Disaster Response

How do I clean flood-soiled clothing?

Sort soiled clothes. Do not shake dirty clothes near clean laundry or surfaces. Cover surfaces with clean paper or other clean material when working with clean clothes.

Commercial dry-cleaning is effective in reducing harmful bacteria. Before taking clothes to the cleaners, allow garments to dry slowly at room temperature or outside. Do not hang near a stove or heater. Make sure it is dry before you take it to the cleaners. Shake and brush to remove as much soil as possible.

For washable clothing, wash as soon as possible. Rinse several times before washing . A cold-water soak with an enzyme product is helpful. Hot soapsuds may set rust-colored stains. After rinsing with cold water, wash in hottest water that is safe for the garment. Add a disinfectant to the wash water. To sanitize clothing, 2 tablespoons of liquid chlorine bleach per washer load is needed. Brightly colored fabrics that fade when chlorine bleach is used at higher levels can generally be successfully sanitized with a lower level. Before putting away clean clothing, make sure you have disinfected the storage area.