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A WOMAN has issued an urgent warning to always wash your new clothes before wearing them.

May urged people never to put clothes in their wardrobe without sticking them through a wash, after learning the hard way that items are often returned worn - and put straight back out on the shop floor.

Woman explaining why new clothes should always be washed before wearing.
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May has issued an urgent warning to always wash new clothes before wearing themCredit: tiktok/@mayricketts
Two women shopping for clothes in a retail store.
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She explained it's because some people return clothes once they've been worn - and they're put back out on the shop floor without any sanitisationCredit: Getty
Woman taking a red dress from a shop assistant in a fitting room.
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And May ended up getting ringworm due to an infected item she came into contact with while working in the changing room of a major high street storeCredit: Getty
Photo of ringworm skin infection.
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The fungal infection often comes out as a ring-shaped rash, but it can look different depending on where it is on your body (stock picture)Credit: Alamy

In a , May explained that she ended up contracting ringworm while working in the changing room at a major high street store.

"I am going to tell you something now, that you probably didn't already know, and it is gonna change your world forever, cause it's flipping disgusting," she began.

"There are people out there who already know this, and they're either the victims of it or they're the people doing it - dirty little perpetrators."

went on to explain that in some clothing stores, you can return items of clothing that do not have their tags on - as there's a "possibility that you might have purchased that clothing without a tag on because it's heavily been tried on".

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"So in the store that I used to work in, you could return clothes without tags on as long as it was in 'resalable condition'," she explained.

"Obviously that is subjective to the person receiving it back at the returns counter slash till.

"So some person will have wore their clothing on a dirty night out or like for a week, for example, or even for like 29 days, and return it on the 30th day.

"And as long as they get the right person at the till who doesn't really care, they'll accept the return."

But what happens next is "really disgusting", May warned.

"Essentially, that return goes on to a rail to be returned back out into the shop," she sighed.

Is it ringworm- Signs and symptoms

"No sanitisation... nothing!"

Not only could you end up wearing something that has been heavily worn by someone else and not washed - you also don't have a leg to stand on regarding returns.

As if you try and return the item once you realise it's been worn, the store will have no proof that you're not the one who worn it.

"Please make sure you a VIGILANT when shopping for new clothes," May added in the video caption.

"New clothes does NOT mean clean clothes (I couldn’t care less about the loss for the stores if the clothes were being disposed of properly, but usually they are NOT)."

She also wrote over the top of the video: "Why you should ALWAYS wash your new clothes before you wear them.

What is ringworm?

RINGWORM is a common fungal infection caused by a type of fungi.

It can be transmitted via close contact with an infected person or animal, or infected soil.

With May's case, however, it was likely transmitted through an infected object - such as a clothing item.

The main symptom of ringworm is a rash - which can be "scaly, dry, swollen or itchy", according to - and can appear anywhere on the body.

The rash is usually ring-shaped, hence the name, but can look different depending on where it is on your body.

If you think you might have ringworm, you can ask for help and advice from your pharmacist.

They can then recommend a cream, gel or spray to help, which you will then need to use for four weeks.

The pharmacist can also advise if you need to see a doctor with your symptoms.

"Coming from someone who got RINGWORM from working at a fashion retail store."

"Oh God I’ve never washed anything. I will now!!!" one person admitted in the comments section.

"Don’t forget about delivery," another said.

"Working in retail those clothes have touched EVERYTHING getting onto shop floor let alone where it was beforehand.

"Always wash your clothes!"

"Yes! They get dragged across the floor and worse!!" May replied.

"Same with your towels and bedding," a third wrote.

"Always wash them you never what warehouse they have come from."

"Even in shops where that isn't the case, have y'all ever seen a sweatshop?" someone else commented.

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"There are production chemicals in that fabric then it gets handled by many people who may not wash their hands often, it lays on the floor in a dirty production hall and then it gets handled again and shipped to stores or storages.

"Wash your clothes!"

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