The NHS reports that germs resulting in flu and stomach bugs can survive on clothing and other fabrics for between four and six hours, with some strains surviving as long as five months. When you have kids running around, it’s easy to see how illness can spread.
While many environmental campaigns are encouraging households to wash at lower temperatures to save energy, reduce carbon footprint and maintain clothes for longer, research from waste charity Wrap revealed that four in ten laundry washes are done on settings too cool to kill bacteria. This is because when you wash at temperatures lower than 60°C, bacteria can survive and will transfer between garments in the wash.
Stopping the Spread of Bacteria
During our typical day-to-day activities, bacteria can build up on items of clothing. The items of clothing which have a heightened risk of contamination are those which come into direct contact with our bodies or are used in potentially contaminated areas of the home. Where possible, washing these items at a higher temperature can help remove germs, better than washing on a lower setting.
Be mindful that bacteria can easily be transferred from person to person on items such as towels. To eradicate cross-contamination, avoid sharing these items.
Labelling your children’s clothes with their names and having colour-coded towels can help to avoid any confusion in a busy family bathroom, or changing rooms during sports lessons at school.
It’s important to consider the bacteria lurking inside the drum of your washing machine too. This build-up can infect your family’s clothes, with research highlighting as many as one million bacteria can be found in just two tablespoons of water! You can help stop unwanted illness spreading like wildfire by washing your family’s clothes on a regular basis.
Say No to Shoes in the House
‘No shoes in the house!’ is a common rule, and there’s a good reason for it. Up to 90 percent of bacteria from shoes can be transferred to the floor when they are worn inside. This means that all kinds of nasties can be transported from outside into your house. To avoid the spread of germs, implement a no-shoe rule within your household, keep floors clean, and where possible, wash shoes regularly.
Protect your children from unwanted germs by applying small, yet necessary changes, to your laundry wash. If a sickness bug has spread, wash clothes in a hot wash with a bleach-based detergent such as ACE for Whites. For coloured items, use a product such as ACE for Colours Powder which banishes dirt, grease and body soils. By washing garments regularly, applying laundry disinfectants and upping the temperature a little to those washes featuring items which have a heightened risk of contamination, you can ensure a happier, healthier household.
ACE stain remover has been established in the UK market for a number of years and has good distribution across the country’s major supermarkets. It is the market leader in Italy, where it was first launched over 50 years ago, and is also distributed across Europe, France, Spain, Germany, Greece and Belgium.To discover more about the ACE product range visit http://www.acecleanuk.co.uk or click here to find out where to purchase ACE around the UK.
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