Washing Clothes

You are saying what this woman said this morning but she was also referring to all clothing as well. Guess there is some truth to this theory. Thanks for the information response.

Oops, thanks for the informative response. Had confused fingers there for a minute...lol

I haven't heard that laundry is unsafe after washing until recently. Thanks for your response.

I hang up alot of clothes to dry because I don't want them to shrink or the label says to line dry. This does sound crazy. Wonder if the soap companies are behind this one....lol Buy more soap to wash the hands type of thing. BS is right on this one. Thanks for responding.

I do use dry bleach occasionally on whites but never on colors. Also forgot to mention the news clip said we are suppose to run a washer full of hot water with bleach after each use. I don't do that and our clothes appear to be clean. Thanks for responding.

I, too, thought it was an awfully bizarre comment to make on television this morning. This woman was suppose to be some sort of specialist. Nobody has ever said to me that my clothes look or smell dirty. I disagree with this woman. It's not very logical at all. Water and soap wash our hands so why not the same theory for clothes? lol Thanks for responding.

Sounds like the concern is with the handling of underwear when wet and transferring to the dryer. Thanks for responding.

Having read the reply above about E. Coli, I can see the point of the warning. E.Coli is normally a harmless bacteria (in fact a beneficial one) which occurs naturally in the gut of most people and helps us digest our food. There are a few strains, however, (including E. coli O157) which may be transferred from animals, especially cattle. This is by far the commonest source of an E. coli infection. It can, of course, also be passed on from an infected person. I think that the point to be aware of is that, unless a member of the family has an E. coli infection, there is exceedingly little risk in handling the family wash. Here are the general precautions you should take to prevent others being infected if you or a member of your household has it (and there will be no doubt when there is an infection). "Pay particular attention to personal hygiene - thoroughly wash hands (using hot water, soap and a nailbrush) after using the toilet and immediately before any handling, preparing or serving of food. Do not share towels. Supervise children in their hand-washing after using the toilet and before eating food. Take particular care if you have to attend to elderly relatives suffering from diarrhoea associated with an E. coli infection. Wash soiled clothing and bed linen in a domestic washing machine on a ‘hot cycle’. Flush as much faecal matter as possible down the toilet. To reduce contamination, soak clothing and linen in a household disinfectant before washing. Wear disposable plastic or rubber gloves and wash hands thoroughly afterwards. Cleaning the toilet For as long as people are unwell: · wipe the toilet seat with disinfectant after each use, · wash and disinfect other items like bedpans or potties after each use, · use a cloth soaked in disinfectant to wipe the toilet seat, flush handle, washbasin taps, and door handle two or three times a day, · clean the toilet bowl using a toilet brush and disinfectant. Rinse the brush by flushing the toilet, and replace in its holder, · keep any rubber gloves used for cleaning the toilet for this use only, · flush the toilet with the seat and lid down. Laundry · keep dirty laundry from anyone with food poisoning separate, · if possible remove any heavy soiling into the toilet before washing, · wash soiled clothing and bedding separately on as hot a washing programme as possible without exceeding fabric care instructions. (This was copied from a PDF Factsheet produced by South Oxfordshire District Council. There are many similar factsheets available. I chose this one because it was the first I found that made more than a passing mention to clothes washing.) Soap and handwash (also the bactericidal hand gels) are recommended as being adequate for handwashing. Using a dryer may give some protection but, of course, only if the fabric is capable of withstanding the temperature. Pesronally, I would pre-soak any soiled clothing or linen in a disinfectant before washing.

Thanks for your very informative response. It's hard to imagine after all my years of washing clothes and cooking dinner at the same time I was doing something that could be potentially dangerous to my family.

I like your way of thinking...lol Very clever. I do have a cleaning lady who comes twice a month but I don't let her do the laundry. I can't let her wash the clothes after having her hands in my toilet. Just the thought.....ewwwww! Let me know if your idea works by talking with your husband and explaining why you need a housekeeper. Thanks for your interesting response.

It was on tv earlier this week. A lady was a specialist in that area. Not sure I really believe her as it doesn't seem very logical. Thanks for responding.

It's hard for me to understand the theory because my clothes seem clean after they are washed. Nobody around me complains.......lol Not everything I wear is put in the dryer per the label. Thanks for responding.

I also wash clothes in cold water but towels and washcloths in hot. This whole theory is new to me and now makes me wonder if the clothes I don't put in the dryer are clean and germ free. Thanks for responding.