1. Cold and Flu Viruses Become Contagious Before Any Symptoms Emerge
The common cold and the flu are upper respiratory infections in the nose and throat. Both can be marked by a runny nose, congestion, muscle aches, and fever. The flu can also attack your lungs and become quite severe if left untreated. Once symptoms set in, we naturally head into recovery mode and steer clear of loved ones. But according to CDC experts, people become contagious one to two days before they start showing signs of sickness. This means that exposure has already happened when your precautions generally begin, particularly in unaddressed areas like the laundry room where clothing items are intermingled and then distributed throughout the household.
2. Germ-Ridden Items In the Wash Won't Be Disinfected During a Laundry Cycle
It's gross, but studies show that contagious pathogens lingering on the clothing of a sick person (whether or not you're aware of symptoms yet) are easily passed onto the clothing of uninfected individuals. Germ researcher Kelly Reynolds discovered that a single germ-infested item "will spread to 90% of the other items" in your washing machine.
What's worse: even the hottest water won't kill the germs. And even washing a sick person's clothes separately won't make a difference. As Reynolds explains, because the washer has no capacity to eliminate germs on its own, viral organisms will linger in the machine and transmit to the next load anyway. Put simply, it's a nightmare.
|