Safe Laundry Practices to Protect Against the Spread of the Coronavirus The spread of coronavirus (COVID-19) continues to affect communities throughout the United States and the world. Based on what we currently know about the virus, it is believed to be steadfast in fabric – meaning it may stick around on linens and clothing. That’s why we’ve developed a series of tips to ensure you’re equipped with the knowledge to defend yourself against this outbreak. Below, you’ll find some of WASH’s virus-fighting best practice tips for the laundry room as well as the CDC’s guidelines for handling and cleaning laundry that has come into contact with those infected by COVID-19. Remember to handle all infected laundry with care! Be Quick — Clothes and bedding should be removed and washed as soon as possible to prevent the spread of infection. Be Thorough – Wear disposable gloves when handling laundry that could potentially be infected, and keep soiled items as far away from your body while loading them. Be Sanitary – After loading the machine, wipe down any knobs, handles and other commonly touched surfaces you may have interacted with. Sanitize your hands afterwards with soap and warm water or alcohol-based hand sanitizer. Use Heat – The CDC guidelines recommend drying the fabric on the highest heat setting applicable to destroy the virus, as well as using of the warmest water the fabric allows to further disinfect. Separate Loads – Be sure to run separate loads for sick and healthy individuals. For extra protection, you could add a bleaching agent (chlorine or oxygen-based) to your wash which will aid in the sanitation of the load. You can further protect yourself by regularly sanitizing with disinfectant spray or wipes according to the label’s instructions. Be sure to wear gloves any time you are handling infected material or cleaning chemicals. Remember to thoroughly wash or sanitize your hands any time you contact with “high touch” surfaces and to avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth. Wishing you and your loved ones health and safety.
When Do Clothes Expire? Let’s face it: Clothes face an onslaught in daily life. Our socks carry the burden of our entire weight, our tops and bottoms move and flex with us as they protect us from the elements and embarrassment. And that’s only on one front — washing and drying clothes (even with perfect technique) will slowly degrade the fabric too, due to friction, heat and exposure to detergents. Like all things, common clothing items will eventually run the length of their lifespan. Yes, that means it may be time to lay your favorite lazy-day shirt to rest. But how do you know when to consider saying goodbye to your Sunday binge-watching best? When do you finally turn those tired socks into recycling? Are you past due for new business attire? We’ve provided a handy list to help you keep track of how just about long you have until common clothing items are past their prime. All timeframes assume regular wear/use and average quality fabrics. Socks – Cotton socks tend to last about six months with regular use, less if you work on your feet all day. Undershirts – Undershirts should be tossed after six months to a year. Stretching and staining is usually an indicator the time has come. T-Shirts – Cotton tops on average will begin to break down after about three years Underwear – Outside of keeping that “favorite pair,” consider tossing undies after six to 12 months. Elastic tends to wear out, fabrics become rougher and that’s not to mention the unmentionables. Bras – Consider retiring your bras every six to 12 months. Due to contact with sweat and skin oils, required regular laundering will wear out elastics and misshape cup materials. Swimwear – Depending on frequency of use, swimwear can usually endure about two years of seasonal use before it begins to wear out. Dress Pants – Dress pants can last between one to three years. Rotating between multiple pairs can help extend lifetime dramatically. Sweaters – With regular use, sweaters begin to break down around the one-to-two year mark. Suit Jackets – The average life expectancy for a suit jacket comes in around two to three years of regular use. Denim – While worn denim may look great, stitching and hems falling out are inevitable over time. Two to three years of regular use will often wear denim out. Heavy Jackets – Materials like leather, wool and suede will often last four to five years. Jackets like windbreakers, with a waterproof coating or film, often break down over two to three years. Of course, no one is telling you to recycle or throw away your favorite items. We’ve all got clothes that we refuse to let go of. Like Marie Kondo asks, “Does this spark joy?” Be sure to visit for tips on how to preserve and extend the lifetime of your clothes for years to come!
How often should I wash this? If you’ve been putting off doing laundry, those sheets, jeans, jackets and other washables could be harboring a lot more than some funky smells. Not only can dirty linens grow mold, mildew and bacteria, but they provide a wonderful environment for dust mites to grow and multiply – the most common year-round trigger of allergies. A survey by Coyuchi of 1,000 Americans revealed only 44 percentage of respondents washed their sheets within suggested frequency guidelines of every 1-2 weeks. Some of the most important items to keep clean are often overlooked on a busy laundry day. Keeping your clothes and linens clean is your first line of defense to illness, and hey— let’s be honest— it keeps you smelling a whole lot fresher. As your partner in cleanliness, WASH has assembled a quick reference to help you keep clean while avoiding over-washing your favorite items. Of course, in the event of heavy soiling or illness in the household, your mileage may vary. Sheets – Once a week is optimal, especially if you sweat in your sleep. Once every two weeks at most. Use high heat if you’re battling a virus. Pajamas – Suggestions range from every wear to at most four wears. If you shower before bed, you can expect a few wears, otherwise they get dirty quite quickly. Jacket/Blazer – Five or six wears is possible between washes, spot treat as needed. Bath Towels – These are absolute breeding grounds for bacteria. Assuming the towel is hung to dry after use, you should still wash every 3 to 4 uses. Hand Towels – Due to the nature of a hand towel, they generally see a lot of use. Change these germ-havens out for washing every two or three days. Pillows – Wash these twice a year. Four times a year if you’re prone to drooling. Jeans – A subject of much discussion, jeans get re-worn a LOT. The truth is, they should be washed at least every 4 wears. Think about the (lack of) cleanliness of every surface you sit on. Bath Mat – A very commonly overlooked item, bath mats are prone to mildew and mold buildup. Wash every one or two weeks to keep clean, and hang over the edge of the tub after use to prolong freshness. Pillow Cases – Once a week, an encouraging factor to keep those sheets cleaned weekly too! Blankets/Comforters – If you sleep with a top sheet, you can wait to do blankets twice a year. If not, launder every two months, especially during colder periods. Sweaters – Wool and synthetic blends can afford 5 wears before needing a wash. Cotton needs a bit more attention, after 2-3 wears. Of course, if you’re not wearing an undershirt with your sweater, it’s going to need to be washed after each wear. Bras – Unless you sweat excessively, every three to four wears is ample. Overwashing can damage the elasticity necessary for proper support. Underwear – This one shouldn’t need stating, but underwear should be washed after every one-day use. Leggings/Yoga Pant – These gym-wear turned comfort clothes don’t have quite the lifetime between washes that many assume they do. If you’re actually exercising in them, they need a wash every wear. Otherwise, you can get away with 2-3 wears. Heavy Coats – Most heavy coats need to be cleaned once or twice per season. Check the label for special care instructions before washing, just to be safe. T-Shirts – Generally speaking, t-shirts should be washed after each wear. These daily-wear items collect more than enough sweat, dirt and dead skin cells to warrant a cleaning. Dress Shirts – Due to their ‘‘outerwear’’ nature, dress shirts can be afforded 2-3 wears before washing unless you’re prone to heavy sweating.
