Drying your clothing or linens on the highest setting until the clothing items are completely dry or ironing once the clothing has completely dried via line drying can kill germs effectively as temperatures reach at least 135 degrees in both cases.
However, 140° Fahrenheit or higher is required to disinfect your clothing, says to Ryan Sinclair, PhD, MPH, Associate Professor of environmental microbiology at Loma Linda University. Many dryers do not reach this temperature and only get up to about 135° Fahrenheit.
The dryer will not kill all germs since many dryers don't get hot enough. You should always wash your clothes with detergent before putting them in the dryer.
“To rid the clothes of any pathogens picked up in the wash cycle, the clothes just had to be tumble-dried for 30 minutes or ironed,” she said. “The heat from a low dry cycle or an iron was sufficient to get the clothes free of the studied bacteria.”
Sanitize cycles on washing machines or dryers are designed to help fight against particular common household bacterias by using an extra-hot wash or dry cycle. If your machine doesn't have a designated cycle, use the warmest temperature setting available to optimize cleaning performance.
It's the dryer—not the washing machine—that lays waste to harmful microorganisms. “High heat drying for at least 28 minutes is the most effective way to kill viruses,” Reynolds says. The “high heat” setting is key. Energy efficient, low-heat settings may not get the job done, she says.
Clothes dryers with a Sanitize Cycle can increase the heat to temperatures high enough to kill off various bugs (lice, moth larvae, bedbugs, etc.) and bacteria. This can be particularly useful for sanitizing sheets and other clothing items when you or your guests have recently recovered from an illness.
It contains acetic acid, which kills viruses and bacteria; plus, white vinegar works as a disinfectant and a deodorizer. Just use 1 half cup in your laundry (this works on both whites and colors) and you'll have disinfected, softer laundry free of any lingering stinky smells.
To kill bed bugs on dry bedding or clothing, the items will need to be placed in a medium to high-temperature dryer. For most dryers, follow these times: Adults bed bugs — 15 minutes. Bed bug eggs — 60 minutes.
You may be thinking that the dryer heat will take care of the bacteria, but your thinking is flawed there as well; though a hot dryer does kill E. coli, it doesn't kill salmonella or other bacteria that have been known to inhabit the average washing machine.
Detergent alone does not always kill bacteria. To kill bacteria, use Lysol Laundry Sanitizer in the fabric softener compartment or pour directly into the rinse cycle.
Viruses and fungi may die within days. But E. coli and salmonella, which can cause diarrhea, may survive a few weeks. Staphylococcus aureus, which causes staph infections on skin, may survive a month.
“Doctors recommend washing at 60 degrees or above to kill germs. When washing at lower temperatures, add a laundry disinfectant such as Dettol to your wash to kill bacteria.”
Depending on how much you use it, your dryer should be disinfected about every six to 12 months, especially if you see frequent buildup of lint or evidence of stains from fabric bleeding or ink.
Danger Zone! Bacteria multiply rapidly between 40 and 140 degrees. Bacteria will not multiply but may start to die between 140 and 165 degrees. Bacteria will die at temperatures above 212 degrees.
Treating Infested Items:
Insecticides cannot be applied on household items like toys, clothes, shoes, or bedding. Fortunately, a household dryer is excellent for killing bed bugs on these items. A loosely filled dryer set on “high” is capable of killing all bed bug life-stages and their eggs in 30 minutes.
As discussed earlier, vinegar, particularly white distilled, can kill bed bugs because of its powerful acetic acid content. However, the chemical only becomes a viable bed bug killer if it comes in direct contact with the said pest.
A: Bed bugs have a low tolerance to heat. If the idea of bed bugs hiding out in your pillows is keeping you up at night, put your pillows in the dryer on medium to high heat for about 20 to 30 minutes, but only if manufacturer's instructions allow. This can kill bed bugs at all stages of life.
Technically, bed bugs can live through a cycle in the washing machine. The truth is that while washing your clothes or linens will kill most of the bed bugs, the heat of drying your items is what will ultimately exterminate any and all remaining bugs. As we mentioned above, bed bugs do not tolerate heat.
Cleaning vinegar or white vinegar – not apple cider vinegar or wine vinegar – is most commonly chosen for cleaning. However, it's important to remember that while vinegar does work as a disinfectant to some degree, it is not as effective as bleach or commercial cleansers when it comes to killing germs.
Getting bacteria out of clothing can be challenging, and laundry detergent does not always eliminate germs or bacteria. Using vinegar, baking soda and pine oil are effective additions to the regular soap and water and can remove not only bacteria, but dirt and oils that harbor germs in clothing.
NEVER spray any cleaning solution directly into the dryer as the residue may get into the drum holes and damage the dryer or cause a serious fire hazard!
Distilled White Vinegar
From cleaning to deodorizing, white vinegar is a safe, natural product that has many practical uses around the house—and it's a powerful laundry disinfectant, too. Add one cup of distilled white vinegar to the rinse cycle when you want to sanitize a load of laundry.