The Best Way to Clean Clothes To kill the germs in your laundry, wash your clothes on the hot cycle, then put everything in the dryer for 45 minutes. Wash whites with bleach, and use peroxide or color-safe bleach for colors. Do your laundry in water that's at least 140 F to kill any viruses or bacteria.
Lysol Laundry Sanitizer is specially designed to sanitize your laundry and to kill 99.9% of bacteria*. It can be used on most washable fabrics including: Baby Clothes, Gym Clothes, Undergarments, Towels, Bedding, and Delicates.
Run an empty cycle with a cup of bleach or vinegar
Once a week, run an empty cycle with just a cup of bleach or of vinegar. This will disinfect your washer, and prevent germs from hanging out in the drum. You need to do this regularly to keep the machine sanitary.
White vinegar has an ingredient known as acetic acid, which can kill viruses and bacteria so they can be easily washed away during the cleaning cycle. A half cup of white vinegar can act as a disinfectant and a deodorizer—removing those pesky germs and working to soften your fabrics.
DOES LAUNDRY DETERGENT REMOVE GERMS? Hot water and laundry detergent are a great combo for getting rid of germs but detergents are designed for cleaning and they won't kill all viruses and bacteria in your washing on their own.
Only low inocula of 100 CFU were found on all types of textiles with a short survival time of ≤3 days. Most bacterial species survived better at elevated air humidity. The infectivity of viruses on textiles is lost much faster at room temperature, typically within 2–4 weeks.
According to a 2000 study by the Good Housekeeping Institute, both baking soda and vinegar work as a disinfectant. Vinegar and baking soda can kill 99 percent of bacteria, 82 percent of mold and 80 percent of infectious viruses when used on laundry.
There's one very important caveat, she notes: “Both vinegar and baking soda can be used to clean your washing machine and clothing, but they should not be mixed together because they neutralize each other.”
Vinegar doesn't usually stain clothes, but it is acidic, so you shouldn't pour it directly onto clothing without first diluting it. If you don't have a laundry detergent compartment in your washing machine, mix 1/2 cup of vinegar with a cup of water before pouring it onto your clothing.
Do mix: Laundry detergent and vinegar. By adding one cup of vinegar to your laundry cycle you can gain many extra benefits. Vinegar kills off bacteria, gives your clothes a fresh scent, keeps them lint-free, and brightens them. Here are other creative household uses for vinegar.
Add one cup of distilled white vinegar to the rinse cycle when you want to sanitize a load of laundry. The white vinegar kills bacteria, deodorizes your laundry, softens fabrics, and even helps maintain bright colors.
A disinfectant, such as chlorine bleach, added to your load does a much better job getting rid of pathogens. Still, hot water can't hurt. Use the warmest water setting the items can take, and wash them according to the maker's instructions.
Yes, clothes and towels can spread germs. There are 3 main ways that germs are spread by clothes and towels: when towels or bedding are used by more than 1 person germs can spread between them. when someone handles dirty laundry they can spread germs onto their hands.
But, does laundry detergent kill germs? It's natural to think that, once you throw your laundry into the washing machine or dryer, it's going to become 100% clean. Unfortunately, laundry detergent alone isn't enough to kill harmful germs.
As vinegar contains acetic acid, adding ½ cup of white vinegar to your rinse cycle can help to get rid of some pesky germs. However, this is not necessarily the best way to disinfect your laundry.
If you need to resurrect items from your wardrobe that have become dull and faded, here's her pro tip: "Soak [your clothing] overnight in a vinegar and water solution. Then wash using half to a full cup of vinegar in the rinse cycle," she says. This should be especially helpful from fulling darker colors.
Washing towels with vinegar and baking soda can bring them back to life in just three steps: Wash towels in hot water and one cup vinegar. Don't add any detergent. Wash the towels a second time (without drying them) in hot water and one cup baking soda.
For Extra-Clean Clothes
“It will help lift dirt and grime from clothing,” says Reichert. Don't put baking soda in your washer's detergent dispenser, however. Instead, sprinkle it into the empty drum of your washer, then add clothes and whatever detergent and fabric softeners you'd normally use.
Baking soda acts as a natural brightener and deodorizer. If you have particularly smelly clothes, using a full cup of baking soda will not harm your washer. You'll get better results if you allow the clothes to soak in the baking soda and water for at least 30 minutes before completing the wash cycle.
When Should You Sanitize Your Laundry? The experts agree that you should regularly sanitize your dirtiest laundry. Yes, we're looking at you, workout clothes and that blanket your sick, sniffling child has been carrying around the house. But you don't need to sanitize every single load of laundry.
coli, Salmonella and Staphylococcus aureus can survive and persist for up to 16 days on a kitchen sponge and up to 13 days on microfiber towels.
A moist, used washcloth that is left to air dry each day creates an ideal environment for mold and bacteria to thrive. “Certain infections such as pink eye and staph infection can be spread through sharing washcloths,” says board-certified dermatologist and LovelySkin founder Dr. Joel Schlessinger.