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Unhygienic? Can you wash cleaning rags with normal laundry?
Because you can rarely fill a washing machine with cleaning cloths alone, many people wash them with their normal laundry. Is that hygienic?
Because you can rarely fill a washing machine with cleaning cloths alone, many people wash them with their normal laundry. Is that hygienic?
After cleaning, the rags are usually put in the washing machine. The problem is that there usually aren't enough rags to be able to fully load the washing machine. In order to save energy when washing laundry, this is exactly what we recommend. If you load your washing machine to capacity, you will use relatively less water and electricity, which is good for the environment and your wallet.
In order to be able to fully load the washing machine, nothing helps and we have to put the cleaning cloths into the washing machine together with our towels or our everyday clothes. But isn't that unhygienic? Or can I wash everything together with a clear conscience? You will find out the answer from us.
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Wash cleaning rags: It depends on the washing temperature
Basically, it's perfectly okay to wash your cleaning rags with towels and even underwear. Provided that the correct washing temperature is selected.
Towelsshould fundamentally60 °Cbe washed because at this temperature all bacteria and germs on it are killed. The same applies to cleaning cloths, which is why both can be washed together without hesitation.
Things get a little more complicatedEveryday clothing, which is usually up to a maximum40 °Ccan be washed. Since the temperature alone is not enough to kill the bacteria and germs, cleaning cloths should only be washed with normal laundry if aHeavy-duty detergentor universal detergent is used. This contains bleach, which provides additional cleaning power. Remember: Due to the bleaching agents, heavy-duty detergents are only suitable for white clothing as they cause colors to fade more quickly.
Be careful in Eco mode
However, if you wash cleaning cloths together with other laundry, you should make sure that the set temperature is actually reached. This is often not the case with the Eco washing program. Here the temperature of the washing machine is reduced to save electricity, so that aKilling of germs is not guaranteedcan be.
If you want to wash cleaning cloths together with your towels or other laundry, you should choose a normal washing program or, if available, the hygiene program.
Also read:
If in doubt, use laundry disinfectant
If you want to wash the cleaning cloths with normal laundry at low temperatures or in Eco mode, you can also use a hygienic dishwasher. They often disinfect laundry at temperatures as low as 20 °C and are a practical solution for in between.
However, they should not be used too frequently, as hygienic rinses have a detrimental effect on water quality and can cause irritation to the respiratory tract and mucous membranes in humans.
Do you wash cleaning rags with other laundry? What do you pay attention to when doing laundry? Share your tips with us on social media!
