The novel coronavirus pandemic has now infected more than 3000 people in the country. As per medical advisories by the World Health Organisation it is important to frequently wash your hands and practice social distancing to help curb the spread of the virus. Studies have also suggested that the virus can stay on particular surfaces, including cloth, for a few hours or maybe even a few days. Even though we have been able to improve our personal hygiene habits, we also need to be careful about the surfaces of our clothes which can be the carriers of the virus.
Even though scientists have said that transmission of the virus through soft materials like clothes is very less likely, here are a few tips you can follow when doing your laundry during the pandemic.
Wash as soon as possible
Wash your clothes as soon as possible after you return home from outside. Even though the country is under complete lockdown, people can go to the store to shop for essentials for their homes. the surfaces can catch the virus and it is important that you change your clothes and wash the ones you were wearing immediately after returning home. If you are not able to wash your clothes immediately, put them straightaway in a separate laundry bag or the washing machine – which you will need to disinfect properly after taking the clothes out for washing.
Immersive cleaning process
Clothes, unlike other hard surfaces have layers which can house the virus. This is why it is important to wash the clothes properly in an immersive process like a wet wash with detergent. Just cleaning the surface of the garment is not enough. If possible, leave the clothing soaked in detergent for some time before putting them to be washed (especially if you have visited a hospital)
Warmest possible water setting
According to the Centre for Disease Control, it is advisable to wash your clothes in the warmest suitable setting of the water. The CDC in the UK recommends the temperature of the water to be between 40 to 60 degree Celsius to endure proper disinfection of the clothes. It is also advisable to use a hard and good quality detergent. High-temperature water is especially important if you do not have a washing machine and are hand washing your clothes.
Bleach
Bleach is known to be a good disinfecting agent for hard surfaces. However, you cannot use the same grade of bleach on clothes. You would be risking damaging your clothes. Instead, use the kind of bleach that is specially manufactured for clothes. You can add a small amount when you wash your clothes for added protection against the infection.
Basic precautions
Apart from these, the basic precautions that have been underlined for the current pandemic have to be followed. Make sure your clothes do not touch any surface of the house before you wash them. It is also not necessary to wash all layers of clothing. Only the ones that could have potentially come in contact with a surface that could house the virus have to be washed. It is also important to wash your hands after washing your clothes.