laundry

[daveaple]

Is there any laundry procedure that does a good job of actually removing these fibers from clothing?

I've tried Tide detergent, borax, and baking soda, and my polyester jacket always comes out of the dryer with a bunch of fibers still stuck to it. I can remove them by hand, so I'm surprised they are stuck on there.

[fracty]

Dave,
I don't have a sure fire method but I will tell you a few things that work OK for me. I am wondering if some do not have such an issue with clothes. Here in LA LOTS of the brand new clothes are already infected with the stuff!!!! How do u deal w that?!?


If something is itching and I really need relief I soak it in Barbicide for a while - 1-24 hours. Then I hang it dry without rinsing! It hugely decreases wormy things on that garment the entire time you wear it. Barbicide is an industrial disinfectant used in the beauty industry and meets the legal disinfectant requirements for my state.

Unfortunately I have to use the Barbicide full strength so it is a bit expensive.

Someone here wrote that Pool Shock works, but it bleaches out the color. You buy it at Home Depot, etc. I have not tried that one yet. Barbicide does not remove the color.

I always do two dry cycles and pull the things off in between, but I can't control the heat on the machine. And ppl here keep reinfecting the machine. If you have your own dryer set it really hot and over time you can get them all off.

One other idea, I was going to soak it in full strength Listerine and air dry without rinsing. I think that will work too.

[jonsi]

I use borax and 7th generation laundry soap. My washing machine has a filter.

I spray my clothes (before laundering) and the lint filter in my dryer with "bug arrest" .

Itwl,
~jonsi

[lamb]

I vacuum my dryer, door, vent all and I wipe down all of the parts with disinfectant wipes. I wipe the floor, the dryer panel, the vacuum (W/HEPA).
Keep the vac on until you wipe down the hose, the cone etc. My laundry room is cleaner than most chemist's white room. Wipe down the washer door, the rubber gasket etc. Put all the wipes in a sealed ziploc and dispose.
Nothing touches the floor.

Wash my clothes in Dr. Bonner's peppermint soap and Oxy Brite (natural Oxy Dry).

Spray the vent with enzymes and Lysol as well as the inside of the dryer and the door.

Takes forever but peace is worth it. Can't take credit for this but Kat is the one who got me vacuuming the dryer, Marc N. got me wiping down the washer drum and Mister CS got me on the peppermint soap.

The Laundry makes me crazed, but as I said it takes forever to be this anal but the non biting clothes and sheets are a blessing in the midst of this nightmare.
Put everything away ASAP.

[fracty]

Does that get rid of them every time Lamb?

I can't vacuum, but I could try the Booners in it.

[Katinka]

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[lamb]

Fracty.. yes , it seems to work. If you can't vacuum, spray the dryer drum, screen and door with enzymes (diluted by directions) I use tweetmint ($!!!)
you can get Nature's miracle at Petco, there's lots. Wally's has a "kids and pets" carpet/stain cleaner that's cheap but hard to find. Spray with lysol lightly after, all three ..dryer drum, screen and door. If it's a laundromat, try spraying the clothes at the start and a few times during the cycle. Bag them and seal the bag so they don't get reinfected in the car or on the way home.

Best of luck, gotta go.

[daveaple]

I think fabric softener does what I was thinking of... at least in theory. I guess it makes stuff bounce off your clothes more instead of sticking.

Have you all been using fabric softener? Is it better to use the liquid in the washer, the fabric softener sheets in the drier, or both?

I tried some fabric softener sheets in the drier, and it did seem like there were fewer fibers stuck to my clothes.

[Ahopeful]

Recently I have been soaking 24 hrs in a tub of water with soap and salt (sometimes sodium bicarbonate)
Then I wash with bleach and dr bonners mixed. Seems to work ok. If it is an unbleachable clothing I use an Oxy related powder and dr bonners (small amount in both cases).

I feel my clothes are much improved.

Katinka, what is the name of your hospital disinfectant..?

[Katinka]

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