Today we’re airing out our dirty laundry…quite literally!

We all know the kitchen and bathroom are notorious for harbouring nasty bugs but did you know your washing machine is a major germ hotspot? Why you ask? Well…it actually has a lot to do with these…

Microbiologists at the University of Arizona estimate that each pair of worn underwear contains about a tenth of a gram of poop…So that if you’re washing just a load of unmentionables, there are about 100 million E. coli alone floating in your wash water. Eeeew!! In that same load you might also expect to find the likes of rotavirus, norovirus, hepatitis A and salmonella.

So what’s a girl to do? Well the first thing is to ensure that you’re using hot water when washing things like undies and towels. The water should be between 140 and 150 degrees to kill germs.

Second, once every few weeks, run an empty cycle and with few cups of white vinegar added.

While the dryer can kill some of the germs still lurking after a wash…The sun is even more effective. So if you have the luxury of a clothesline, hang your clothes to dry outdoors and the uv rays can take care of any bugs that have been left behind.

Also, don’t recontaminate your clean clothes by placing them in the same basket that held the dirty stuff. Think about color coding your baskets…Blue for dirty and white for clean.

Finally, always wash your hands after handling laundry to ensure you’re not spreading germs around the rest of the house.

Happy washing!!

Do you have a great household tip everyone should know about? Share it in the comment section below.