Clothes that can be washed at 60 degrees?

[User1055]

We have had the letter about returning to school and it has been suggested we should wear fresh clothes each day and to wash our workwear at 60 degrees.
Has anyone got anything they wash at 60 without trashing it? All the care labels in mine say 30 or 40.

I think they only say 30-40 for the environment, but most things wash fine at 60. I used to do all baby clothes at 60.

Just avoid too much elastic.

I think this 'wash at 60' insistence doesn't make any sense.

We wash our hands at way below 60 degrees and, although warm/hot water is recommended we are told that the virus is destroyed by soap and water, with the detergent in the soap breaking down the virus. We are also told to wash for 20 seconds to be clean.

Clothes are washed in detergent for way more than 20 seconds, and the virus, we are told, doesn't live long on soft surfaces anyway.

I have never washed anything other than bedding or towels at 60 degrees and I really can't see why this should be recommended.

You can big dettol laundry cleanser which disinfects at lower temps. I often wash at 60 degrees and it’s always fine unless it’s something very delicate

Buy not big!

We wash our hands at way below 60 degrees and, although warm/hot water is recommended we are told that the virus is destroyed by soap and water
You get a lot more soap on your hands than you do on clothes in the machine because of all the water.

You could always do an extra rinse with a capful of milton to be extra sure.

Biological detergent will clean things perfectly well. Just wash as normal, things are hard enough without ruining all your clothes as well.

It was a good ten years ago....maybe more but I did a literature research on this for my role, there was only one study that could find evidence of bacteria transfering and that was lint getting into patients wounds during surgery (from a particular launderette).
Washing at 40 and drying is enough to kill most bacteria and any left wouldn't be enough of a bacterial load to infect you.

I will point out that research is always evolving but I also doubt anyone has had the time to research Covid passing on clothes yet. And remember they may have found it on clothes but that doesn't mean you can catch it from clothes.

I would question exactly where this advice came from it could be DOH/NHS but it could also just be someone thinking it's a good idea.

Goodness me just realised how ingrained the mantra "what's the evidence base for that" is drummed into me it's been years I was in healthcare

You can wash the lot apart from wool jerseys etc at 60. I do.

The world has gone bloody mad! My work are talking about us wearing full ppe.
Seriously if they asked me to do it, I would just nod and smile and wash stuff as per usual.

Does anyone ever do a 90 wash? I put some towels on 90 and a couple shrunk slightly. I thought it was recommended to run a 90 wash every few weeks. It lasts 3 hours tho so don't use it much.

I wash most things at 60 as a norm , mainly as I like to ensure that underwear and towels are washed properly hygienically and I can't be bothered to sort my washing. Obviously not things like cashmere etc but jeans, tee shirts, most of our everyday clothes.

Where is the advice coming from?
It sounds inaccurate and scaremongery

Detergent and washing in 40 degrees would inactivate coronavirus in the same way soap and water does

Most cotton and polyester should be ok but be careful with viscose as that shrinks at the best of times

Are you working in are or icu? Otherwise you’ll be fine at 40 degrees.

*care

I'll continue to wash at 40.
Surely by the time you've washed your clothes at 40 and then dried them the virus will be gone, if there was any there to begin with.
Unless someone is coughing all over you that def has it, then I think you will be fine at 40.
People aren't washing their coats after every wear either.

Interestingly, yesrs back a lot of hospitals told male doctors to stop wearing ties as they were often never cleaned and could help to carry infections.

I only wear cotton and wash it at 60*, always have done. Does them no harm at all, my clothes last for ages.

Sheets I wash at 90*.

Blankets I wash at 30*

I wash bedding and towels and white cotton at 60. Everything else at 40.

Wash at 40 with biological washing powder then tumble dry and/ or iron. The heat from the dryer/ iron will be enough.

I use non bio as kinder to my skin so 60 seems more important for towels etc.

I use the Dettol stuff and wash most things at 40. Sheets and towels get a 60 wash, also with Dettol.