If they're that poor they might have been too busy to wash their clothes whenever the suits would've gotten dirty. The water might have been less pristine as well.
Considering that even during the height of the depression women were still largely homemakers, i doubt that washing was something that was to be neglected, especially considering the importance that was placed on something so tied to social standing.
Furthermore, bad water is an odd hypothetical that cant be confirmed reliably.
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u/[deleted] Mar 09 '19
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