Can underwear and socks be washed directly in the washing machine? Well~this is a question worth thinking about!
In 2009, Japan's Kao Company investigated the laundry situation of some Chinese urban households and found that more than 90% of households chose to wash socks and underwear by hand. In 2015, a survey by Wanwei Home Network also showed that nearly half of people chose hand-washed underwear.
The idea of ??washing socks, underwear and regular clothes separately has a considerable market in China.
Why do the Chinese insist on washing them separately? It is said that foreigners' clothes are washed together. Could it be that they have special physiques?
1
Worry about bacteria on underwear and socks
The reason why most people wash them separately I dislike dirty socks, so even if I don’t have foot odor or athlete’s foot, I still stay away from them.
It is not too late for us to understand athlete’s foot. As early as in the literature of the Sui and Tang Dynasties, people mentioned tinea pedis, which is what we usually call "athlete's foot". At the time it was thought to be caused by parasites.
The plant ash used by the ancient Chinese to clean clothes, and later the saponins and pig pancreas, cannot be sterilized. Sometimes fragrances are added to laundry detergent just to deodorize and add fragrance.
In the absence of sterilization conditions, it is safer to wash socks, underwear and other clothes separately.
Moreover, the ancients attached great importance to intimate clothing. Because the sanitary conditions were so poor at that time, people often got lice on their bodies. In order to protect sensitive parts, underwear must be treated separately. Some ancient books record the method of washing "underwear" and "underwear" separately.
So, can socks and underwear be washed together in the washing machine?
2
In fact, underwear is much dirtier than socks
Socks not only contain dust, sweat and dead skin, but also carry tens of millions of bacteria.
Because of this, many people are worried that washing socks and underwear together will stain the underwear. But, the truth is, underwear can be much dirtier than socks.
A pair of worn underwear has about 0.1 grams of feces stuck on it, which contains about 1 billion bacteria, including Escherichia coli, Bifidobacterium, Streptococcus, Bacteroidetes... Bacteria produce Indole, hydrogen sulfide and mercaptans are all causes of odor.
But don’t worry, although it sounds scary, washing machines can still resist so many bacteria.
During the washing process, mechanical functions such as stirring and beating can remove bacteria, and the surfactants in general laundry detergents can also play a certain sterilizing effect. After multiple rinses, the washing machine can remove at least 99% of the microorganisms in the clothes.
Even if there are still a small amount of pathogenic bacteria remaining, they miraculously survived the sun and drying process, and healthy people's skin can easily resist their invasion.
Because the skin is the first line of defense for the human immune system, the outermost stratum corneum is waterproof and blocks the invasion of bacteria, viruses and other foreign objects.
Even if the skin is damaged and a small amount of pathogenic microorganisms enter the body, the immune system in the skin of healthy people can still identify the threat, initiate an immune response, and eliminate these pathogens.
However, if you suffer from contagious skin diseases such as athlete's foot, onychomycosis, and genital fungal infection, the method of washing clothes may be a different matter.
For example, fungi in the socks of people with beriberi can run around in the washing machine and contaminate other clothing.
One study used household washing machines to clean socks worn by beriberi patients at a temperature of 40 degrees Celsius. The results showed that after drying, more than one-third of the socks could still grow fungi.
These fungi are mainly found on the toes and heels of socks. There are many types of fungi, including Rhochaetae, Aspergillus, Cephalosporium acremonium, etc.
Their ability to migrate is also amazing, and spread can occur even if you simply put smelly socks in the same laundry basket as regular clothes.
Some beriberi patients do not pay attention to personal hygiene and may even develop moss on their thighs and even their buttocks may become infected.
Moreover, these nasty pathogens may also adhere to the inner wall of the washing machine. If the washing machine is used with patients, there is also a risk of infection.
To thoroughly clean these dangerous socks and underwear, ordinary laundry methods are not enough.
3
What is the correct way to wash clothes?
If you want to wash cleaner and hygienic clothes, you can use the following two methods.
1. Add disinfectant to the washing machine
The purpose of general laundry detergent is to remove stains, but its disinfection ability is not strong. Some "antibacterial laundry detergents" on the market only deal with common bacteria rather than fungi. If you want to completely remove disease-causing fungi, you can choose a chlorine-containing disinfectant.
Second, use the high-temperature function of the washing machine to wash clothes
Warm or cold water cannot kill pathogens, but heating the water temperature to above 60 degrees Celsius will greatly increase the disinfection effect. Stubborn fungi can basically be eliminated.
For those heavily contaminated clothes, you can even use steaming to ensure that nothing goes wrong.
In short, healthy people can safely wash socks and underwear together, no problem; if you suffer from infectious skin diseases, you should choose chlorine-containing disinfectants and high-temperature washing to completely remove them Pathogens. Whether socks and underwear are washed separately or by hand is not the key to the problem.
3. Regular weekly washing machine cleaning
For most people, it is more practical to worry about cross-contamination of socks and underwear in the washing machine.
After using the washing machine for a long time, thick dirt may accumulate on the inner wall, which is filled with various bacteria and mold, and sometimes it is even dirtier than the toilet.
Doing laundry day after day is like feeding poisonous insects. The vitality of these microorganisms that can stay is very powerful. It's hard to get rid of it with ordinary washing liquid. Currently, most washing machine manufacturers recommend cleaning the washing machine with the high temperature function once a month. It is best to use it with washing machine detergent to ensure cleanliness and hygiene.