I’m sure you use the garments we are going to talk about in this article, but how often do you wash them? We always wash our hands, we shower and we try to clean our houses as much as possible, but what about Winter clothes? These garments are used every Winter and they are rarely washed, this might be because we use them just when it’s really cold and we think they are not dirty but… they are full of microbes.
I know we try to wash Winter garments the least possible because they are thick and it’s annoying, but maybe if we fully understood our washing machines, we would wash our gloves or coats more often. Don’t you think so?
Let’s see how important it is to frequently wash these garments, what the experts’ take on their hygiene is and some tips.
Careful with microbes on these garments
I’m sure you are a very clean person, as most of the world’s population, but let me ask you how often you wash your gloves and coats. If you wash them frequently, you are doing great; if you don’t… you should and you will know why in this article.
Washing Winter garments
We use winter clothes every day when this season arrives. We don’t normally wash them as frequently as Summer clothes because they don’t seem dirty. However, we can’t notice microbes and just by going out with these garments, they can accumulate germs day after day.
So, don’t underestimate microbes on garments like gloves, scarves and coats because:
- They aren’t washed regularly.
- They are in contact with contaminated surfaces, like cash, doors or devices.
- They are exposed to the air full of viruses and bacteria.
- They are not always well kept and they have dust all over them.
Let’s see what experts say about this!
According to Charles Gerba, a microbiologist who was interviewed by The New York Post, cloth gloves are full of microbes and even more so if you use them on a regular basis or you wear them for long in public spaces. These garments might seem clean at first sight, but they are not! They are actually full of microorganisms that could make us get sick.
What about coats? There aren’t many studies on this garment, but Charles Gerba thinks most of them are clean from time to time and they are also full of germs. Most of us keep the coats without washing them until the next Winter season, so germs are also in our closets with our unwashed coats.
Some tips
Experts recommend some simple tips to improve these garments’ hygiene, so let’s find what should we do about it:
- Wash our gloves once a week (with hot water if possible).
- If the gloves’ material can’t be washed frequently, we should put the gloves into the dryer for 45 minutes so that the heat gets rid of the microbes.
- Use disinfectant wipes at the middle of the week if we have been in contact with public surfaces.
- The thing with coats is to take them to a laundromat several times per season, and make sure we wash them before keep them in the closet until the next Winter.
Importance of washing these garments
We might be the cleanest people on Earth, but we can’t control everything around us and microbes on our Winter garments is one of these. In Winter there are more colds, flu and other infections so the best thing is to take care of the clothes we use everyday to prevent these situations as much as possible. Did you know how much dirt Winter garments could have?