b) when someone handles dirty laundry, they can spread germs onto their hands(c) when clothes are washed, germs can spread between items in the process of being washed WHAT IS LAUNDRY SANITISER? Cleanright.eu by the International Association for Soaps, Cleaning and Maintenance Products (A.I.S.E) They're certainly convenient with no messy pouring or measuring required – but other benefits are limited. Using the very best laundry detergents means your laundry will emerge from the machine spotless, with whites pristine and colours vibrant. Yes, clothes and towels can spread germs. There are 3 main ways that germs are spread by clothes and towels:

The performance of the Aldi powder in our tests goes to show that you can get a great wash for a fraction of the cost of the leading brands," says Matthew. For more ways to keep your household running smoothly, sign up for our Home newsletter – it's free monthly. Regular bar or liquid soap works fine. COVID-19 is an enveloped virus, which means that the RNA (nucleic acid - the viral genetic material) is coated in a lipid (fatty) layer. Our results may surprise you – the most expensive cleaning products aren't always the best. And as we reveal which laundry detergents are the best value, we can help you save money.

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Persil Antibacterial Laundry Sanitiser works in one easy step; simply add it to your fabric conditioner drawer and then use your regular laundry detergent to leave your clothes, towels and bedding hygienically clean every time. For items that might need an extra hygienic clean, such as bedding, towels, or underwear, high temperatures such as 40-60°C are usually recommended to reduce the risk of germs that are lingering on the fabric. Heat, detergent and good laundry hygiene habits all play a role in killing germs when you’re washing clothes, sheets and other linens. So, how does heat kill germs on clothes, and does a dryer kill germs as well as a washing cycle does? We’ve answered some common questions below about how you should dry your clothes to reduce the risk of germs spreading:

Carex claims its antibacterial liquid hand wash is formulated to 'effectively' kill 99.9% of bacteria. This is based on the European Standard Test, where it was shown to reduce E.Coli on the hands of panellists by an average greater than 99.9%.

Although we do recommend eight capsule products, on the whole they don't perform as well as liquids or powders. But, providing you follow the NHS advice on washing your hands for about 20 seconds (the equivalent of singing Happy birthday twice), then you don't need to use antibacterial soap to help prevent COVID-19. Does a dryer kill germs? Not drying your clothes properly can allow bacteria to grow and cause garments to smell. When your wash cycle is finished, remove your garments from the machine as soon as possible and dry thoroughly. You can do this using a tumble dryer or by hanging them out to dry. Get them out and dried as soon as you can. Washing your hands regularly is likely to be significantly more important than clothes washing at preventing most infections. However, germs can get on clothes and so it is important to keep them hygienically clean to prevent germs from spreading. Underwear, for example, may contain germs from traces of faeces (poo).

While you may be tempted by its low cost per wash of just 6c, the Aldi Laundrite Laundry Liquid was the worst performer out of all the liquids and powders we tested, scoring just 50% – no better than plain water. Powder detergent - great for extra bright whites and heavily soiled items, but tends to fade coloured fabrics. Does a cold wash kill germs in the laundry, and what does a laundry disinfectant do? Find your answers here. Two of our five bottom performers for front loaders are capsules, with Surf Tropical Capsules and Surf Aqua Fresh Capsulesscoring just 53% and 54% in our testing despite the fact they cost over 40c per wash. Bathroom towels will have different germs to kitchen towels, and soiled bedding or the clothes of someone who has been ill needs a different level of sanitation to everyday clothing. Avoid cross-contamination on your items and make sure they all get the washing treatment they need by using separate laundry baskets and separate washing loads.It's a huge win for Omo in our latest test of laundry detergents, with four of its products topping the results this year, and a further two Omo products making it into our top 10.

Can't see your brand? See the full laundry detergent test results. Why it's probably not worth buying laundry capsules

Washing with an effective detergent like Persil Bio is also important to make sure your clothes are properly clean. We put 33 bio and non-bio washing powders, liquids and capsules through our tough cleaning tests so we can reveal the best – as well as the worst. Our latest tests included brands such as Ariel, Ecover and Persil, plus own-brand detergents from Aldi, Lidl, Asda, Sainsbury's and Morrisons supermarkets. Once again, Omo was a standout in our test, with the Omo Expert Anti-bacterial Power (70%) ranking as the best, and the Omo Ultimate Powder (65%) taking out third place.