Nothing about the product nor concept is new.
We've discussed Lysol's version of laundry sanitizer a while back when it first was introduced.
It joins a long list of "hygiene" laundry rinse aids including Persil, Sagrotan, Dettol and others. Those are just on the domestic consumer end, commercial/industrial laundries long have had their own.
These are all quat based sanitizers mostly intended for laundry that cannot or was not laundered with high temperatures, use of bleach (oxygen or chlorine), and thus for "protection" from *germs* should be treated with said products.
In Europe and else where such products have been around longer for domestic use the prime target consumer was women. Specifically their undergarments (which often today are made from mad made textiles in whole or part), that cannot withstand high temperatures and or heavy bleaching. After a bout of certain lady's "illnesses" it was advised (mostly by product makers, but sometimes personal physician) to use these hygiene rinses.
Male equal would be athlete's foot and socks.
All this being said, as one has repeatedly pointed out such hygiene products are not necessary for normal laundry routines. Cases of illness transmitted via contact or whatever from textiles (freshly laundered or otherwise) are rather few. Well suppose if one wrapped themselves up in blanket taken from a smallpox suffer that *might* be different.
There are more things growing on every day surfaces people come into far more contact than laundry. From computer keyboard, to toilet seats, to shower curtain/glass enclosures. Yet few if anyone bother about such things.
For nearly all purposes merely washing clothing, then drying (especially) in tumble dryer reduces any germs or whatever to low enough levels. Ironing with a hot iron instead of and or in addition to tumble drying reduces those counts even more.
http://www.automaticwasher.org/cgi-bin/TD/TD-VIEWTHREAD.cgi?71038
