When someone in your family becomes ill with a virus such as the flu, the coronavirus, or even the common cold, it's extremely important to clean and disinfect your linens after the illness has passed. These tips help to keep bacteria from growing and spreading in your home, while getting your sheets and towels sanitized.
Tip
When cleaning linens have been used by someone who has been sick, it's very important to wear rubber gloves and keep the infected laundry separate from your other laundry to help deter cross-contamination.
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How to Disinfect White Sheets and Towels With Bleach
For white sheets and towels, chlorine bleach is best. To wash your linens with chlorine bleach, you need to let your washing machine fill with hot water first, then add 1 cup of chlorine bleach. Once the bleach has mixed with water, carefully add your white linens and run your washing machine on the hottest cycle. Dry your linens in your clothes dryer or by hanging your laundry in the sun to dry.
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Warning
Never use chlorine bleach on wool, silk, spandex, or certain dyed and finished fabrics. It could damage the fabric.
How to Wash and Disinfect Colored Sheets and Towels
For colored sheets and towels, pine oil disinfectants work great. Pine oil disinfectants are typically used to disinfect and clean your floors, but they have amazing disinfecting properties that can kill germs and bacteria in fabric as well. To disinfect your laundry using pine oil cleaner, start by filling your washing machine with hot water, then add 1 cup of the pine oil disinfectant. Then add your infected sheets and towels and allow them to wash on the hottest cycle. Dry your linens in your clothes dryer or by hanging your laundry in the sun to dry.
Warning
Be sure to disinfect your washing machine after washing infected linens to avoid cross-contamination of bacteria and germs.