Clothing Can Save Germs For Up To 90 Days, Here's How To Secure Washing It

JAKARTA - During the flu and cold season, it is easy to spread disease through cough, sneezing, and touching on various surfaces. One of the surfaces that can become a place for germs to live is clothes.

Jason Tetro, a microbiologist known as The Germ Guy and author of The Germ Code and The Germ Files explains that clothes are porous so that they can grow germs.

"Anyone that touches the clothes will stick there," he said, quoted from the Huffpost page.

Kuman can stick to clothes when in contact with a contaminated surface or even just from the surrounding air.

According to Tetro, if clothes are exposed to moisture, for example due to sweat, germs can be trapped in cloth fibers. However, only touching clothes is usually not enough to make us sick.

"There needs to be a movement like shaking a cloth that makes germs fly into the air and inhale," explained Tetro.

If clothes dry, the risk is smaller. However, if slightly moist, germs can move to the finger and then enter the body through the nose or mouth.

Some types of germs can last longer than others.

- Bacteria and mushrooms can live up to 90 days in cloth fibers.

- Viruses generally last shorter.

Even so, to make someone really sick, the number of germs that enter must reach a certain level, which is called minimal incentive dose.

For respiratory viruses such as flu, COVID, and RSV, that number is usually formed in 812 hours. Therefore, clothing is actually not the main source of respiratory virus transmission. The most common way of spreading is to stay by air through coughing or sneezing.

However, there are exceptions, namely the norovirus, the cause of the famous muntaber is very contagious.

Tetro said the norovirus could last up to a month under various conditions. The number of particles needed to make someone sick is also very small. In addition, the norovirus cannot be killed by alcohol cleaning.

Types of ingredients also affect the length of germs. Synthetic ingredients such as polyesters make the virus last longer. In addition, natural ingredients such as cotton andferomy tend to be safer.

According to Tetro, synthetic materials come from petrochemicals so they have oily properties. The oily surface makes microbes more easily stick and develop.

Patric Richardson, known as The Laundry Evangelist, stressed that we don't need to panic or apply excessive washing routines. Washing with detergents and drying clothes on a dryer is enough to help.

However, if you are sick or there are house members who are sick, especially the norovirus, some additional steps can make clothes more hygienic:

1. Use heat water settings

Hot temperatures are the main enemies of microbes. Water 60 degrees C or higher and heat-temperature dryers can help kill germs.

2. Choose a detergent with lipase enzymes

This enzyme helps break down microbial walls to make germs more effective.

3. Add oxygen bleach

Oxygen bleach is safe for colored clothing and most types of cloth (exceptETs and silk). When mixed with water, this material produces sterilized hydrogen peroxide.

4. Clean the washing machine tube once a month

Machine tubes can also pile up germs. Run one cycle of empty hot water with a little bleach to clean it.

5. Use an iron or steamer

Heat from a iron or steamer can help sterilize clothes, especially jackets or suit that are rarely washed. If the dryer has steam function, it can be used to sterilize pillows, dolls, or other items that are not easy to wash.

Under normal conditions, washing once a week is enough. However, when it hurts, clothes should be washed immediately after being worn.

Tetro added not to forget to wash the scarf, hat, or gloves that might be used to wipe the nose.

Always remember important habits since 2020, namely wearing a mask, washing hands, and cleaning the surface that is often touched like a door handle. This habit remains the best way to prevent pain.