Safety tips for washing clothes during the coronavirus pandemic

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Hygiene is more important than ever as health officials strive to curb the spread of coronavirus in the United States.

One way to keep germs out is to wash clothes. Peter Stern, senior vice president of Clean Rite Center , New York's largest laundry, gave expert advice on how to play it safe during the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Frequent and thorough cleaning of your clothing is important to stop the spread and smooth the COVID-19 curve," said Stern. " According to the CDC, the virus can live on clothing for two to three days."

Fox News: What are your top pandemic washing tips?

Peter Stern: People should wash their clothes in hot water over 160 degrees while using detergents and bleach or an alternative to bleaching. It is not recommended to wear clothes several times without washing them. It is also important to dry the clothes well and NOT to overload the machines as the clothes need space to shake. Remember to clean your bedding, duvets, towels, etc. regularly.

Fox News: While many have the luxury of doing laundry at home, millions of Americans have to take their dirty laundry to local laundries, which are considered essential services . What are the safety measures for laundry?

Stern: It 's important to practice social isolation, load machinery, and wait outside or in your car. Our locations even have specially marked signs so people can stay a meter away. Customers should never put dirty clothes in laundry trolleys, and we recommend that they put their clothes in a disposable plastic bag before putting them in the trolley. It's also a waste of time to put clean clothes in a dirty laundry bag. Be sure to wash and dry them. You don't want to shake your clothes because if the virus is in your clothes you don't want to spread it. The last aspect is to wash your hands after handling dirty clothes and before handling clean clothes.

Fox News: Is there a recommended product for people who fear that the virus lives off their clothes?

Stern: As I said, wash your clothes in hot water above 160 degrees and use a detergent in combination with chlorine or an alternative to chlorine. Small amounts of distilled white vinegar with baking soda have also been found to be effective. The more you wash your clothes, the better.

For more washing tips, see the full interview with Peter Stern, senior vice president of the Clean Rite Center .

Emily DeCiccio is a journalist and video producer for Fox News Digital Originals. Tweetez- la @EmilyDeCiccio .

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