Laundry HE

So, I actually read about this topic last week on LaughingStork.com, but think I needed a week to come to grips with it. Good Morning America recently did an investigative segment on new clothes. If you didn’t see it, reader (and buyer) beware – what follows in this blog post will probably leave you squirming.

The show tapped Dr. Philip Tierno, director of microbiology and immunology at New York University, to test 14 garments off the rack for germs and what he found was not pretty – without getting too graphic, some words thrown in the coverage were “respiratory secretions,” “skin flora” and some “fecal flora”... fancy words for just plain dirty clothes.

Tierno said: “Some garments were grossly contaminated with many organisms … indicating that either many people tried it or … someone tried it on with heavy contamination,” he said. “In a sense, you are touching somebody’s arm pit or groin.” Yuck!

I admit I’ve been guilty of automatically assuming the clothes I purchase are clean and mentally blocking out the hundreds of people who could have tried on the garment before it found its way into my closet. But, you can rest assured that I will forever change my ways after hearing this piece of laundry news and grab my bottle of HE laundry detergent as soon as I walk in the door from any shopping excursion. Not only will HE detergent get my clothes clean, but it’s also specially formulated to work hand-in-hand with my High Efficiency washer’s low water levels. Using regular detergent in an HE machine could cause too many bubbles – as you know, too many bubbles, or oversudsing, can prevent your clothes from getting clean and even lead to “soap scum” or residue in the machine. Many HE detergents also hold soils in suspension in low-water levels so they don’t re-deposit onto clean clothes.

So, moral of the story – wash EVERYTHING! And not just clothes – you should also wash new bedding, towels (bath and kitchen), even throws and blankets.

Hope this post doesn’t leave you with nightmares!
Kristen