How to Clean Your Clothes to Reduce Coronavirus Risk
By now, we’re all singing two rounds of “Happy Birthday” while washing our hands. We’re spraying down countertops even more regularly with disinfectant cleaners. And we’ve moved quickly from handshakes to elbow bumps to strict “social distancing.”
But what about our clothes? During the COVID-19 pandemic, proper laundering is no longer a matter of simply keeping your garments looking their best; it’s another smart precaution we can all take to help reduce the risk of catching—or spreading—the coronavirus.
In general, you should continue to follow the directions on your detergent containers and garment tags, along with proper sorting. But when it comes to coronavirus clothes cleaning and disinfecting, be sure to follow these four best practices as well:
- Wash often. The coronavirus may be able to live on clothing for an extended period of time, so it’s important to wash your clothes regularly, especially if you’ve been out of the house or in contact with a potential carrier. In addition, the CDC advises that any clothes or linens that have blood, stool, or body fluids on them should be removed and washed immediately.
- Use the proper amount of detergent. If you use too much detergent, it won’t rinse out thoroughly and germs will stay on. If you don’t use enough, your clothes won’t get thoroughly cleaned. Follow the instructions on the detergent packaging, but reduce the amount slightly if your washer uses soft water.
- Disinfect. Chlorine bleach is the best way to kill germs, but it’s generally only safe for cotton whites. Hydrogen peroxide can be added to loads that should not be bleached, such as colors and other garments. NOTE: To determine whether or not to use bleach on a particular item, look at the garment tag. A plain triangle means you can use bleach; a triangle with a slash through it means it is NOT SAFE to bleach.
- Dry all garments for at least 28 minutes. Germs don’t like heat, so dry at the warmest temperatures recommended on the garment label.
If you want extra reassurance that your garments are getting a deep clean, you could take advantage of Oceanside’s wash and fold services. Whether you’re needing to clean loungewear or bulky comforters, sheets and towels, our wash and fold services offer some unique benefits:
- Antibacterial sanitizer: We continue to use an advanced fabric sanitizer called Endex-99, which reduces bacterial count by 99.9%, as we have for the last five years. We currently have relationships with leading local hospitals and, in order to satisfy their needs, we are required to use EPA-approved sanitizers, which we use with your fabrics as well.
- Heat: Our cleaning equipment reaches temperatures of 140 degrees and our pressing stations over 350 degrees, which will get rid of most germs.
Free Pickup and Delivery
At Oceanside Cleaners, we are committed to helping our community in any way we possibly can and are maintaining our regular hours of operation. We understand the desire to stay at home as much as possible, so please know that we have the capability to easily add our walk-in customers to our home delivery routes. We are continuing our extensive pickup and delivery services, which we offer free of charge.
As always, we are here to answer any questions you have—whether you’re uncertain about how to properly clean an item at home or have a question about our cleaning processes or services. We welcome the chance to speak with you!
Extra-Mile Care During COVID-19
We’re committed to keeping our customers and employees safe. Read our COVID-19 Protocols.