I love exercise. What I don’t love is all the laundry that the fitness lifestyle creates. Between the two of us, we average a minimum of three loads a week, and that’s only because our washer and dryer hold a whole laundry basket of clothes. In order to save money on our energy bills and extend the life of our clothes, I wash our clothes in cold water. But can you sanitize clothes in cold water?
Do you use warm water, hot water, or cold water to wash your clothes? Have you ever wondered if your clothes are truly clean and sanitized in cold water? The answer may surprise you.
When you wash your clothes in cold water, bacteria can survive. Lysol® Laundry Sanitizer is a detergent additive that kills 99.9% of bacteria that detergent alone can leave behind. It contains 0% bleach so it is safe to use on both whites and colors. You just add one capful to the rinse cycle and say buh-bye to nasty germs. You can find this product at Walmart, available in the laundry care aisle where the laundry additives are located.
I am embarrassed to admit that it was actually my husband that asked me if our clothes were sanitized after the wash. Growing up, my mom used warm (or even hot) water in order to ensure our clothes were “clean.” With the introduction of high-efficiency appliances, you add less detergent to avoid a sudsy mess. We now have cold water laundry detergents, which always left me wondering if my clothes were truly clean and sanitized. Thanks to Lysol Laundry Sanitizer I no longer worry about finding cold water detergents since the product will sanitize clothes no matter what detergent I use!
How to Clean + Sanitize Clothes in Cold Water
Separate Athletic Clothes
Athletic gear is mostly made of synthetic materials geared towards wicking away sweat from the skin. Hot water and fabric softener damages these synthetics so you should always wash these separately from other clothes, whether light or dark. I always have one basket of whites, one basket with light-colored clothes, one basket of dark clothes, and one basket of athletic-gear only.
Prepare the Washer
Add your fitness gear to your washer as usual. Add the detergent of your choice to the detergent dispenser. Remember, you don’t use fabric softener for your gym clothes, but if you want to add some fragrance you can always add a few drops of essential oils or fragrance beads to the drum.
In place of fabric softener, add two capfuls of Lysol Laundry Sanitizer to the fabric softener compartment of your HE machine. If you have a top-loading machine, you may use a fabric softener ball or you can add it directly to your rinse cycle wash.
Wash in Cold Water
Am I the only one that feels super accomplished by setting up a load of laundry? As soon as I hear the melodic tune of my washer I feel a little less stressed.
Set your washer to wash with cold water. The Lysol Laundry Sanitizer will kill odor-causing bacteria in the rinse cycle. No extra rinsing required.
A Clean You can Smell
Wham, bam, done! You are now a fitness gear sanitizing machine. I also add two capfuls of the Lysol Laundry Sanitizer to all of my loads for peace of mind (i.e. towels, wash cloths, underwear, dog toys, etc.). For those brave warriors who want to sanitize cloth diapers, this is an excellent addition to your laundry routine!
