How to Safely and Efficiently Tackle Laundry During the Coronavirus Pandemic

Staying clean is all the rage these days—and now that we’re all religiously washing our hands like our mothers always told us to, we should also be keeping our clothing spic and span.

Thankfully, unless you’re working in a contaminated environment, the risk of contracting COVID-19 from clothing is considered to be small. But as the US passes 764,000 confirmed cases of the disease, understanding how best to protect ourselves from this invisible threat is crucial—and staying clean is our first line of defense.

At a time when leaving the house feels fraught with danger, those without washing machines might be wondering how safe it is to head to a communal laundry room or the local laundromat for the weekly wash. Do we have to resort to cleaning our undies in the kitchen sink? And is that as effective as using a machine? 

We turned to experts in the field of laundry to bring you everything you need to know about washing your clothes during a pandemic. 

Stop, Strip, and Step

While most of us probably aren’t piling up the laundry while self-isolating (after all sweat pants are perfectly good for three or four days), when you do go out, it’s important to deal with that clothing properly.

Thomas A. Banton-Ortega, Product Design Director at The Laundry Alternative Inc., advises setting up a disinfectant zone in your home where you can change out of your outdoor clothes, so as not to potentially contaminate your home.

"When you arrive home, immediately rub hand sanitizer on your hands, empty your pockets, and take off all your clothes in the disinfection zone," he says. "To remove your pants, let them drop and ‘step’ on them to pull off. Immediately put all your clothing in a plastic bag, touching it as little as possible, tie the bag, and then spray and mop (or rub, if carpet) the disinfection zone." 

Wash Warm, Dry Hot

The CDC has special guidelines for washing the clothing of people known to be sick with COVID-19—but for everyone else, the institute advises washing clothes in the warmest water you can and drying as thoroughly as possible to eliminate any pathogens.

The CDC also recommends limiting the handling of dirty clothes as much as possible, wearing disposable gloves when doing so (or washing your hands frequently during the process), and not shaking out the laundry, as this can spread germs around.

The easiest way to limit the amount of laundry you do is to have less to do in the first place. Buy some extra sheets and hand towels so you don’t have to wash as frequently, and designate "inside" clothes that you only wear at home and can re-wear for a number of days, thus limiting laundry day to small items like underwear and socks.