Ugh! Everyone is Sick…How to Keep Beds Sanitary and Cozy
According to Keren Landman, MD, it seems like everyone is sick right now. At least, we all have a few people in our lives who are battling “mild colds to more serious bugs.” And she’s right, the CDC recently released figures demonstrating that we’ve been “above baseline” in terms of reported respiratory illness for more than eight weeks. This year we have RSV, flu, COVID-19, and a host of other suspects to deal with. Apparently, all of them are increasing a bit ahead of schedule, and “a broader age group is turning up very sick, too.”
This means you may find yourself looking after someone, or even a few someones, stuck at home and combatting a seasonal illness. Thanks to the pandemic, we know how to reduce our risks, and how to stay safer in a house with someone ill. But there is still the question of how to keep those viruses and germs from spreading or lingering.
“Dhaval Desai, who oversees hospital medicine at Emory University’s St. Joseph’s Hospital in Atlanta,” reminds us of the old familiar measures – “handwashing, masking, and distancing — those are the big three,” he says. Even at home. So too is good ventilation with a portable air purifier or a basic fan and an open or cracked window.
Naturally, isolation at home means limiting visits outside of the bedroom and carefully sanitizing shared bathroom spaces after each use. But, when someone is stuck at home on bed rest, it means that bedding could easily become a hiding spot for germs.
The Official Guide to Sick Room Laundry
The CDC gives some specific suggestions for cleaning and disinfecting bedding when someone has a contagious illness. They include:
Keeping laundry separate from that of uninfected individuals in the home.
Bagging linens and towels used by the individual in a waterproof trash bag that is discarded once laundry is transported through the home to the laundry room.
Never shaking or handling laundry in a way that releases a lot of particles into the air.
Washing in a standard home laundry machine with traditional detergent.
Sanitizing linens is not usually necessary.
They don’t, however, say how often laundering is needed, nor how to handle bigger items like blankets and comforters. So, let’s take a look at the best approach!
The Timeline of Sanitary Bedding
Standard wisdom says bedding needs laundering once a week – this means pillow covers, flat or top sheets, and fitted sheets – at the least. What about comforters and blankets? That ends up a mixed bag of advice, with the most common indicating that anything in direct contact with skin needs laundering a lot more often than something in a cover or above the sheets. For example, if you don’t use a top sheet and instead rely on a coverlet, blanket, or something in a duvet cover – it needs laundering on almost the same schedule as those sheets.
The experts at Southern Living say that “blankets that are between sheets and don’t come in direct contact with your body can be washed monthly, while large comforters and duvet covers should be washed at least every two weeks.”
What about throws? These are an oft-overlooked household staple that is used in family rooms and frequently where food and drink are consumed. These, if not in a sick room, can be washed monthly. If they are the “first-draft picks when family members are sick and need extra warmth, you’ll want to wash them as soon as your loved one is on the mend.”
If they are more decorative than functional, you may want to spare them from interacting with food or even putting them aside when the family gathers. Why? When made from unique materials or with unusual weaving techniques, cleaning can change their look or texture as well as shorten their lifespans. Let them remain decorative and go for throws and blankets that can be properly washed.
And about that “proper” washing…
How to Actually Clean Bedding
If you find yourself shoving and pushing a comforter or blanket into the washing machine, know this: It is probably NOT getting a proper and thorough cleaning. Agitation is needed to release and remove dirt, debris, and germs. The blanket all squished inside the tub is never going to get that kind of movement.
This means one of two things: Go to the local laundromat and use one of their 60# front loaders OR go to a reputable cleaner that will use all the steps outlined below, plus a few nice extras. For example, Oak Hill Dry Cleaners does stain removal, washes every item individually, hangs to dry, and fluffs in the oversized commercial dryer. You get bedding back in a brand new bag ideal for storage and can rest assured that even sick room bedding is clean and sanitary.
To start a proper cleaning at home, though, look at the care label. What is the material?
