Is it truly scientific? Or is it bespoke science for a comme
Scientific evidence places most of the germs that they are finding inside washing machines (or on clothes after laundering), on just about every surface of the environments in which we live, including our skin. Their presence does not usually represent a problem unless they are in very high concentrations and people have severely compromised immunity.
Another point that is not being raised in the article is rinsing. Even if cold water washing does not kill germs, the dilution that takes place during the rinse cycle would reduce any bacterial load. Then, of course, it is unusual for someone to wear a damp clothing item straight from the washer. There is still the drying process that is part of clothes laundering. Most germs that we encounter in our every day environments will have either been killed or reduced to such low levels that they do not pose a threat to the vast majority of people by then. There is also acquired immunity to the germs that co-exist in our normal living environments.
Then, of coures, the bacteria have to find their way into our bodies. Unless we vigorously rub the contaminated area of a garment directly into an open wound, or we systematically and vigorously suck every inch of a piece of underwear contaminated with high concentrations of E.coli, there is still a hundredfold danger of getting sick standing next to other people in a busy place, shaking hands, eating at a restaurant or touching a door handle.
The water that we use to wash our clothes and that we drink straight from the tap also carries a bacterial load, albeit at extremely low concentrations after it has been treated.
If they do find higher bacterial levels in washing machines and on clothes after laundering, is this mainly applicable to high efficiency washers that do not use enough water to properly dilute and rinse out contaminants?
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