Why everything is dirtier

Reynolds: Generally, higher water temperatures kill more germs. If someone in your family is ill, clothes should be washed in the highest temperature recommended by the manufacturer's label.

If washing in hot water is not an option, deep cleaning detergents provide adequate protection from COVID, cold and flu viruses. Gerba: Yes. Clothing from ill individuals can become highly contaminated with germs, and it is best to have a strategy for proper handling and washing. Reynolds: Soiled clothes or bedding from an ill individual should be washed as soon as possible.

Wear disposable gloves when handling contaminated laundry and don't shake the laundry. The idea here is to avoid spreading the contamination to your hands or other surfaces in your home. You can wash clothes and linens from someone with a respiratory infection, including COVID, with other family members' items. But if someone has a stomach flu or has a weakened immune system, those items should be washed separately from other family members' items. Q: What about health care workers or others who work in high-risk fields?

Do they need to be extra careful with their clothes? Reynolds: Extra precautions are recommended if someone in the household works in high-risk field where they have contact with sick patients or animals.

Since their clothes could be contaminated with a wide range of germs, they should take a precautionary approach to wash and sanitize their laundry every time to prevent the potential spread of germs to other household members.

Gerba: Because health care workers are often exposed to ill individuals, they should also wash their professional clothing separate from the family laundry and use hot water or the sanitizing cycle on the washing machine and a bleach or registered laundry sanitizer.

I would also recommend completely drying in a machine on the high heat setting, as this further reduces the number of germs. Q: When should I bring in the big guns, like bleach and other sanitizing agents?

Gerba: You don't need to use bleach or laundry sanitizer for everyday cleaning. Laundry sanitizers are an added extra step needed during specific illnesses, such as the stomach flu, and are not needed to protect against the viruses that cause colds, the flu and COVID In special situations where a laundry sanitizer is recommended for use, it should always be used after washing with a deeper cleaning laundry detergent.

Overloading the washer? Overdoing the bleach? Find out the answers to these questions and more, and pick up some smart laundry tips in the bargain. By RealSimple. Photos: Clean up your dirty laundry habits. Clean up your dirty laundry habits — It's time to come clean about the fact that laundry isn't as straightforward as it looks.

With a few hacks, laundry will be a breeze. Hide Caption. Clean up your dirty laundry habits — Too much soap can actually cause bacteria buildup: Use only half the amount of detergent that you normally do, then gradually increase that amount if your clothes are not coming out as clean as you would like.

Clean up your dirty laundry habits — There's a big difference between a label that reads "dry-clean" vs. Clean up your dirty laundry habits — Zip zippers all the way to the top before washing.

Clean up your dirty laundry habits — Unbutton shirts all the way before tossing them in the washer. Clean up your dirty laundry habits — Make sure your washer is level; vibrations can damage your floor and prematurely wear out key components.

Clean up your dirty laundry habits — Running back-to-back dryer loads lets you take advantage of retained heat. Clean up your dirty laundry habits — Place socks in the washer tub first, so they're less likely to attach themselves to other garments.

Story highlights Treat a stain as soon as you can, and dab rather than rub the area In a top-loader washer, put in clothes, then water, then soap Most items that say "dry-clean" can be hand-washed and air-dried Running back-to-back dryer loads is more efficient than waiting.

Mistake 1: Rubbing stains f uriously. This can make the stain worse and possibly wear away the fabric. Instead, be gentle and methodical. Treat the stain as soon as you can; the less time that elapses, the more success you'll have.

And always use a white cloth so that colors can't transfer. Dab, rather than rub, working from the outside in to keep the stain contained. Mistake 2: Using too much d etergent. Excess suds can hold dirt pulled from clothes and get caught in areas that won't always rinse clean, like under a collar, leading to bacteria buildup.

The remedy: Use only half the amount of detergent that you normally do, then gradually increase that amount if your clothes are not coming out as clean as you would like. An exception: If you have hard water, you may actually need more soap than you are using. Home Ideas. United States. Follow This Ultimate Laundry Checklist. Presented by. Type keyword s to search. Choreograph Getty Images. Follow these best practices the next time you do laundry: Separate clothes wisely: While separating lights and darks is a given, there are several other ways to divide clothing to ensure cleaner results.

Separate dirty or muddy items from lightly soiled clothing, and abrasive fabrics denim from delicate ones.