Washing your hands with soap and water regularly
Avoiding touching your face
Keeping adequate space between yourself and others
There’s no doubt you’re taking precautions to stay safe and prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), the flu, and other types of infectious diseases.
Beyond those basics, though, what else can you do to keep your family and community safe from coronavirus pathogens?
Keep reading to learn what you need to know about doing laundry during the 2020 coronavirus outbreak, and find out how you can protect yourself from COVID-19 germs that may collect on your clothes and other household items.
Coronavirus and Laundry FAQ
As the number of people in Indiana with the coronavirus grows, so does the likelihood that your clothes may get contaminated with virus-laden respiratory droplets (released, for example, when someone with coronavirus sneezes or coughs).
Here are answers to common customer questions about coronavirus and provide some information about the simple-yet-necessary steps you can take to upgrade the way you keep your clothes clean and reduce your risk of infection.
How Long Does the Coronavirus Live on Clothes?
Coronavirus thrives on hard surfaces like doors, counters, and walls, but it can also survive on softer surfaces like clothes, as well as blankets, coats, towels, and bags.
Researchers continue to study the actual length of time that the coronavirus disease can live on different surfaces. Currently, however, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that the coronavirus can infect surfaces “for a few hours or up to several days” before it dies, so proper and prompt clothes-laundering is essential.
If you have delicate clothing or other hard-to-wash-at-home items (e.g., bulky wool winter coats) that you can’t clean properly and regularly on your own, dry cleaning is an excellent alternative for getting those items washed and disinfected thoroughly.
What Are Effective Ways to Kill the Coronavirus on Your Clothes?
If you plan to wash your clothes at home during the coronavirus pandemic, you should try to follow laundry best practices to make sure you’re disinfecting your clothes effectively.
In addition to washing more often, to remove coronavirus bacteria from your laundry, experts also recommend:
Using coronavirus-fighting laundry products—but, not too much! Adding extra detergent to a load may create an excess of soap suds that can trap the virus on your clothes during the wash cycle.
Gently putting items into your washing machine. Avoid shaking your laundry because this action may disperse virus germs back into the air.
Cleaning your laundry basket. Disinfecting your laundry basket between loads will reduce the risk of transferring germs from unwashed clothes back onto your clean clothes.
Choosing the hottest temperature appropriate for washing your clothes. And, don’t forget to dry them completely! (Note: you have to wash and dry using extreme heat—over 160°—to successfully banish coronavirus from your clothes using water alone, which isn’t always practical or what’s best for your clothes.)
Sanitizing your washing machine door and buttons between loads.
Plus, don’t forget to wash your hands, too, after you transfer dirty clothes into your washing machine. If you’re washing the clothes of someone who has been infected with coronavirus, the CDC recommends going one step further and wearing a mask and disposable gloves when you do laundry.
Got enough on your plate right now to worry about these extra precautions? Prefer to leave washing your clothes to the pros? Hire a professional wash and fold laundry service to help you tackle your germ-ridden laundry and make sure it gets clean. Here in the Indianapolis-area, Classic Cleaners offers convenience and peace of mind with our full-service clothes cleaning.
We can help you enjoy clean clothes without having to do any work. Whether you want to bring your items to one of our convenient locations or schedule free pickup and delivery, our team will expertly wash all of your clothes (and other soiled, everyday laundry) then return it folded—and decontaminated.
“I am in such a habit of putting my clothes out on Fridays and having them returned on Tuesdays. It is great. Even on snowy, icy winter days, I know I can rely on our route guy to show up on time, often with a treat for our dog.”—Amy Kavicky, Carmel
Learn more about wash and fold laundry service in Indianapolis
Does Dry Cleaning Disinfect Contaminated Clothes?
If you want to make sure your clothes are no longer carrying the coronavirus, the dry cleaning process is a great option for disinfection. Most dry cleaners use powerful, sanitizing antimicrobial detergents that kill and slow the spread of viruses, like the coronavirus.
Want to reduce your risk of exposure to coronavirus even more? Avoid going out to bring your clothes to a store and find a provider who will come to you to pick up and return your dry cleaning, like Classic Cleaners does.
Our drivers stop at homes and offices across the Indianapolis-area twice-a-week as part of our free route service for all customers. With Classic Cleaners, there’s no need to leave the house if you’re self-isolating and practicing social distancing to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
“Not having to make an extra trip to the dry cleaner is a great convenience. Classic Cleaners gives us no reason to visit other competitors.”—David Miller, Indianapolis
Learn more about free dry cleaning pickup and delivery in Indianapolis »
