Ironing knickers to reduce UTI

[goudacheese]

My mum told me to always iron the crutch of my knickers to kill bacteria. Just wondering if others do and whether it really does prevent infections. I've never had a UTI but this could just be coincidence.

Oh Gosh, that really doesn't work, you need pest control for Bedbugs!

That’s one of the (unintentionally) funniest things I’ve ever read on here 😂.

This is what I log on for

Sorry @SamDeanCas I read that as Bedbugs not bugs!

I think she means germs not bedbugs.

She didn’t mean bed bugs, she meant bacteria you can’t see

I noticed if I ironed tea towels which had been long term washed at 40 ans smelled a bit stale/foody that the smell disappeared so I presume it killed off something!

Same. How I used to wear them when I was 18-20ish I have no idea. I don’t remember them being uncomfortable either but now I’m 44 I can’t imagine anything worse!

What's not funny is how unbelievably ignorant people are about quite fundamental hygiene practices.

I’ve never understood the need to was everything at a high temperature. So I’m single and childfree with zero health issues and have always washed everything from my 20s to my now 50s at 30 primarily because it’s the temp at the fastest cycle so made sense to keep electricity bill down.

My underwear, towels and bedding all at 30 and no issues! The way I look at it is as we’ve got advanced we’ve become more neurotic as a species about bugs and what not just because advancements in science means we know more about them. I’d only ever thought the higher temps if there was a need because something was utterly filthy - or if you have pets, kids or have been unwell and really need a thorough clean of everything. Or of course if you have bedbugs.

I know plenty of people IRL who think they have no issues when they wash everything at 30°. Having stayed in their houses and slept in their sour smelling beds and got up close to their sour smelling clothes, I beg to differ.

I challenge you to sniff my gusset ! And call me that again

you could eat your dinner off my 30 degree knickers and not contract minge diseases !

can you link to your evidence please ceramiq
you feel very strongly about this , even to the point of calling doctors “ ignorant” who don’t recommend this
im interested in where you have developed this firm belief from , I am open to change my habits of a lifetime but do need more that you telling me

As I have already pointed out, some countries routinely wash in cold water and I can assure you neither they, nor their beds, are "sour smelling"

Some of you really need to grow up.

@sorrynotathome @Ceramiq is right. NHS advice is that all towels, bedding and underwear should be washed at 60 degrees C to kill bacteria.

Patients in hospital but wearing their own clothes should wear cotton/linen that is not damaged at high temperatures.

ECO setting on dishwashers are usually set at 56 degrees or 60 degrees for the same reason. Water at that temperature kills almost all bacteria, thus preventing food poisoning.

Sunlight is anti-bacterial as well, so in countries where sunshine can be relied on all year round, washing in lower temperatures is ok because sunlight kills the bacteria during drying.

@Ceramiq sorry but beg to differ. It’s also odd how you ‘know’ the exact temperatures the households you visit wash their clothes on! I mean it could just be they smell sour because they have a very infrequent washing routine altogether. You couldn’t possibly know unless you either lived there or had some very strange in depth conversations. Personally, I go to bed with lovely fresh smelling bedding and clothes and I think I would know that since it’s my life 🙄.

As to people referencing how dishwashers use 50 degrees plus to prevent food poisoning is just such utter nonsense and screams of hysteria! I mean if that’s true, wouldn’t people without dishwashers like me be permanently keeled over and off work because they washed up last nights curry off the plate with tepid water and a smidge if fairy liquid? And how on earth did our grandparents in the pre dishwasher age survive?!

Re NHS, in hospitals of course they’re going to adhere to much higher washing temperatures for the very reason it’s a hospital! It’s riddled with bacteria due to servicing ill people 24/7! Let’s use common sense, if you’re single with very low traffic of visitors and childfree, do yourself and the environment a favour and stick to low faster washes and if you have kids, pets, recovering from illness or elderly perhaps a higher temp would be advisable. It’s not rocket science!

you could eat your dinner off my 30 degree knickers and not contract minge diseases !

I know there's been a fashion for presenting food on items which are not plates, but this is a step too far...

😂what a load of rubbish. The only thing that would actually fully kill bacteria would be to autoclav or sterilise, it will do very little the difference between washing at 30, 40 or 60oc

That’s one of the most batshit things I have heard.
I have been to a lot of conferences about women’s health and have never heard this before ever!

ceramiq how on earth do tea towels and knickers transfer bacteria between themselves… when they’re are both being washed!

And yet you can quite successfully hand wash items at a much lower temp, hand hot, and still not get sick. Amazing.

Steam your gussets spends like a euphemism.
I line dry all my clothes. Never ironed knickers, nor used an iron to steam a gusset. Never had a UTI

I do a bit, never knickers tho