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COVID-19, Your Laundry & You

Defunkify COVID-19 Statement

First and foremost, we hope you are staying safe, healthy and happy at home as we all aim to overcome COVID-19.

As experts in cleaning products, we’ve been researching best practices to keep our Defunkify community safe. Along with social distancing, hand washing and surface cleaning, proper laundry techniques can help prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Please read and follow these laundry best practices sourced from the CDC:

  • Wear disposable gloves when handling dirty laundry from an ill person and then discard after each use. If using reusable gloves, those gloves should be dedicated for cleaning and disinfection of surfaces for COVID-19 and should not be used for other household purposes. Clean hands immediately after gloves are removed.
  • If no gloves are used when handling dirty laundry, be sure to wash hands afterwards.
  • If possible, do not shake dirty laundry. This will minimize the possibility of dispersing virus through the air
  • Launder items as appropriate in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions. If possible, launder items using the warmest appropriate water setting for the items and dry items completely. Dirty laundry from an ill person can be washed with other people’s items.
  • Clean and disinfect clothes hampers according to guidance above for surfaces. If possible, consider placing a bag liner that is either disposable (can be thrown away) or can be laundered.

By following these best practices for your laundry, you will help remove COVID-19 from clothes and reduce the risk of spreading or contracting the disease.

Why does laundry help prevent the spread of COVID-19? Surfactants in laundry detergents can penetrate and inactivate COVID-19 because the virus is contained in a lipid cell membrane. The surfactant disrupts this membrane and prevents the virus cells from reproducing.

Are some laundry detergents more effective at preventing the spread of COVID-19? Yes. Detergents that contain protease enzymes can more effectively degrade the viral coat of proteins, resulting in more effective inactivation of COVID-19. Please know that all Defunkify laundry detergents contain protease enzymes.

As always, please reach out to us with any questions you have. We will do everything we can to help.

Sincerely,

The Defunkify Team