How Long Does The Coronavirus Live On Clothes, And Will Laundry Detergent Kill The Virus?

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Health.com, March 24, 2020. As the new coronavirus continues to spread, people are taking increasingly stringent precautions to ensure their home environment is free from the virus and their risk of infection is lower. We’ve all been taking part in scrupulous hand-washing for weeks, but what about washing other things, like our clothes?

Although the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says the new coronavirus is typically transmitted through respiratory droplets (from an infected person sneezing or coughing) rather than through objects and materials that can transfer the virus if they become contaminated, CDC guidelines also note that the virus may remain viable for hours to days on surfaces made from a variety of materials, including clothing.

And while researchers from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease (NIAID) in Montana have studied how long the new coronavirus can survive on cardboard, plastic, and steel, we don’t yet have that information about fabrics. “I suspect that you can find viability of the virus for several hours to maybe a day on clothes,” infectious disease expert Amesh A. Adalja, MD, senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security in Maryland, tells Health. “It depends largely on the environmental conditions—temperature and humidity impact the growth of the virus.”

In general, Dr. Adalja says he doesn’t believe that clothes act as a “major vehicle spread” for the new coronavirus.

But it’s better to be safe than sorry, right? So what can you do to reduce the risk of exposure to the coronavirus when it comes to your clothing?

How often should you wash your clothes?

If nobody in your household has tested positive for the new coronavirus or is displaying any symptoms, you can clean your clothes as you usually do.

But if you’ve been out in public (to a shop, for instance) and people around you haven’t been adhering to the CDC’s social distancing guidelines (in other words, staying a minimum of 6 feet away from other people who don’t live in your household), it’s probably a good idea to machine wash the clothes you wore outside when you get home.

The research from the NIAID reveals that some viruses can remain active after two or three days on plastic and stainless steel, and for 24 hours on cardboard and four hours on copper. Some zippers, buttons and other clothing hardware could be made of those materials, and therefore could bring the virus into your home. (Also, just to be clear, the guidelines here are about shirts, pants, skirts, etc., not necessarily outerwear like coats or shoes.)

What about clothes worn by an ill person?

If someone in your household has confirmed or suspected COVID-19, extra precautions must be taken when washing their clothes (as well as towels and bed linens they came into contact with).

The CDC recommends wearing disposable gloves when handling dirty laundry...

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