COVID-19 & Your Laundry: Playing it safe!
While this whole virus business can be overwhelming, making sure you and your family are safe laundry-wise is simpler than you might think. First and foremost, staying on top of that laundry pile is your #1 priority. Here are our expert tips on playing it safe!
Prep:
Do not shake dirty laundry. This minimizes the possibility of dispersing the virus through the air. When washing a sick person’s laundry try and handle clothes as little as possible.
Wash:
Let’s talk Laundry detergent, more in this case isn’t better. Too much soap creates excess suds that enable dirt and grime to remain trapped inside the fabric. Check your washer’s use and care manual for the manufacturer’s recommendations on which detergents are best for your machine and how much to use per load. In general, you should only use about a tablespoon of laundry detergent per regular load size. (That measuring cup that comes with your liquid laundry detergent is about 10 times larger than the actual amount of laundry soap needed.) Crazy but true. Pretty sure we just saved you some major bucks too!
Do your best to launder items using the warmest appropriate water setting for the items. Experts recommend washing in a temperature of at least 140 degrees. Ie. the hotter, the better. Some hot water heaters have thermostats right on them. Right now we have ours set to 145 degrees.
Dry:
Use that dryer! Viruses hate heat, and drying clothes will further prevent the spread of the disease. If you have garments that cannot handle the dryer, think about dry cleaning them for the time being. Alternatively, you could hang dry the garment then iron or steam it to get it a little extra heat.
Don’t risk contaminating all that fresh laundry. Clean and disinfect clothes baskets, carts and hampers. Clean these items as often as possible and use a bag liner, if available. This is definitely something even the best of us miss. We know for certain that the virus can live on non-porous surfaces for much longer than anything else.
The good news? Dirty laundry that has been in contact with an infected person can safely be washed with other people’s items. When handling a sick person’s laundry be sure to wash hands thoroughly afterwards even if you are wearing gloves.
Keep washing those hands and social distancing friends we will get through this together!
Know someone helping on the front lines? Consider gifting a load or 2.
Information collected from: Coin Laundry Association & CDC.gov