Of late, owing to the prevalent pandemic, a lot of questions related to the coronavirus have sprung up in people’s minds and one such question is the duration for which the virus stays in the clothes. If you want to know the duration refers to the research letter published in the New England Journal of Medicine. The letter states the duration of detectability in the air as well as on the surfaces. Let’s have a look at the duration for which the strain of the virus stays in different materials.
Duration for which virus strain stays on various materials.
- The virus stays in the air for around three hours
- It stays on copper for round about four hours
- About two to three days on plastic and stainless steel
So, what about the clothes one wears? Will the virus stay for up to 24 hours in the clothes as well? Well, there is a possibility. But one has to keep the fact that all clothes are not fabric in mind. They might consist of metal or plastic buttons. As per the theory, the virus stays longer in less absorbent areas. There aren’t sufficient studies to indicate the longevity of the virus on different clothing materials. So, it Is better to take precautions if you think that you have been exposed to someone that has symptoms of the virus. Because it is always better to be safe than sorry.
So, if you have been spending most of your time at home without coming in contact with anyone who has been diagnosed with the virus, your clothes have not been exposed to the virus. But if you have maintained social distancing while remaining out, there are chances that the virus has not contaminated your clothes. If you suspect contamination, here are the preventive measures that you should take:-
Preventive measures to take if your clothes have strains of the virus
- Remove clothes that you had been wearing while coming in contact with that particular person. While doing so, make sure you don’t touch anyone and you have reached home.
- If needed, wear disposable gloves while taking off your clothes, so your hands don’t come directly in contact with the clothes.
- Wash your hands after changing your clothes.
- Put your clothes immediately in the washing machine and send them for laundry.
- Place your clothes in the dryer of the machine
- Consider using bleach, as it will inactivate the strains of the virus
- Also, put your mask for washing along with your clothes for washing.
- The set one of apparel that has to be handled with utmost care are shoes that you had put on while coming in contact with a person who has been tested positive for the virus. As shoes aren’t completely made of fiber. They neither can be washed in the washing machine nor sent for laundry. So, Let’s have look at the preventive measures to take if shoes have the strain of the virus.
Preventive measures to take if shoes have strain of the virus
- Take off your shoes immediately and avoid putting them on till 2-3 days.
- Keep them outside the premises of your house.
- Don’t send them for washing purposes or laundry.
Make sure that you take preventive measures if any of the objects in your surroundings have strain of the virus, because it is always better to be safe than sorry.
