WASHING CLOTHES - How Long Coronavirus Lives On Clothes, And How To Wash Them

If you go out in public, come home and wash your clothes, and wash in HOT water, and put in the  dryer. That will help kill the COVID19 virus droplets on your clothes.
    This article from Huffington Post cited using a bleach with the clothes to help kill the virus.
BOTTOM LINE: * WASH clothes regularly/Daily in HOTTEST water and run in Dryer
NOTE- if getting take out, wash hands and credit card with disenfectant after using it
..ALSO- same on keypads at Gas stations, grocery stores, etc. 

How Long Coronavirus Lives On Clothes, And How To Wash Them
The best precautions to take with your laundry, the right detergents to use, and more.
By  Huffington Post Courtney Leiva 03/18/2020 06:20pm EDT |

Social media is saturated with a lot of misleading information at the moment, so we asked a handful of experts (doctors and epidemiologists included) to answer all your questions concerning clothing and the coronavirus.

How long can the coronavirus live on clothing?
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the coronavirus is usually transmitted through respiratory droplets (from an infected person sneezing or coughing) rather than through fomites, objects and materials that when contaminated can transfer disease. However, the CDC notes that evidence suggests that the novel coronavirus may remain viable for hours to days on surfaces made from a variety of materials, which includes clothing.

Wash your clothes like Mr. Monk

Articles of clothing, according to public health specialist Carol Winner, can hold respiratory droplets, as we use them every single day. These particles can dry out over time and inactivate the virus. But this doesn’t mean that it will happen quickly..

Are certain types of fabrics more susceptible to the virus than others?
Robert Amler, dean of the School of Health Sciences and Practice at New York Medical College and a former CDC chief medical officer, told HuffPost that the duration of the virus depends on the fabric, as some materials are more porous than others.
“Smooth surfaces like leather and vinyl can be wiped clean.”
Family and emergency Dr. Janette Nesheiwat suggested that polyester, spandex-like material may retain germs longer than breathable cotton-based fabrics, making it important to wash leggings, underwear and dresses carefully.

Virus has an ability to remain on surfaces such as cardboard, steel, copper and plastic-door knobs and high-traffic areas. "The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease has told us that some viruses can remain active after two or three days on plastic and stainless steel, 24 hours on cardboard and four hours on copper,” she said. Be aware that some of your buttons, zippers and other clothing hardware could be made of those materials.

Is it safe to go to the laundromat right now?
Current CDC guidelines encourage social distancing (personal distancing of six feet) to prevent COVID-19 from spreading, Winner said laundromats are generally safe to go to ― if the right precautions are taken, of course.
- These typically include protective measures such as wearing gloves, washing your hands, not touching your face and disinfecting all surfaces of the machines you use.- Additionally, you’ll also want to wash your hands for up to 20 to 30 seconds once arriving at home.

What temperature should I wash my clothes at?
Use the hot water setting on your washing machine and giving your clothes some extra time and heat in the dryer.  “Whenever possible, use the hot water setting, as it helps to kill the virus,” she said. “Extra heat, and time in the dryer, do make sense, as the droplets should dry out, which would likely inactivate the virus.”

 Nanos he warned against boiling them in high temperatures.  “If you can wash your clothes in the hottest water possible recommended for that material, that would be ideal,” Nanos said. “However, please don’t ruin all your clothes by boiling everything, as that will add more stress and anxiety that none of us need right now.”

What kind of detergent should I use?
Rodney E. Rohde, chair and professor of the Clinical Laboratory Science Program at Texas State University   “I would recommend that you wash clothes in detergents that contain a bleach compound,”

How often should you wash your clothing?
RECOMMENDED:  regularly washing your clothes, especially if you are still required to report to work or have been in crowded areas.  ALSO wise to wash coats often.
“Do not treat your clothing with Lysol,”

* Remove clothing when returning home from work each day
 Amler advised changing your clothes if you are still reporting to work daily or are commuting in large crowd environments. Store dirty clothes in a separate bag if waiting to clean. THEN, also wash the bag!

YES, WASH A SICK PERSON'S CLOTHES SEPARATELY