Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, doctors and healthcare professionals across the globe have been issuing advisories about the importance of maintaining social distancing and personal hygiene. Since the virus can stay on surfaces for different periods of time ranging from a few hours to a few days, the need to keep everything clean and hygienic has gained prominence. In this context, ensuring proper cleanliness of your clothes is something that needs to be taken special care of. It is important to wash and disinfect them properly with the aid of a tried and tested clothes washing liquid or an antimicrobial detergent to minimize the risk of contracting the virus.
It is important to wash and disinfect your clothes properly to minimize the risk of contracting the virus.
Need To Disinfect Clothes
COVID-19 spreads mostly through the respiratory droplets released into the air by an infected person. However, many times, these droplets fall on the clothes of an uninfected person putting them at the risk of catching the infection. While washing clothes can help in removing dust and dirt from the clothes, it generally does not prove effective in eliminating viruses and bacteria. It's therefore important to use a good quality disinfectant that’s capable of killing the microbes and reducing the risk of spreading the infection. Given below are some useful washing tips that help to reduce the risk of infection significantly.
Wash Outdoor Clothes Immediately
People who've been outside should look to wash their clothes as soon as they return. If for any reason, they are not able to wash their clothes immediately, their clothes should be taken off and stored separately in a disposable bag. It's also good for other people in the household to maintain a safe distance from such individuals before they have removed their outdoor clothes and taken a bath.
Leaves The Clothes Soaking In The Detergent
It's important to note that the normal way to wash clothes may not be sufficient during these times. Rather than accumulating all the dirty clothes and hand washing them, it's better to soak them in a solution of detergent and water. We suggest soaking clothes in a solution of the best liquid detergent for washing machine for at least half-an-hour before putting them in the wash cycle.
Wash With Warm Water
Even though washing clothes with warm water is not normally recommended, the COVID-19 pandemic has redefined almost everything that was considered normal. This is true even of the way we wash our clothes. Health care experts are promoting the washing of clothes with warm water in order to disinfect them properly. This is especially true for people who are hand washing their clothes.
Disinfect The Laundry Basket
Whether you’re doing laundry at home, or going to a laundromat, the Coronavirus can stay on surfaces for up to days. As important as disinfecting your clothes is, it is equally important to disinfect your laundry basket. This will ensure that all clothes in the new wash cycle remain germ free until the next wash. As you and people at home will be touching the laundry basket from time to time, disinfecting your laundry basket is good not just for your clothes but for your general well being.
A Parting Note
The suggestions listed above are primarily for people who are likely to have been exposed to an environment containing the virus. We also suggest that the clothes worn by such individual not come in contact with other surface inside the house before they are washed.
Lastly, people accustomed to using public laundry services should avoid doing so for at least a few months to minimize the risk of infection. Ironing the clothes after washing and before wearing is yet another effective way to remove any remaining bacteria and viruses.
It is health which is the real wealth and not prices of Gold & Silver.
— Mahatma Gandhi
