by Bill Welles
laundry hackscleaning and organizinglaundry accessoriescleaning tipswasherdisinfect washer
When allergies and colds strike, the first thing you want to do is wash away the pollen and bacteria off your clothes. And when summer is in full effect and you’re constantly washing tablecloths and napkins to remove mustard stains from hot dog night, laundry seems to be a never-ending cycle.
Washing your clothes is a good start, but a simple wash cycle can’t do the job on its own; it takes a safe and powerful disinfectant. Along with your laundry detergent, you may use bleach in your wash cycle, but if the harsh chemicals and fragrances cause skin irritation or damage to your clothes, there are alternatives to bleach that can eliminate bacteria and remove tough, stuck-on stains.
When you’re washing whites or running a cycle in cold water, bleach can be a go-todisinfectant; however, it can be too harsh of a chemical to use regularly. Ifyou’re looking for an everyday disinfectant, start with vinegar. White vinegarhas an ingredient known as acetic acid, which can kill viruses and bacteria sothey can be easily washed away during the cleaning cycle. A half cup of whitevinegar can act as a disinfectant and a deodorizer—removing those pesky germsand working to soften your fabrics. Vinegar is also effective at cleaning bothwhites and colored items, so your clothes will come out bright, soft, andsmelling good every time.
Hydrogen Peroxide
You’ve probably had the same bottle of peroxide buriedin the back of your cabinet for the last 10 years that you only bust out forthe occasional cut or scrape, but you might not know that it works great as adisinfectant for your laundry. Wipe the dust and cobwebs off your peroxide andadd one cup to your load of whites after the machine has filled with water.Peroxide has bleaching properties, so don’t pour any directly on your coloredclothes unless you want a tie-dye wardrobe. Be sure to spot test the peroxidefirst to avoid any unwanted bleaching.
Borax
Borax can beused in addition to your regular detergent to disinfect laundry. Start by filling the wash bin with yourlaundry and set the wash cycle to warm water. Then add ½ cup of borax to thewashing cycle. The hot water is what activates the cleaning power so theminerals can fully dissolve and evenly cover all your laundry items.
Pine Oil
No more ruining your favorite sweater in the wash, just a splash of pine oil iseffective to disinfect the largest loads of laundry. Add one cup to the washerafter it has filled and make sure the solution you’re using is 80% pine oil orelse it will be ineffective. Do not use on any specialty fabrics such as silkor wool as it can cause damage to the material.
After thewash cycle is complete, a slight pine odor may remain—try running a secondrinse cycle to remove any remaining residue if you are sensitive to fragrances.It can sometimes be allergenic so use caution when using and keep away frompets as it can be toxic to animals.
Sunlight
Sunlight isanother natural sanitizing property that people might not think of. When youhang your clothes outdoors to dry, the heat from the sun is actually killingsurface bacteria as well. About 30 minutes in the sun is all you need for anextra disinfecting boost. It’s doesn’t take long for sunlight to absorb theremaining moisture in your clothes, and too much sun exposure can cause fading,so stick to the 30-minute mark when leaving your laundry in the sun.
Essential Oils
Essentialoils are all the rage nowadays, and they’re making their impression felt in thelaundry space. These natural oils not only add a pleasant scent to yourlaundry, but they have plenty of pathogen-fighting properties. They can beantibacterial, antifungal, and antiseptic, so these oils prevent the growth andspread of bacteria. Adding 2 teaspoons of 100% tea tree oil is all you need todisinfect your laundry. A few drops of lavender oil act as an antibacterialelement for your clothes and thyme oil has been known to kill E. coli and MRSA,so it will certainly remove any foul-smelling odors from your fabrics.
Using Heat to Sanitize
It goeswithout saying, heat and temperature kill germs and bacteria better than mostcleaning products. The physical action of your washer machine cleaning andcreating friction inside the wash bin help to disinfect any laundry item. Hotwater sanitizes much more thoroughly than cold, and longer exposure to hotwater increases the sanitizing effect. If the water in your home doesn’t seemto get hot enough, the prolonged exposure of heat from the dryer will also killpathogens.
There arealso plenty of washing machines that feature a disinfect cycle. This will runfor much longer than a regular wash cycle and will use the highest temperaturepossible. This is a convenient feature to have when you need to wash coloredclothes but don’t want to risk staining or bleaching your fabrics. The hotwater from the wash cycle is best for disinfecting clothes, and if you preferto follow your clothes label and stick with a regular detergent wash, the heatwill still work to eliminate the germs living on your clothes.
Clean and Whiten
If you’vebeen wearing the same shorts or capris since the Fourth of July and they’restarting to look and feel less crisp, or those t-shirts and tank tops aretaking on a dingy tone, these laundry cleaning hacks can also help to restorecolor and whiten your fabrics. When you don’t want to use bleach to disinfector whiten, there are plenty of options to achieve the same restorative look.
If you neednew laundry appliances to help you properly disinfect your clothes, give us acall or stop by our store to shop our entire catalog of washers and dryers. Wehave everything you need to make laundry day a breeze. Visit us today.
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