Following months of disruption and with experts still learning about the coronavirus and how it’s transmitted, children are heading back to school full-time. As a result, trying to maintain a healthy environment and keep your family’s clothes clean may seem daunting – but it doesn’t have to.
Here at Persil, we want to reassure you that this doesn’t have to be an epic battle. Our handy back to school health tips can teach you how to keep school uniforms hygienically clean, how to disinfect clothes, and how to help prevent germs spreading.
BACK TO SCHOOL HYGIENE TIPS FOR PARENTS
To help keep your family safe, follow these tips for back to school hygiene:
At the end of the school day, encourage your child to place their clothes in the laundry basket. To avoid the possibility of dispersing the virus through the air, they should not shake their dirty laundry. Try to wash their school clothes daily if you can.
Under normal conditions, simply wash your child’s school clothes using a high quality-detergent like Persil. For hygienically clean laundry every time, you may want to add our new antibacterial laundry sanitiser into your wash alongside your regular laundry detergent. It kills 99.9% viruses* and bacteria, even on quick washes and low temperatures such as 20°C.
Follow the care label of the items and the dosage instructions on the packaging. To get the best results, make sure you use the correct dose of laundry detergent and laundry sanitiser for the size of your load and avoid overloading your washing machine.
When extra hygiene is required, such as for underwear or sportswear, we recommend using our antibacterial laundry sanitiser alongside your regular laundry detergent. It kills 99.9% viruses* and bacteria making it a great addition for these kinds of washes. Please refer to the garment’s care label first and follow these steps on how to disinfect clothes when someone is ill.
If you are washing more heavily soiled items or school clothes worn by someone who has shown symptoms of illness, store and wash them separately from other items to help reduce the risk of contamination.
When your wash cycle is finished, remove your garments from the machine as soon as possible and dry thoroughly. Not drying your clothes properly can allow bacteria to grow and cause garments to smell. Get them out and dried as soon as you can.
Remember to wash your hands after handling dirty laundry using soap and water, for at least 20 seconds.
Clean your laundry basket regularly. Consider using antibacterial products to disinfect laundry baskets or containers you use to store clothes from someone who has been ill.
As part of a general hygienic laundry routine, it is also recommended to keep your washing machine clean and germ-free. Regular cleaning of your washing machine (such as once a month) is a simple process. Read our tips on how to clean a washing machine to get started.
So, there you have it. Some simple back to school hygiene tips to ensure your children's clothes stay as hygienically clean as possible, to disinfect your laundry, and to help prevent germs from spreading.
If in any doubt about the right laundry routine for your situation or in case you think that a person suffering from COVID-19 has been in contact with your laundry, please consult your medical professional or local authorities and consult WHO and NHS websites.
Disclaimer: The information in this article is accurate at the time of publishing. However, as the situation surrounding COVID-19 continues to evolve, it’s possible that some guidance may have changed since publication. While Persil is trying to keep our content as up-to-date as possible, we also encourage readers to stay informed on news and recommendations be using GOV UK and NHS.
*Laboratory tested on Influenza H1N1, Vacciniavirus, murine coronavirus (EN14476, 10 mins).