Coronavirus can survive on certain clothes for longer than others
We've been living with COVID-19 for over a year now and in that time have learnt a lot about effective ways to prevent the virus from spreading – from wearing a face mask, to the impact mouthwash can have, to receiving a vaccine. Now, research has shown that the virus can survive on certain items of clothing for up to 72 hours and can also be transferred on to other surfaces via the fabric.
The study was conducted by De Montfort University (DMU) in Leicester and set out to investigate how the material that healthcare worker uniforms are typically made from respond to the virus. The research revealed that polyester is the fabric that the virus clings to for the longest amount of time (being able to survive up to three days).
In contrast, the virus was only shown to survive for up to 6 hours on polycotton and 24 hours on clothes made from 100% cotton. Researchers say that the virus was able to spread onto other surfaces through all three materials, meaning it's especially important for all frontline workers to have their garments cleaned to hospital standards.
Dr Katie Laird, head of the Infectious Disease Research Group at DMU, said of the discovery, "When the pandemic first started there was very little understanding of how long coronavirus could survive on textiles. Our findings show that three of the most commonly used textiles in healthcare pose a risk for transmission of the virus."
She continued, "If nurses and healthcare workers take their uniforms home, they could be leaving traces of the virus on other surfaces. Once we had determined the survival rate of coronavirus on each of the textiles, we turned our attention to identifying the most reliable wash method for removing the virus."
The team's advice? Washing the materials at high temperature in a domestic machine won't remove the virus. "It does not eliminate the risk of the contaminated clothing, leaving traces of coronavirus on other surfaces in the home or car before they are washed. This research has reinforced my recommendation that all healthcare uniforms should be washed on site at hospitals or at an industrial laundry."
DMU researchers @KatieLaird, @Lambananas and @lucy_owen5 find that Covid-19 can survive on clothing and transmit to other surfaces for up to 72 hours 🧫👚
Full story 👇 @dmuhls | @DMUresearch | @DMUpharmacy | #DMUResearch | #DMUexpert— dmuleicester (@dmuleicester) February 23, 2021
Laird noted, "These wash methods are regulated and nurses and healthcare workers do not have to worry about potentially taking the virus home."
We have reached out to the DMU for advice on what non-healthcare workers can do to help stop the spread of disease through clothing.
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