I have looked for some way of disinfecting laundry other than whites that bleach can be add to. I have a child with an immune deficiency and need to fine something I can add to her colored clothes to disinfect them.
I know back in the day my mom used Lysol. It calls for a cup to each load and it smells. I have found everything for clothes, but something for disinfecting. We can send a man to moon why can't I keep this child clothing germ free? You can fine more about Ciarra on my profile
By Sonja from Carrollton, KY
Ok let see... is a bar of natural soap, Borax and washing soda ok? Because I make my own Laundry Detergent maybe if you add a little bit of vinegar into the mix this could work.
Try adding some baking soda to the washer as it fills.
Are you sure the germs making your child ill are coming from her clean laundry? My understanding is that the heat from the dryer kills germs.
Vinegar is a great disinfectant. Try using 1/2 cup in the rinse cycle. Do not use in the rinse cycle if you've used bleach because it can create a dangerous chlorine gas.
My prayers for Ciarra!
Wouldn't Clorox 2 work to disinfect colored clothes? That is what I am using.
I second 'Deeli's' suggestion; a little Chlorine [if any] for the WASH cycle, and 3/4 cup of [clear] vinegar in the rinse cycle. Vinegar is antiseptic and antibiotic; any vinegar odor will only be a 5-10 minute issue. Your clothes will be squeaky clean with no perfumes or irritants.
My kids skin is very sensitive. I use 1/4 cup baking soda and 1/2 cup vinegar but I would mix the 1/4 cup baking soda in with your detergent. Then 1/2 cup vinegar in the rinse cycle only.
I read that hydrogen peroxide in your wash acts like chlorine without the harsh chemical effects. You can use it on whites and colors. Good luck.
Use the white/distilled vinegar as others have recommended - you can add some baking soda too. Another benefit of the vinegar is that it is also a natural fabric softener. Your clothes will NOT smell like vinegar either. You could try borax, but you would need to test it on your daughter's skin first to make sure of any allergic reaction - just make a paste out of a little borax and water and put a little on the inside of your daughters arm at the elbow.
Thanks to everyone for feed back, and prays' I ask Ciarra doctor last week she said the distilled vinegar is what she uses in her rinse' she a mom too. before looking for a disinfectant i add soap, small scoops of oxiclean & mull-borax.FYI was looking on Tide site one of the ingredients is borax. I use borax to clean other jobs around house it cleans. I also keep a small scrub brush kind that's a little stiff to get stain out spray on shout or what I had a coupon for that month lol or use a little soap you'll not believe how the little scrub brush makes a big difference on spots and shoes.
It's just unbelievable they don't make a disinfectant just to put in washers. one more note we did a tee shirt bleaching like tie-die to stop the bleaching we had to put it in a water mix of distilled vinegar and salt then good rinse after that wash & wear. Someone suggest not using in rinse where bleach was added to wash" I believe she knows what she talking about. I'm going to get started on the laundry after a trip to bank & wallie-world will post my results and any new info I come ac cross on laundry disinfectant, please pass on any new opinions or suggestions I'm go glad I found this site it loaded with good stuff ty sonja
Here's a great study on modern energy saving washers and the "sanitizers" that work best. Vinegar is not listed nor is borax both of which we use (we have 2 middle school boys). When they were babies I used Chlorox bleach in every wash. It proves that normal detergents do not kill bacteria and viruses.
Is it safe NOT to disinfect dishcloths that are only used with disinfecting dish washing liquid? My boyfriend has not washed his dish cloth EVER. He says doesn't need to since the dish washing liquid disinfects it anyway. I say EEWWW!
He should throw that one out and get a new one!!
I've heard that if you put your dish cloth in the micro for like 30 seconds it will kill all of the germs and bacteria on it.
Throw it out while he isn't looking and replace it with a new one. The kitchen sink has more germs than the toilet. Believe it. I replace my dish rag once a week. Do you or your boyfriend get sick a lot? The culprit is the dish rag.
