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Exactly how hot does the clothes dryer get, anyway ? I'd be curious to know how high the temperature gets in there.
I'm one of those people who wash my kitchen towels seperate from other items that might be "germy". If it's a load of whites, no big deal, I use bleach and I know that kills germs. But once in a while, I'll have colored ones and someone comes along and throws in a few items like socks or undies with them after the load is going.
This always makes me uneasy. I don't usually wash these items together because I'm not sure how much bacteria remains in clothes after washed.
I never use a clean towel or washcloth that's ever been used in the bathroom, ... in the kitchen... or any type of cleaning rag.
Am I being too picky, or is this a concern for anyone else ? I'd like to hear other people's opinions on this.
Does the dryer get hot enough to kill the germs ? I tend to waver back and forth on my thoughts on this, and can't decide.
I remember the days of cloth diapers being washed in home washers, but lots of times they were hung out on the clothesline to dry. Also, kitchen T-towels etc were line dried. My understanding is that the sunshine is good for destroying bacteria in line-dried items.
I'm kind of a germ-a-phobe. Not fanatic, but I do think about these things and wonder... don't you ?
Hot water and hot dryers will kill some germs but not all. A good detergent will kill germs and definitely hanging your clothes out in the sun will help. Bleach is great on fabrics that can be bleached.
Sort your clothes so you can bleach anything that could have come in contact with fecal material. E coli you want to be sure to kill.
I hate using public restrooms (almost phobic) about it. I carry antibacterial hand wipes with me at all times.
That's kind of what I thought too. I always sort my laundry to keep these things from getting into the same load. But like I said...
sometimes I get sabatoged... by someone who is just trying to "help".
Since it isn't too good to bleach DH's plaid boxers, I hope the dryer gets hot enough. I wish I had an old fashioned clothes line. I'd use it. :)) And save a few pennies too.
I wash some of my items with some lysol. I hope that helps with the colored items. I don't mean to add to your fears but I read that the e coli from a load of wash can stay in the washer and contaminate the next load. I think what I read was concerning baby items.
Not that I watch Martha Stewart, but she once said she only uses white towels so they can be bleached. It's a good idea to run a load of whites and use hot water and bleach once a week or so to help keep the machine clean. Alot of folks only wash in cold water to save money but that seems like a bad idea to me.
It used to be that using hot water and lots of chlorine bleach was the only way to rid washable items in the washing machine. I think - but am not positive - that this is "old timey" thinking. With diapers and other things that are clearly contaminated such as sick room sheets, etc. you can soak them in a bucket of a bleach/water solution as you remove them from the individual or room. When it is time to wash just pour out the contaminated water and wash in warm - not HOT - water and detergent. Everything should come out clean and "white". Goodness knows that when go to a grocery store or department store - practically anywhere - we are constantly exposed to many type of viruses and germs that we wouldn't normally run into at home yet we don't come home to run a washer full of what we wore and wash our hands in decontaminate. Sometimes a little "dirt" helps to build immunity to some of the ills we encounter. I believe in being clean but I also believe that some people are too clean or even "germaphobic", don't you?
Dryers do not get hot enough to kill germs. Even the huge dryers used in hospitals do not get hot enough. I agree with Ann that sometimes we can be too picky about keeping things clean. However, if you know that someone has E coli or something else it is appropriate to take precautions and use chlorine bleach. Not all bleaches have chlorine so you need to be sure to use one that does. And don't take any items home with you from the hospital, especially a stuffed animal.
One of the greatest dangers to all of us is hepatitis C, which is carried by lots of people that we come into contact with everyday.
