Health
If we are vigilant about cleaning our hands and things and food from outside, what about our clothes? Can they carry the coronavirus?
Yes, Covid-19 can be deposited on clothing by spraying droplets. The World Health Organization (WHO) has announced that if it is difficult to know the exact lifespan of the virus on our tissues, it could extend “From a few hours to several days”. It all depends on the material of our clothes.
However, we know that the virus would be easier to cling to porous surfaces (paper, cardboard, etc.) than non-porous surfaces such as fabric. “The gaps between the fibers make things more difficult for the virus. It’s worse for its culture than cardboard “, said Dr. Philip Tierno, a microbiologist at NYU Langone Health, to GQ US magazine. Finally, temperature and humidity also influence the lifespan of the virus.
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When in doubt, the Center for Disease Control (the American government agency disease control) recommend removing clothing in contact with the outside as soon as you have entered the door, and cleaning it por prevent the spread of the coronavirus. If someone in the household is contaminated, the CDC recommends handling their dirty laundry with gloves. If you do not have a disposable or reusable glove, you can handle dirty linen with your hands as long as you wash them properly for 20 seconds afterwards.
Here’s how to clean your clothes
“If possible, do not shake dirty laundry. This will minimize the possibility of the virus being released into the air. “, he adds. Apart from these recommendations, infected or uninfected clothing should be cleaned “In accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions”. The CDC recommends, however, to wash your items using the warmest water possible. Dirty laundry from a sick person can be washed with other people’s items uncontaminated.
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In a notice published on February 18, 2020, the High Council of Public Health, for its part recommends washing your sheets and your laundry in the washing machine, with your usual detergent, but during a cycle at minimum 60 degrees, between 10 and 30 minutes. Please note, the WHO specifies that it is useless to spray your tissues with alcohol or chlorine. Not only are they ineffective against Covid-19, but they can also be harmful to your health. She, too, recommends washing her laundry according to the recommendations on the label.
Can my clothes contaminate me?
Recall that contamination of Covid-19 is mainly human-to-human, via respiratory droplets sprayed when talking, coughing or sneezing. However, it is possible to be contaminated by a soiled surface, the fabric is one of these surfaces.
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If an infected person sneezes in their elbow or uses their sleeve to press the contaminated elevator button, for example, a healthy person touches the contaminated surfaces of that person’s clothing and then quibbles in their eyes, nose or mouth, it may be contaminated in turn. But the chances are still lower, especially since over time, the droplets dry up and the virus dies. In the absence of a definitive study, it is therefore advisable to be careful, while keeping a happy medium.
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