In a time of global health crisis as this, everyone’s getting finicky about every little thing. Be it their home or self-hygiene, and people are trying to follow their best practices to avoid and prevent the coronavirus.
But has it ever occurred to you that even your clothes can be contaminated? Can germs really live on your clothes?
There are so many questions that follow once the thought crosses your mind. Like how long does it live, or how can it be shooed away?
With different health organizations coming up with various possibilities, it only makes the people more scared and wary of the whole situation that the world has been pushed into.
The Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends washing the used clothes in the warmest water setting. Once cleaned, dry them thoroughly. They also propose using disinfectant and disposable bag liners.
CDC also suggests, if you are cleaning someone else’s dirty clothes or even your own, you should wear disposable gloves and put them for a wash after every use. Then, wash your hands with soap or alcohol-based hand wash. Also, avoid placing the dirty clothes here and there in your homes before cleaning them properly.
There are also multiple products available in the market for disinfecting your clothes and other fabrics.
We would suggest, during these testing times with COVID-19, we should concentrate on clothing that is not only comfortable but also has other properties that help dodge the viruses.
Fashion designers are recently taking to exploring hemp clothes in a whole different way. Not just for its rusty look but majorly for its exceptional benefits like its antimicrobial properties, environment friendliness, and comfort levels.
Not many people know, but hemp is a carbon warrior as hemp plants absorb CO2 faster than other plants. It cleans more quickly with little water, it softens with time, saves you from UV rays, and is more durable than most natural fibers. Hemp also keeps you cool in summers and warm in winters.
However, according to Harvard Health, the coronavirus is likely to survive longer on harder surfaces than softer ones like clothing and other fabrics. But they also recommended changing over to fresh clothes immediately after coming home from anywhere outside.
The World Health Organization (WHO), on the other hand, is still to be sure about the duration for which the virus lives on surfaces but has provided a piece of basic information saying that the virus could last for hours or several days on surfaces.
A major cloths renting enterprise, Rent the Runway has recently informed their customers that they are using optimal cleaning practices for their clothes. So there’s nothing to worry about.
It stresses that their process of cleaning the fabrics includes both wet and dry methods for thoroughly cleaned clothes after. They are steamed at about 248 to 302 degrees Fahrenheit to kill the different germs and viruses.
The bags and shades are also efficiently cleaned using alcohol and other disinfectants.
Significant brands like Walmart has also stressed on better hygiene, starting by disinfecting the shopping carts and regular cleaning in the high-traffic areas.
The outbreak of the COVID-19 has not just affected one of us but all of us. We hope you use to go for healthier and more breathable fabrics like hemp and cotton during this challenging time and keep out all the unwanted germs and viruses from your home.
