What is the correct way to wash clothes to eliminate the new virus "Covid-19"? Is it useful to put it in the microwave or in the refrigerator to neutralize the virus?
Answers In a report published by the French newspaper Liberation, he said that the Corona virus - according to experts - loses its ability to be infected when exposed to 56 ° C for 20 to 30 minutes.
Although it is not yet known how long the virus remains on surfaces and clothing, previous studies of the SARS virus - which belongs to the Covid-19 virus family itself, that is, the coronavirus family - "tend to coronavirus can persist on surfaces for a few hours and even Several days, "according to the WHO website, which means infection is possible when you touch a contaminated surface and then place your hand on your nose, mouth, or eyes.
According to a study conducted in 2003 to see how different types of coronavirus are resistant to heat, it has been shown that this family of viruses is somewhat resistant to high temperatures.
The Covid-19 virus loses its infectious potential when exposed to 56 ° C for 20 to 30 minutes, or 65 ° for 5 to 10 minutes, according to virologist Anne Govhard.
The fridge is a wrong idea
And to clean clothes - as the newspaper says - there is no need for a microwave. Rather, it is sufficient to wash the clothes at the right temperature and for the right time, as mentioned earlier.
Gil Belleau, of the Department of Infectious and Tropical Diseases at Tennon Hospital in Paris, recommends washing clothes at 60 ° C for at least 10 minutes, and there are no other data at this time to say that washing at 40 ° will be sufficient.
As for the option to freeze clothes, there is no doubt that it is a bad idea, as Bialow says, "It must be stopped because some viruses have kept hundreds of thousands of years of life because of the freezing."