How to Sanitize Your Laundry During COVID-19

The spread of COVID-19 has been a wakeup call for many to take their cleanliness and hygiene habits seriously.

We all know that we should wash our hands often, avoid touching our faces, cover our coughs and sneezes, and stay six feet from each other — but what about your laundry?

Believe it or not, germs can spread from your clothing to other parts of your household, especially if you live with someone who’s sick. During this current outbreak — and, perhaps, from now on — it’d be wise to disinfect your clothes as you clean them.

Here’s a guide on how to sanitize your laundry.

Disinfecting Your Clothing

Washing your hands physically removes germs from your skin — it doesn’t kill them. Similarly, water isn’t always enough to kill germs, even with the fast spinning of a washing machine.

Using the right temperatures and disinfectants with the proper materials will ensure your clothes stay disease-free with every wash.

How to Disinfect White Clothing

White clothing is a bit simpler to wash and sanitize than colored clothing, as you don’t have to worry about ruining any delicate colors. To disinfect white clothing:

Use hot water up to 140 degrees Fahrenheit
Use your normal laundry detergent
Add bleach
Dry clothes in the dryer for 45 minutes or more

How to Disinfect Colored Clothing

Colored clothing requires some creativity. You need to use cold water or you risk ruining the colors. Some colored clothing may be color-safe when using bleach; if so, you can use bleach carefully.

However, it may be easier to use a bleach alternative. Doing so will save you the time of doing several loads of laundry for your colored clothing.

To disinfect colored clothing:

Use the warmest water stated on the clothing labels
Use your normal laundry detergent
Add a bleach alternative (discussed below)
Dry clothes in the dryer for 45 minutes or more

So what can you use as an alternative to bleach?

Bleach Alternatives

Bleach is an extremely effective disinfectant, but it’s also harsh. Using it incorrectly can damage your clothing. Fortunately, you have several gentler options that still get the job done.

Borax: Borax works best with hot water. Use hot water and detergent with borax. If you don’t have a detergent with borax, use your normal detergent and add ½ cup of borax to your load of laundry.
Peroxide: Peroxide disinfects cuts, so as you’d expect, it also kills germs in your laundry. With that said, it can potentially discolor your clothes. Test it first in an unseen area on the garment. If it doesn’t discolor, then you can add it to loads of colored clothing after the water has filled up. Just be careful not to pour peroxide directly onto your colored clothing.
Vinegar: The acetic acid in vinegar kills bacteria and viruses. Plus, vinegar can neutralize odors and soften fabrics. You can add ½ a cup of vinegar to reap these benefits.

What About Your Washing Machine

The above methods will ensure your clothes are clean, but sometimes, germs can get stuck in your washing machine. To be extra safe, you should sanitize your washer every so often. Here’s how to do so.

Turn on washing machine hot water
Add two cups of peroxide and run the washer through one cycle
Add 1 ½ cups of baking soda when the first cycle ends
Run a second cycle
Use a spray bottle full of vinegar to spray the lid of the machine
Wipe areas with vinegar down

Wear Disposable Gloves When Handling Dirty Laundry For People Who Are Sick

Studies have shown that it is difficult to get sick while handling infected laundry, but you should take no risks. If someone in your household is sick, wear disposable gloves when handling their laundry.

By taking a little extra time to sanitize your clothing using the above instructions, you can minimize the spread of any germs, COVID-19 or otherwise.