Short answer: an ordinary wash removes most germs by washing them down the drain, and that is enough for everyday laundry. Sanitising means killing what is left, and it needs one of four things: a sustained 60 °C wash, chlorine bleach, oxygen bleach at 40 °C or above, or a full hot tumble dry. You only need it in four situations: illness in the house, nappies and incontinence laundry, anything that touched a wound, and clothing worn in a hospital or care setting.
Removing versus killing
| Everyday wash | Sanitising wash | |
|---|---|---|
| What it does | Lifts soil and carries microbes away in the water | Destroys microbes that remain on the fabric |
| Temperature | 20 °C is fine | 60 °C sustained, or a chemical route |
| When | Almost always | Illness, nappies, wounds, care settings |
| Cost to fabric | None | Fading, shrinkage, shortened life |
This matters because sanitising everything is both unnecessary and expensive: 60 °C is the hottest thing most households ever run, it fades colour, shrinks cotton and destroys elastane. Use it deliberately, not by default.
The four ways to sanitise
- Heat. A sustained 60 °C wash, or a dedicated sanitise cycle if your machine has one. The temperature has to hold, which is why a quick wash set to 60 °C does not count.
- Chlorine bleach. Effective and harsh. White cotton and linen only; never on wool, silk, elastane or most synthetics, and never in the same cycle as vinegar or any acid.
- Oxygen bleach. Sodium percarbonate, colour-safe, needs 40 °C or above to activate properly. The right default for most households.
- The dryer. A full cycle on high heat kills a great deal of what survives a cold wash, which is why a cold wash plus a hot dry is a reasonable combination for colours that cannot take 60 °C.
Two things that do not sanitise, whatever the internet says: white vinegar and bicarbonate of soda. Both are useful — vinegar dissolves mineral residue, bicarbonate absorbs odour — but neither reaches the concentration needed to disinfect in a wash. Treat them as cleaning aids, not disinfectants.
When someone is ill
- Do not shake the laundry out. Shaking aerosolises whatever is on it. Carry it, do not hug it.
- Keep it in its own bag and its own load. A washable laundry bag that goes in with the wash is ideal.
- Wash at 60 °C with a full dose, or cold with oxygen bleach at 40 °C if the fabric cannot take it.
- Dry completely on the highest heat the labels allow. Drying matters as much as washing.
- Wash your hands after loading and before folding, and run an empty hot cycle afterwards if the load was heavily soiled, as in how to clean a washing machine.
- Change bedding and towels when the illness passes, and again a few days later. Towels are the shared item that keeps a household ill, so give each person their own for the duration.
Specific cases
| Situation | Approach |
|---|---|
| Vomiting or diarrhoea | Scrape solids into the toilet, rinse cold first, then wash at 60 °C with oxygen bleach. Norovirus is stubborn; this is the one case for maximum heat |
| Cold and flu | A 40 °C wash and a full tumble dry is sufficient. Separate towels matter more than temperature |
| Nappies and incontinence | Rinse, then 60 °C with oxygen bleach. Skip softener permanently: it reduces absorbency |
| Fungal infection, athlete's foot | 60 °C for socks and towels, and never share either |
| Wounds and dressings | 60 °C, separate load |
| Pet bedding after illness | 60 °C if the label allows, separate load, extra rinse |
| Delicates that cannot take heat | Cold wash with oxygen bleach at the highest temperature allowed, then full sun or a long dry |
Getting back to normal
When the household is well again, stop sanitising. Daily 60 °C washing fades colour, shrinks cotton, wears fabric out early and strips fragrance, and it buys nothing once nobody is ill. Go back to cold for everyday loads and 40 °C for towels and bedding, which is the routine in how to do laundry, and run one empty hot maintenance cycle to leave the machine clean.
One more thing worth knowing: a load that has been sanitised at 60 °C holds noticeably less fragrance, because heat drives scent off fabric. That is a fair trade for a week, and it is also why the wash after an illness, done cold with a full dose, feels like the house going back to normal. The mechanism is in does cold water actually clean clothes.
Frequently asked questions
What temperature kills germs in laundry?
A sustained 60 degrees Celsius. The temperature has to hold for a meaningful part of the cycle, so a quick wash set to 60 does not count. Below that, washing removes microbes rather than killing them, which is enough for everyday laundry.
Does washing clothes in cold water kill germs?
No, but it removes most of them along with the soil they live in, and a hot tumble dry finishes the job. For genuine disinfection you need 60 degrees, chlorine bleach, oxygen bleach at 40 degrees or above, or a full hot dry.
How do you sanitise laundry without hot water?
Use oxygen bleach at 40 degrees Celsius or above, or wash cold and then tumble dry on high heat for a full cycle. For white cotton, chlorine bleach works at any temperature, but never combine it with vinegar or any acid.
Does vinegar disinfect laundry?
No. White vinegar dissolves mineral and detergent residue and helps with odour, which is useful, but it does not reach a concentration that disinfects in a wash. The same goes for bicarbonate of soda.
How should you wash clothes when someone has a stomach bug?
Do not shake the laundry, keep it in its own bag and its own load, rinse off solids first, then wash at 60 degrees Celsius with oxygen bleach and dry completely on the hottest setting the labels allow. Wash your hands afterwards and run an empty hot cycle in the machine.
Should you wash a sick person's clothes separately?
Yes, while the illness lasts. Keep their laundry in its own bag, wash it as its own load, and give each person in the house their own towel, because shared towels are the most common way a household keeps reinfecting itself.
Does the dryer kill bacteria?
A full cycle on high heat kills a significant proportion of what survives a cold wash, which is why cold washing plus a hot dry is a sensible combination for colours that cannot take 60 degrees. Items left slightly damp are the exception: damp fabric lets anything remaining multiply again.
