Flu, Cold Viruses: Sanitize your clothes before they spread

Makati City, September 2019—The rainy months bring plenty of disease-causing bacteria and viruses that thrive in the wet weather. Even if people maintain proper personal hygiene to prevent illnesses, these microorganisms may continue to affect your family, especially when they are left lurking in the clothes they wear or worse, on the laundry sitting on your bin.

According to Dyeun Zapanta, Assistant General Manager for Beko Philippines, most household washing machines offer standard settings that aren’t enough to sanitize attires. Together with ineffective laundry methods, viruses could then spread in the washer, latch onto fabrics, and eventually target family members, contributing to the cases of colds and flu. 

He advises families to focus on procedures that effectively remove germs and other viruses in dirty laundry piles and, use the advantages of efficient washers to safeguard the entire household against all forms of sickness.

“The flu season is almost upon us and we must take preventive measures to ensure that family members stay healthy under our unpredictable weather,” said Zapanta. “Aside from regular hand washing and the wearing of protective face masks, families can also keep illnesses away by effectively sanitizing their dirty laundry pieces, which are breeding grounds for harmful bacteria and viruses.”

As such, Beko Philippines shares some important steps you can do in tackling soiled laundry to prevent the spread of harmful bacteria and flu viruses in the household, especially during the rainy season.

Presoak Dirty Clothes

During the days when family members get sick, separate their clothes from the rest of the laundry pile to stop the spread of viruses. Then, decontaminate the attires by presoaking them in a solution of hot water and laundry bleach overnight. You can also remind the household of the importance of grouping clothes to prevent cross-contamination of bacteria and germs.

Wash Clothes in Hot Water

Even with the presoaking process, harmful bacteria and germs may still cling onto clothes. Wash them away in 40°C of hot water and effective antibacterial laundry detergent. While a cool setting of 30°C to 37°C saves water and energy, as well as dealing with most germs, it isn’t sufficient in removing flu-causing viruses.  

Use Dryers

The presoak treatment and regular wash cycle with hot water should have eliminated most colds and flu viruses. However, ensure that none have remained by spinning clothes in a hot tumble dry cycle for at least half an hour and, ironing them afterward. You’ll most likely use your dryer anyway, with clouds blocking out natural sunlight.

Disinfect Washers

Know that washers can also host harmful bacteria on its surfaces and drain line after you wash loads of dirty clothes. Strip off the buildup of germs in the machine by running a regular cycle of bleach and water at least once a month.

Advanced technologies in washers can also effectively launder and sanitize clothes without ruining attires. With the WMY101440LB1 AquaWave® technology, laundry pieces are massaged in a gentle wave-like manner through a set of paddles in the system. This ensures that the properties of antibacterial laundry detergents and other cleaning agents are administered in all areas of the fabric, while the washer saves energy.

The WMY101440LB1 also features its OptiSense® technology, which uses three smart sensors to automatically pick the proper program and washing duration of your clothes, optimizing wash cycles. Another sensor also protects your machine by cutting the power off whenever it detects sudden voltage surges.

You can even activate a Child Lock option in the WMY101440LB1 to prevent young ones from changing the current washing program.

Finally, the WMY101440LB1 has an Automatic Water Control System that adjusts water levels in the washer, depending on the size and type of clothes placed.

Beko Philippines advocates for healthy living through the technologies installed in their appliances. The company’s refrigerators, washers, and ovens come equipped with advanced features that are designed to not only improve efficiency but also, optimize time, cost, and energy so that people can prioritize their health and wellbeing.

To learn more about Beko and the technologies in their appliances, visit their website at http://www.beko.ph/ or follow them on their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/bekoph/.

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