Basic Laundry Tips Clean clothes are a necessity, but sometimes in a rush to get the chore done and have clean laundry, we forget the basics of doing laundry. Remember these laundry tips to make laundry easier and keep your clothes looking better for longer: Be sure to read clothing labels. You may be surprised to find that many items have special washing instructions. Sort laundry into piles of whites, lights, darks, brights and delicates. You also may want to keep lint-generators (sweatshirts, towels, flannel fabrics) away from lint attractors (nylon blouses, microfibers). Check clothing for stains and pockets for any items you’ve forgotten. To avoid snagging, check and secure zippers, buttons, snaps and buckles. Also, unroll cuffs on shirts or pants, and tie drawstrings. Avoid overloading machines. It’s best to never fill the tub more than ¾ full. When putting clothes into the washer, don’t pack them inside the tub. Don’t over soap. Only 1/4 cup of detergent is needed for most front-load washers. If you use too much soap, your clothes won’t get as clean and may remain wet at the end of the cycle. Clean the lint trap in the dryer before you start drying. A full lint trap can lead to poor dryer performance and your clothes still may be damp even when the cycle is complete. When the dryer stops, remove clothes promptly and fold or hang to avoid wrinkles.
Laundry Pods: Proper Use Provides a Proper Clean Laundry Pods — those versatile, all-in-one laundry products — have found their way into nearly every laundry room in the country. When used properly, pods have the potential to provide superior cleaning in a tiny package. However, as with any innovation, there initially is always some confusion surrounding proper use. Don’t put it in the detergent slot! While it may seem counterintuitive, laundry pods are designed to be placed in the drum with your laundry, before your laundry and never in the detergent slot. The pods are designed to dissolve in water, so be sure to handle them with dry hands. Just toss it in before your clothes for a top-load machine, or in the back of a front-load machine, and you’re good to go — cold or hot water! “Low suds is good” A common mistake users make when switching to laundry pods is that they overcompensate for the lack of sudsy water with additional laundry pods. Stop! Unless you’re doing a load of 20 pounds or more (which is well beyond what fits in a standard washer), or are experiencing very heavy soiling on your clothing, a single pod will do the trick. Contrary to popular belief, you don’t need suds to clean laundry. In fact, too many suds can cause soiling to be redeposited onto clothing. Laundry pods are often a low-suds detergent, so don’t panic if you don’t notice the usual sea of suds. Big convenience in a tiny package If you’re like most folks, the less you have to carry down to the laundry room, the better. That’s when the small size and impressive cleaning power of laundry pods truly shine. As an added perk, laundry pods also include a stain fighter and brightener, saving the user from carrying a jug (or two or three) down to the laundry room. Convenience, superior clean and speed all in one package! Hey… this isn’t candy! Some critics have noted laundry pods come in what could be confused for a candy jar, with the pods themselves passing for alluring candies. While pod manufacturers have taken steps to reduce how visually enticing their product is and changed to childproof packaging, the concern for accidental consumption still exists. Of course, we’re talking about detergent here — the same kind of detergent you would call poison control for if someone consumed it. Thus, it is important to treat laundry pods as you would any household cleaning chemical. Keep it out of the reach of children and educate your children on the dangers of such cleaning chemicals. And please, don’t eat the laundry pods. For more helpful laundry tips, visit www.washlaundry.com/residents.
How to Do Laundry Doing your laundry may seem like a complicated affair. With questions like: How much detergent should be used? What goes where? How do you operate the machine? It may all seem like rocket science to you…but it’s certainly not. Here are 10 simple steps for better laundry: First, check the labels for washing instructions and remove any objects from your pockets. Next, separate clothes into whites and darks to prevent your whites from discoloring. If your clothes have stains, treat them. Now, fill the washer only ¾ of the way full to ensure a better wash. Add detergent – don’t overfill, and if using Pods, put directly in the drum. Select your temperature. Use hot for whites and cold for colors. And, now you can start the machine. When washer is done, put your clothes into the dryer and select desired settings. Take clothes out of the dryer when it stops to prevent wrinkling. Then you can hang or fold clothes. That’s all there’s to it.