Trying to stop the spread of viruses? Check out these easy tips on how to disinfect laundry. You can easily sanitize laundry with or without bleach.
A few years ago when my husband got the stomach flu I was shocked to find out that washing clothes in hot water doesn't necessarily disinfect them.
I had always assumed that I was fine as long as I was using hot water.
During that time I did a good deal of research into disinfecting and sanitizing laundry.
It completely changed the way I do laundry.
Whether it is cold and flu season or you are just trying to keep away the nasty virus that is going around check out these great tips on how to disinfect laundry.
How To Disinfect Laundry
Disinfecting your laundry is pretty easy and really doesn't take any more time than just doing your regular loads.
You can use bleach to disinfect if you are cleaning whites, or you can also use other disinfectant additives to clean just about all of your laundry.
Check out everything you need below to get started santizing your laundry.
Getting Started
To get started you will need a few things.
- Laundry Detergent
- Bleach
- or Laundry Sanitizer ( I use and love this brand)
Disinfecting Laundry With a Laundry Sanitizer
Personally I think the easiest way to disinfect your laundry is by using a laundry sanitizer.
I love the Lysol Laundry Sanitizer that you can buy in the stores. It is easy to use and doesn't smell bad.
It has been approved for the virus that is currently going around too! Not all sanitizers have been approved.
The nice thing about using a sanitizer is that it can be used in cold water for fabrics that can't be washed in warm or hot water.
Just add 2 capfuls of the Lysol sanitizer to your fabric softener compartment to get your laundry disinfected.
You still need to add laundry detergent as you normally would. Just start your machine and run as normal.
It's easy and doesn't take much time at all.
Disinfect Laundry with Bleach
Disinfecting with bleach is a great way to inexpensively sanitize your laundry.
There are a few things to remember when using bleach. Obviously you won't want to use the bleach on colored items of clothing.
Also, make sure if you are using the bleach for disinfecting purposes you buy regular bleach. Splashless bleach doesn't disinfect.
Add 3/4 cup of bleach to your washing machines bleach dispenser and start your load.
Bleach works best with warm or hot water so use the hottest water possible.
If you have an extra rinse cycle on your washing machine you may want to set that to run.
Once your washing machine fills up let the clothes sit in the water for 10 minutes. The bleach water doesn't instantly kill germs so you will want to let them soak for a while.
After the 10 minutes are up let the load run as it normally would.
Then, you can dry your clothes as normal.
It's easy to clean and disinfect your clothes to prevent the spread of germs and bacteria.
With just a few extra minutes in the laundry room, you can keep your clothes clean and stop the spread of viruses by disinfecting laundry. This is especially important during cold and flu season.
I like to buy white sheets and towels and use bleach on them, but I use the Lysol Disinfectant on our regular clothes.
Want some other tips and tricks to prevent the spread of germs? Check out these tips on how to clean your home after the cold or flu.
Kristen @ Joyfully Thriving says
That is interesting! I didn't know that either. I'll have to check out that Lysol disinfecting detergent.