using cold water.
After the cycle is complete, hang them out to air dry. Using a commercial dryer even on a tumble dry low setting leads to premature color fade shrinkage, leading to a tight fit with negative impacts on your hygiene.
8. CHANGE BOXER BRIEFS AFTER SWEATING
After excessive sweating from strenuous physical activity, take a quick shower and change your underwear. Keeping on the same underwear from the gym is like wrapping a sweaty towel around your waist all day; this undoubtedly leads to bacterial growth, odor accumulation, chafing, rashes, acne, and also increases risk of infection.
Get in the habit of tossing a clean new pair of underwear in your gym bag and hop in the shower before heading home. You wouldn't sit on a moist warm gym rag for 20 minutes on the drive home, so why sit in the same pair of warm moist underwear?
9. TOSS OLD UNDERWEAR IN THE TRASH
Let's be real: women do not like men who fill their wardrobe with nasty underwear.
A general rule of thumb is to replace your underwear every six to twelve months. With that said, some underwear is made cheaper than others and don't last anywhere near that time frame.
Instead of waiting six months and forgetting to replace them, look for the six signs that your underwear is now trash: if they're loose, look stained, have holes or tears, fraying, or thinning. If you begin to see any one of those, toss 'em.
Continuing to wear underwear loaded with bacteria will result in foul odor that leeches into your pants, skin irritation and infection, and chafing. Your crown jewels are invaluable, so don't be cheap with them.
10. DON'T DRIBBLE IN YOUR DRAWERS
It's nasty and we're all guilty of it - take the few extra seconds to ensure any leftover dribble lands in the toilet and not in your underwear. Not only is it nasty to walk around with dribble clinging to your manhood, but it can also lead to skin infection, ongoing discomfort and adjustment, eliminates the ability for your skin to breathe, and most importantly, leaves a lingering odor of urine over time.
With that said, you don't want to just shake the lettuce and walk away - there is a way to stop a leaky faucet.
While holding your manhood in one hand, place the fingers of the other about an inch behind your testicles and press upward. Keep applying this pressure as you move your fingers towards your scrotum, be careful as to not hurt yourself. Repeat this at least twice and the remaining dribble will fill the pipe where it can finally be drained.
HOW DO GUYS KEEP THEIR UNDERWEAR CLEAN?
Guys keeping their underwear clean ultimately boils down to a few simple rules; get the right sized underwear made of high quality material with moisture-wicking properties. Wash them when they're dirty, replace them when they're old, and don't carry a dribble.
Taking the little extra time to pay attention to your underwear hygiene will have a tremendously positive impact on your comfort, intimate moments, wardrobe, confidence, and overall enjoyment of life.
All the best,
Anthony | Founder, Drawlz