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cheryljm9... cheryljm9...
 

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 M¢25  Funded By Mahalo ? |  February 21, 2009 07:03 PM

mixing personal towels with cleaning towels

my husband washes towels that he has cleaned up after animals or used cleaning solutions with our personal towels. Isn't this unsanitary?
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mamakin mamakin
 
 February 23, 2009 03:13 PM
wow....even i wouldn't do that, and i'm not one to be too worried about bacteria and stuff. but if he's putting what i'd call "work cloths" into regular laundry, and those cloths have chemical contaminants and/or animal waste on them, that could cause problems.

have him separate those cloths used for cleaning up after tools, cars, construction projects, and cleaning up after pets into a separate wash. insist he use hot water and dare i say bleach to wash them.

cleaning up after animals? in which respect? if they are not up on their health care, it might be best to use disposable cloths and rubber gloves!
Asker's Rating:
• In the respect that he has used our bath towels to clean up pee when our old blind dog had an accident. after it was washed i thought i could still smell the pee. shouldn't those towels now only be used for animals or is it possible to kill the bacteria and smell and use them for humans?


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hcp56 hcp56
 
February 21, 2009 08:30 PM
I think it depends on your machine. If you overload your washer and it doesn't clean well in general, then yes it would be unsanitary. If, on the other hand, you wash your towels on hot (and it is actually hot) and only put the recommended amount of clothing/towels in the machine than any biological bacteria will be cleaned. If you are talking about chunks, then I would shake that out first.

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cheryljm94 cheryljm94
 
February 25, 2009 05:45 PM
this was helpful. However, Is that true even if say, your dog had an accident in the house and you used a towel to clean it up?

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hcp56 hcp56
 
February 26, 2009 03:39 AM
I actually use paper towels and an enzyme cleaner because I don't have my own washer. However, I have had a cat that a urinary tract infection that was peeing on everything - worse smell ever and most difficult to get out of anything.

If he is using the towels to soak up urine, I would pre-rinse the towel in the bathtub immediately after use and wash as soon as possible. I would also be careful about overloading the washer. Washing and drying will get rid of nearly all bacteria, but what you are talking about is scent. If you do not have an enzyme cleaner (such as Nature's Miracle), vinegar may help with the smell.

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yup yup
 
February 21, 2009 09:45 PM
yes it is unsanitary, you would need extremely high (boiling point) water to kill almost all the bacteria, you can use bleach as well to kill the bacteria, but you should be extremely careful using hot water and cleaners such as bleach can be fatal, make sure you wear protective gloves, mask, goggles and that you are in a well ventilated area
Source(s):
education :p


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cheryljm94 cheryljm94
 
February 25, 2009 05:46 PM
This was a helpful comment. Mask and goggles even if using the washer? I am turning up my hot water heater after reading this and found it helpful.

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tracebooks tracebooks
 
February 21, 2009 11:38 PM
There are bacteria that even very hot water will not kill. Cleaning towels and rags should have vinegar or bleach added to the rinse water to both soften them and help kill these bacteria.
Source(s):
Grew up with two family members with severe medical problems, and this was the protocol assigned by their doctors


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cheryljm94 cheryljm94
 
February 25, 2009 05:43 PM
This is very helpful. I fotgot about vinegar and will start using for bacteria.

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