That dish soap is only a disintectant when used for washing your HANDS. (It's usually printed in fine print right on the bottle). Has nothing to do w/ sanitizing dishes or the dish rag. Soak that rag in a weak bleach solution at least once per week, can do this right in the cleaned sink, which will sanitize the sink also. (dilution amounts are on the bleach bottle). Or launder the dish rag in the machine w/ kitchen towels, whichI also wash w/ bleach (white towels w/ blue stripe at bottom don't fade). There has been some controversy about sanitizing sponges / rags in the microwave & especially in the dishwasher (the remaining soap suds are not good for the dishwasher over time), and experts are saying these methods may not kill germs. They do still recommend the method(s) I wrote here, soaking or washing in the clothes washer w/ bleach. Show your boyfriend these replies.
I don't care what kind of dish soap he uses, it isn't going to kill all the germs lurking in that nasty dishcloth. I mean it has residue of food and who knows what all that is growing bacteria. I change my dishcloth every couple days to be on the safe side. He's being sort of lazy not to want to wash it. You are right to say EWWWWW!
My bottle of dish soap reads that it "fights bacteria on hands when used as a hand soap." So maybe it's not killing off bacteria anywhere else. Besides, doesn't it smell?
I use a clean dishcloth EVERY day and sometimes twice a day if I am doing a lot of dishes. Then I wash them along with the dishtowels (which I also use a clean one every day) in hot water with bleach.
The amount of germs on his dishcloth must be astronomical!! Please throw it away and buy him some new ones. I keep my kitchen and bathroom exceptionally clean and my family is hardly EVER sick. Good luck!
Thank you all for the replies. I showed my boyfriend, and he STILL thinks he has nothing to worry about, since he never gets sick. By the way, his dishcloth is part of an old flannel shirt, lol. Apparently he has a strong immune system. When I visit him, I use a paper towel with dish soap to wash the dishes.
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Thank you all for the replies. I showed my boyfriend, and he STILL thinks he has nothing to worry about, since he never gets sick. By the way, his dishcloth is part of an old flannel shirt, lol. Apparently he has a strong immune system. When I visit him, I use a paper towel with dish soap to wash the dishes.
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Common sense says to wash it. I was a bachelor once, too, but you need to get a grip. Sinks typically have more bacteria than your toilet. I put my wet dish sponge in the microwave for a minute a few times per week. When done, since it creates steam, just wipe out the microwave when done.
Does Arm and Hammer Laundry Detergent kill 99.9% of bacteria?
No, only bleach and ammonia will kill 99.99% of bacteria.
I always check the box or container to see what it does. If what you are looking for is not there, it doesn't do it.
I had a microbiology professer that told us about a mouthwash's bacteria-killing TV claims. Ads boasted 99.9% of bacteria was killed.
He delved into it, and it was not quite so simple! I forget the exact numbers, but one had to hold the mouthwash in the mouth for something like 19 hours for it to kill 99.9% of the bacteria!
No, by itself no laundry detergent will kill that much bacteria. Very hot water kills bacteria, but clorox is better at it. I dont think ammonia kills as much bacteria as clorox, but that only my opinion. Its been a long time since I took chemistry. (lol)
Dont forget that its chlorine that is put into your drinking water to kill bacteria in tap water.
Best of luck
Hi all I heard recently that Lysol has just come out with a laundry detergent sanitizer that can be used even with coloured clothes and from what I understand is not in Canada yet but is available in the USA. This isn't cheap even if you order it off of amazon. But you can't put a price on health. I have an auto immune disease as well and use borax a gentle detergent vinegar and regular Lysol multi purpose cleaner or I will sometimes substitute peroxide in place of Lysol depending on what I have around the house for my colours and for whites I use gentle detergent and bleach. So far so good and no problems. Don't over use the bleach as it will eat your clothes. Also depending on the garments use hot water and a hot dryer when you can. If you have a lot of spandex or wool you should avoid bleach but I think you will be ok with the other products I mentioned. Best of luck to you and my best to your daughter. Ps I have had a lot of progress with my naturopath as they are real doctors and have many approaches to rebuilding immune systems. Learning about the gut bacteria and brain foods has been a game changer for me. Also clean filtered water has really helped my body's own filtering ability has meant more than I ever imagined it would. Hope this helps.
