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Cleaning Tips

Healthy Laundry

If you wash your laundry at low temperatures, you are not alone.

Person holding handles of straw laundry basket with neatly stacked clothes inside

Because of the delicate nature of today’s fabrics and in an effort to reduce energy costs, home laundering now tends to be carried out in cold or warm water cycles (80-105⁰F). However, when you wash at lower temperatures, bacteria and other germs can survive and transfer between garments in the wash, creating a potential risk of infection.

 

During your day-to-day activities, bacteria can build up on items of clothing. The items that are most likely to become contaminated are those that come into direct contact with the body or are used in potentially contaminated areas of the home.

High risk items include:
  • Underwear and socks
  • Personal towels and facecloths
  • Reusable diapers/nappies
  • Sports gear
  • Pajamas
  • Kitchen cloths and towels that are used in food preparation
  • Items that are not in direct contact with the body such as outerwear are less likely to be a source of infection unless they have been contaminated by vomit or fecal material.
Infection risk can also increase significantly in certain circumstances when you or a family member has:
  • Diarrhea or vomiting
  • A skin or wound infection
  • Reduced immunity to infection
To ensure your laundry is hygienically clean, not just visibly clean, follow these simple tips:
  • For high risk items or at times when there is a greater risk, wash laundry at higher temperature.
  • Where this is not possible, or if you choose to wash at low temperatures, ensure you add a laundry  sanitizer or disinfectant, like Lysol® Laundry Sanitizer to your wash to help protect against potentially harmful bacteria that may survive at lower temperatures.
  • Launder items used around food, e.g. tea towels and dishcloths, separately from other items
  • When washing reusable diapers/nappies, remove all solid material with tissue and discard it to the  toilet. Wash nappies diapers separately using a prewash cycle followed by a hot wash.
  • Do not prewash dirty items by hand in sinks or surrounding areas before machine washing as this  can contaminate these areas.
  • If you wash your baby’s clothes (excluding diapers) together with your regular household laundry,  add a laundry disinfectant to ensure your washing is hygienically clean.
  • If a member of the family or your baby is unwell, try to wash their clothes separately with a laundry  disinfectant to minimize the risk of spreading any infection.
  • Dry laundry as soon as possible after the wash (e.g. don’t leave it damp overnight) as any remaining  germs may multiply.
  • The higher the temperature the better.
  • Wash hands thoroughly after handling soiled laundry.
  • Remember Lysol Laundry Sanitizer kills 99.9% of bacteria even at low temperatures.

 

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