Cotton = Usually safe in the regular laundry
Wool or Fleece = Delicate wash only
Cashmere = Dry clean only, or hand wash if you are confident
What are the cleaning guidelines on the label? Most care tags use those icons or symbols that are, quite literally, a foreign language to most of us. However, many also print the suggested care methods. These will probably match what we’ve listed above, but what about drying a blanket after washing? Most will fare best if allowed to air dry. This does not mean hanging them on a line or over a shower rod (though that can work well). Instead, it means setting your dryer to “air dry only” and allowing it to do its work. This can take a very long time if you push more than a single blanket into the tub. It can also take a very long time if you’ve washed a very large item.
And with the mention of very large items, it’s time to discuss comforters. Much heftier and puffier than a blanket, they do need a different amount of care. They may also be unable to fit into the regular home washing machine.
The folks at REAL SIMPLE have this to say: “If you don’t have a large-capacity washer…You can also wash a comforter by hand in the bathtub, but the comforter will become very heavy and can take several days to dry. For down comforters, the feathers are a bit more temperamental than synthetic poly-fill. Always use a gentle detergent or down wash to prevent stripping the natural oils from the feathers.”
Sounds like fun, right? We haven’t even mentioned the pretreating for stains, either. Still, a lot of you reading this will be hearty enough to do a DIY blanket and comforter cleaning, so here is the best approach:
Layout the blanket or comforter on the bed and give it an examination for stains.
Use an enzyme-based stain treatment on all stains, using a soft bristle brush on the worst.
Turn over and repeat.
Allow treatment to sit for 15-20 minutes, and then wash according to manufacturer instructions.
Always wash comforters on their own to eliminate any risk of lint or bunching and wrinkling.
Wash cycles can be gentle for down or down alternatives and cold or warm for traditional fiberfill comforters.
Use a non-irritating detergent and remember that less is best with all laundry cycles.
We also suggest a splash of distilled white vinegar added to the final rinse to remove all detergent residue OR run a second rinse cycle.
Remove from the washer immediately and dry in the dryer with some wool dryer balls to help fluff the item. Alternatively, you can hang it to dry and just fluff it in the dryer once it is fully air dry.
That is a project for most of us, though it is possible if you have a large home washing machine and dryer or easy access to a laundromat. As already mentioned, a reputable cleaner can also tackle this, and usually within a few days. They can also do all of the throws and even a wash/dry/fold of sick room bedding – a true multitasking errand you may not even have to leave home to tackle as some do free delivery.
Long-Term Blanket Care
Of course, after going through any sort of blanket and comforter care, as well as dealing with sick room bedding care, you’ll want to look for ways to make these items last longer. Frequent laundering can shorten the lifespan of some items. We suggest:
Use a duvet cover. This cuts down on comforter laundering substantially and allows you to remove the cover and launder it monthly, rather than going through a full laundering process as outlined above.
Always use a top sheet as it is a good barrier between blankets or comforters.
Flip the comforter to remove trapped air and germs.
Toss the blankets and comforters into the dryer for an air-only freshening between washings.
Freshen non-sick room comforters and blankets with a good outdoor shake and airing – you can put them on a clothesline on a dry and sunny day to get them fresh between launderings.
Keep blankets and comforters away from food and drink, pets, floors, and sick rooms as much as possible, and pick a few easy-to-clean throws for such wear and tear instead.
Look to a local cleaner as a partner in combatting the heavy work of bedding care at any time. Oak Hill Dry Cleaner has more than 30 years of experience in superior care for bedding of all kinds. Whether you need all the household blankets and linens cleaned for the season or just a mid-season freshening of your blankets and comforters, they have all of the answers. They’ll come to your home, pick up all your items, expertly clean them, and treat them before returning them to you in top condition. They even have a discount running for January’s sick season! Get in touch today to book your free home delivery.
Sources
https://www.vox.com/even-better/2024/1/8/24026652/cold-flu-influenza-covid-rsv-season-respiratory-virus-cough-sneeze
https://www.southernliving.com/how-often-to-wash-blankets-6834298
https://www.realsimple.com/home-organizing/cleaning/best-way-clean-bulky-comforter