Tumble drying and machine washing at 56 degrees Celsius kills all traces of COVID-19 on clothes, cushions and Doonas, infectious disease specialists who study how viruses are transmitted have confirmed.
Professor Sacha Stelzer-Braid studies respiratory viruses at UNSW in Sydney
Professor Sacha Stelzer-Braid is a virologist with special interest in respiratory diseases at UNSW who is closely monitoring the spread of coronavirus in Australia, as nationwide infections top 4,167 and the death toll climbs to 17 after a woman in her 80s died at North West Regional Hospital in Tasmania overnight.
Professor Stelzer-Braid told Daily Mail Australia that cleaning laundry on a regular cycle will cause the virus to disintegrate and die, which means you’re unlikely to catch coronavirus from clothing if you simply wash loads as normal.
‘It’s been shown that washing clothes and bedding at 56°C kills the novel coronavirus specifically. It doesn’t need to be boiling, you don’t need to go overboard,’ she said.
56 degrees Celsius is the temperature at which COVID-19 breaks down, according to a recent study by the US National Library of Medicine.
Infectious disease specialists have confirmed that tumble drying and machine washing at or above 56 degrees Celsius kills all traces of COVID-19 on clothes and soft furnishings
Viruses can only replicate inside a living cell, which means outside the cell, they either infect us or self-destruct before finding a host cell to multiply in.
How long a virus survives outside a cell varies depending on the surface it finds itself on.
Professor Stelzer-Braid said this is why there is less need to worry about contracting the virus from porous materials like clothes and soft furnishings than from hard objects like phones and door knobs.
Porous materials allow moisture to pass through, making them less likely to hold infectious volumes of the virus, while non-porous surfaces are resistant to moisture which creates a breeding ground where the virus can rest and accumulate.
World Economic Forum researchers have found coronavirus can live for up to 24 hours on soft, porous fabrics and as long as 72 hours on hard, non-porous materials.
Researchers have found that COVID-19 can live on hard, shiny surfaces like phones for up to 72 hours (pictured, a witness wears a face mask during wedding at Captain Henry Waterhouse Reserve in Kirribilli, Sydney on March 28, 2020)
This is because the mucus contained in contaminated respiratory droplets absorb into soft fabrics faster than they do on hard surfaces, meaning the virus dies on clothes and cushions sooner than on phone covers and door handles.
But even when droplets COVID-19 are present on clothes, a quick turn in the washing machine will eliminate all active infection.
Professor Nigel McMillan researches infectious diseases at Griffith University in Queensland
These claims have been supported by Professor Nigel McMillan, who studies the causes and transmission of infectious diseases at Griffith University in Queensland.
Professor McMillan said there’s no need for people to wash their clothes any more or any differently than they usually would – with the exception of frontline healthcare workers who are exposed to high densities of the virus and should leave gowns and personal protective equipment outside the house or at work.
‘Any normal wash will do the job so long as you use detergent. Viruses are made up of proteins and fats which fall apart when they come in contact with the surfactants and soap in standard household detergents,’ he said.
‘Hot washes are better than cold if you have the option, for sure, but as long as you use detergent it’s going to be absolutely fine either way.’
Tumble drying clothes on a hot temperature will also kill the virus, Professor McMillan said.
COVID-19 survives for longer on hard surfaces because contaminated respiratory droplets absorb into soft fabrics faster, which means the virus dies on clothes and cushions sooner than on public seats and door handles (left, celebrity home renovators Mitch Edwards and Mark McKie hold a cushion, and right, a cleaner sanitises handrails on a Sydney Tram at Circular Quay station on March 28, 2020)
Boston infectious disease doctor Gabriela Andujar Vazquez agreed.
‘It’s perfectly safe for you to go back home with your regular clothes and just do what you have been doing [before] COVID-19,’ she told Market Watch on Sunday.
The experts’ comments are based on the findings of a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, which show COVID-19 can live on copper for up to four hours, on cardboard and porous fabrics for 24 hours and on stainless steel and plastic for up to to three days.
Other studies have shown the virus can remain on synthetic materials used in shoes like rubber for as long as five days.
But they warn these preliminary figures may be underestimates because the tests were carried out in clinical and laboratory settings.
‘These findings are from a lab study. In the real world, we have different temperatures, different humidity and other environmental factors that come into play which could enable the virus to survive for longer,’ Professor Stelzer-Braid said.