wear it until he tells you its time for a shower. at that point, you can get away with an hour or two out of the vest while you launder it. i've been in my vest since my surgery two weeks ago and haven't had any problems with it becoming soiled. a trip through the laundry once a week is sufficient. i would be concerned with what you will wear if you return to exercise in the near future. in that case, having to wear and then wash the vest on a daily basis after each work-out could be a pain in the ass.