Experts in infectious diseases have been researching whether your clothes can carry the COVID-19 virus and if we need to change our clothes-washing habits.
How Long Does Coronavirus Last on Clothes?
As the Covid-19 coronavirus continues to spread, people are starting to take precautions to keep their home free from the virus so their risk of infection is lower. We’ve all been hand-washing for weeks, but what about other things, like clothes?
Although the new coronavirus is usually transmitted through respiratory droplets from an infected person’s sneezes or coughs, objects and materials can transfer the virus if they are contaminated. The virus may remain for hours to days on surfaces, including clothing.
How often should I wash my clothes?
If nobody in your household is suspected of having the coronavirus can clean your clothes normal. If you’ve been out (to a shop, for example) and people haven’t been adhering to the social distancing guidelines (staying a minimum of 6 feet away from people), it’s a good idea to machine wash those clothes when you get home.
Research reveals that some viruses remain active for two or three days on plastic and stainless steel, as long as 24 hours on cardboard and even four hours on copper. Some zips, buttons and clothing hardware might be made of those materials and could harbour the virus.
What about the clothes worn by an ill person?
If someone in your household has COVID-19, extra precautions must be taken when you wash their clothes, towels and bed linen.
Always wear disposable gloves when handling dirty laundry from the ill person, and discard the gloves immediately after use. Clean your hands when you have taken off the gloves. If you don’t have gloves, wash your hands after handling laundry. Don’t shake dirty laundry; it will disperse the virus into the air.
Items should be washed as per the manufacturer’s instructions using the warmest possible temperature setting. You can wash dirty laundry from the ill person with other people’s clothes, as the detergent will kill off the virus. But clothes baskets should be disinfected after coming into contact with the ill person’s laundry.
S&D Ireland: Domestic Appliance Repairs
S&D Ireland has a network of repair technicians in your area. They arrive with a selection of the most common replacement parts to try to fix your appliance on their first visit. We have fixed-price labour costs: you pay a set fee plus the price of parts. Ring us today to find out more or arrange a visit from a service engineer.
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