How to Kill Bacteria in Your Clothes

If you or another one of your family members have recently had a bad cold, the flu or another infectious illness, you need to disinfect their dirty laundry to prevent others from getting sick. To kill bacteria on clothing, you need to wash it using the correct temperature setting for the water in your washer. Hot water disinfects clothing better than warm or cold, so it is the best temperature setting for clothes that need disinfecting. To ensure all germs are eradicated when you launder contaminated clothing, add a disinfectant to the washing machine along with the detergent.

Bleach or pine oil cleaner
Laundry detergent

Instructions

- 1
  Set your washer to heavy soil with a hot temperature setting. Turn the washer on and allow it to start filling.
- 2
  Add the appropriate amount of laundry detergent to the water in the washing machine. Add either 1/2 cup bleach or pine oil cleaner to the water.
- 3
  Put laundry in the washing machine when it is about 1/2 filled with water. Do not over stuff the machine because clothes need room to agitate in the water in order for them to be cleaned. Close the lid, and allow the machine to run through until completion of the wash cycle.
- 4
  Restart your washer and run your clothing through once more with nothing more than hot water. This will help lessen the smell of bleach or pine oil on your clothing. Dry as directed by care labels.

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