By now you know to wash your hands properly as often as possible, especially if you come back home from the outside to best protect your home from the coronavirus. However, another area of high contact happens to be the clothes you are wearing. You may be using your sleeves or arms to push open doors or hit elevator buttons. How do you ensure that you’re not unwillingly spreading germs and the COVID-19 virus in your own home?
We know that the coronavirus is a respiratory illness, meaning that the virus is transmitted through droplets released by someone sneezing or coughing. You can contract the coronavirus if you inhale those droplets in the air or touch your face after coming into contact with it via surfaces. According to The World Health Organization (WHO), we don’t have certainty about how long the novel coronavirus lives on different surfaces. A new research done by American scientists according to Harvard Health sheds some insight into this, suggesting that the coronavirus can live on hard surfaces for quite some time. However there has not been any conclusive idea on how long the virus can live on softer surfaces like fabric. So what does this mean for you and your garments?
As of now, we have yet to know who has actually contracted the coronavirus through clothing, but as you’re taking precaution with your cellphones and hygiene, it’s probably best to extend rigorous hygienic practice to your clothes as well. Effective sanitary practices would include changing your daily habits and routines as well.
It is recommended by The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that you remove shoes that you wear from the outside when you enter your home, as well as change into clean clothes while you are at home. It’s probably a good idea to wash your clothes more often during these times. To wash your clothes, it’s recommended that you use the warmest appropriate setting on your laundry machine. Make sure your clothes are thoroughly dry and don’t forget to regularly disinfect and wash your laundry hampers as they can also harbor any unwanted germs and viruses. If you’re not sure what products work best for your garments against the COVID-19 virus, the CDC has a list of products for you to check.
If you don’t have the ability to clean your clothes at home, many dry cleaners like ours and laundromats are still able to operate under the state-mandated shelter at home conditions.
We hope this was helpful. Stay safe and healthy!