Some items are notorious for needing to be broken in after you buy them—especially those made of real leather, like brand new Dr. Martens, baseball mitts, or quality roller skates, all of which can be stiff and uncomfortable at first. But there are many things—including a handful of Wirecutter picks—that you wouldn’t necessarily think required a break-in period. Here’s what you need to know about some surprising items you should take for a spin before putting them to serious use.
Most electric razor manufacturers say you should expect a break-in period when using a new razor. But the break-in period isn’t for the razor—it’s for your face. If you’re switching from a manual to an electric, or even from one electric style to another, generally you’ll need to give your skin two weeks to adjust to the new tool, according to Wirecutter’s Dan Koeppel and updates writer James Austin in our guide to the best electric razors. Different sources gave them different answers as to why this break-in period is necessary, including new-user error and the need to train your skin to the new sensations of electric razors. But the takeaway remains the same. You should give your skin a few weeks to adjust to your new razor. Accept that your first electric shaves will be patchy and probably painful. And refrain from touching up your shave with a manual razor because that defeats the purpose of the break-in period.
2. Mattresses
If your mattress is made of foam, you’ll probably need to sleep on it for a few weeks before it softens. This is especially true if your direct-to-consumer mattress was once stored at colder temperatures, according to supervising editor Courtney Schley. Even innerspring mattresses need to be broken in because they’re often made with some amount of foam, said senior staff writer Joanne Chen.
3. Bath and kitchen towels
Manufacturers usually treat towels of all varieties with an industrial coating finish called sizing. The finish protects the fabric during warehouse storage and shipping, and it makes the fabric feel fluffy and soft to the touch in the store. But these finishes also make towels less absorbent, which is why it’s important to wash all new towels before first using them. During bath towel testing, senior staff writer Jackie Reeve found that traces of these added softeners and finishes wear off by the fifth wash. Senior staff writer Lesley Stockton washed her dish towels 10 times prior to testing, to rinse away any leftover sizing.
4. Ovens, toasters, toaster ovens, and air fryers
New appliances with exposed heating elements often require a burn-in before they’re used for the first time. “Those exposed elements are coated with finishes that help prevent corrosion in transport and warehouse settings,” Wirecutter senior editor Marguerite Preston explained. “The finishes need to be burned off before you can use the appliance, mainly because they let off pungent, plasticky chemical fumes when they burn—and you don’t want those on your food,” she said. Instructions for burning in your new appliance will likely be included in the manual, so be sure to read through all the included paperwork before firing it up.
To ensure that visitors get a comfortable night’s sleep, stretch out your new inflatable mattress a few days before they arrive. Two days before your house guests come knocking, we recommend that you fully inflate the air bed. Continue to top it up periodically for the next 48 hours. Don’t sleep or put any weight on the bed during this time. Just let it sit, fully expanded and untouched. This helps the vinyl material of the mattress adjust so that it holds onto its fill throughout the night, rather than slowly deflating inch by inch as the night wears on.
When used and cared for properly, cast-iron pans develop a slick coating of polymerized fat that creates a nonstick surface, called seasoning. Most cast-iron pans—including both picks in our guide—arrive seasoned and thus can be used right away. Antique and artisan skillets, on the other hand, aren’t pre-seasoned. They need to be broken in before they can sear a steak to perfection or release a delicate egg smoothly. Seasoning a pan takes a few hours, but it’s fairly easy to do. And senior staff writer Michael Sullivan includes step-by-step instructions in his guide to cleaning and caring for your cast-iron cookware.
If you pick up a pair of La Sportiva Saber GTX hiking boots—which were crowned our top pick in a recent guide—you can hit the trails immediately without fearing blisters and achy soles. Our runner-up and budget picks, though, will need a bit of wear-in time to be comfortable, according to editor Ria Misra. So don’t be surprised if your feet feel a little sore and blistered after your first few hikes in the Salomon Quests or the Merrell Moabs.
8. Raw denim
Unlike the mass-manufactured jeans you’d find on the shelves at a department store, raw denim is unwashed and untreated, which makes it stiffer and more prone to bleeding an indigo hue onto whatever it touches. Over time, though, the denim will conform to your body, creating a fit unique to you. In his reporting, staff writer Justin Krajeski found that caring for raw jeans boils down to an aesthetic choice. If you’re aiming for a faded, worn-in look, you’ll want to wear them at least 30 times before hand-washing them with mild detergent for the first time.
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8 Things That Are Surprisingly Better After You Break Them In - The New York Times
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