Simple Laundry Rules To Disinfect Your Clothes During Cold And Flu Season
HuffPost
Which germs tend to live on clothing the longest, the types of fabric that harbor germs and how to properly wash your clothes.
During cold and flu season, sickness is commonly spread through coughing, sneezing and even touching surfaces. One of these surfaces that germs can live on: your clothing.
“Your clothing is porous and therefore is essentially a solid petri dish,” said microbiologist Jason Tetro, also known as “The Germ Guy” and author of “The Germ Code” and “The Germ Files.” “Anything that comes into contact with your clothes is going to stick to [them].”
But how long do germs stay on your clothing, and how likely is it that they’ll infect you? We talked to experts about which germs tend to live on clothing the longest, the types of fabric that harbor germs and how to properly wash your clothes.
How do germs spread to and from clothing?
Clothes can pick up germs from being in contact with contaminated surfaces or even just from the air, Tetro explained.
