Laundry sanitizers8/18/2023 ![]() ![]() We then took into account price, volume, germ-fighting power, ingredients, and ease of use. We looked at expert-tested reviews from sources like Good Housekeeping and CNN. To find the best options among the many laundry sanitizers out there, we researched the most popular formulas available. If you're looking for a germ-free result, make sure the formula you're considering explicitly states that it kills 99.9 percent of germs. While all sanitizers are designed to deep-clean your clothes, not all of them have the same germ-fighting power. Even easier than liquid sanitizers are pod detergents, which you don't even have to measure.įinally, you will want to consider the cleaning power of the laundry sanitizer you're eyeing. Although most sanitizers are designed to be used alongside detergent, some are formulated with detergent, making laundry time an easy, one-and-done situation, product-wise. If you are prone to skin irritation-or you simply want a more natural product-look for a sanitizer that is fragrance-free and forgoes the bleach. Many sanitizers use chemicals like bleach and chlorine, as well as scents that can be hard on sensitive skin. The most important consideration to make is which ingredients you need and which you'd rather do without. ![]() Drying clothes on high heat adds another layer of protection.There are a few key factors to consider before purchasing a laundry sanitizer. Washing in hot water, using a deeper cleaning laundry detergent, and adding a registered sanitizer or using the sanitizing cycle on the washing machine provides maximum protection against the hardest-to-kill germs. That’s why items contaminated with these bugs should be washed separately from other people’s items. Reynolds: Germs that cause symptoms of diarrhea, vomiting, or stomach flu are generally more difficult to kill compared to respiratory germs. In special situations where a laundry sanitizer is recommended for use, it should always be used after washing with a deeper cleaning laundry detergent.īleach or another sanitizing agent should be used in households with confirmed or suspected enteric infections like stomach bugs with vomiting and/or diarrhea, persons with weakened immune systems, or work clothes potentially contaminated with pathogens of human, animal, or agricultural origin. Laundry sanitizers are an added extra step needed during specific illnesses, such as the stomach flu, and are not needed to protect against the viruses that cause colds, the flu, and COVID-19. ![]() Gerba: You don’t need to use bleach or laundry sanitizer for everyday cleaning. Here, Reynolds and Gerba sort through a laundry list of questions, including how long germs can survive on garments and the best safe handling procedures: “We were interested in evaluating whether the more common North American practice of using cold or warm water temperatures was sufficient.” Hot water washes, however, use a lot of energy and can damage many of today’s fabrics,” says Kelly Reynolds, professor and chair of the department of community, environment, and policy at the Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health. “Most studies on how laundry practices kill germs are based on European wash conditions where higher water temperatures and longer wash cycles are common. “What’s the process and what’s really important? There really hasn’t been a lot of scientific guidelines or best practices put together for how to safely tackle household laundry.” ![]() “We really wanted to approach it analytically, using a quantitative microbial risk management approach,” says Charles Gerba, an environmental microbiologist in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. The soiled laundry in our hampers can be contaminated with all sorts of germs, including bodily fluids and food debris, which can be a source of pathogenic bacteria, fungi, and viruses.Įnvironmental microbiologists and public health researchers at the University of Arizona recently reviewed what we know and the science surrounding laundry best practices. Doing the laundry is one of the way we maintain a clean and healthy household, but with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and cold and flu season right around the corner, is a standard wash enough? ![]()
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