Antimicrobial efficacy of laundering processes

In addition to the removal of visible stains, laundering aims to reduce microbial contaminations on the textiles, too. The continuing trend towards lower washing temperatures in west European households raises the question to what extent low temperatures affect the antimicrobial efficacy of the laundering process and how to compensate for possible negative effects. In her study, Marlitt Honisch explored the impact of wash cycle time, water temperature, and detergent type (with and without activated oxygen bleach (AOB)) on the antimicrobial efficacy of domestic laundering processes. As result she could show that in daily domestic laundry, and also with higher hygienic requirements, detergents with AOB can compensate for the loss in antimicrobial efficacy due to lowered wash temperatures and thus, prevent possible microbial risks which might arise from low-temperature laundering. AOB containing detergents, however, require sufficient active times. If a particularly high antimicrobial efficacy is required, especially with respect to pathogenic fungi, low washing temperatures should not be combined with short wash cycles, even when AOB-containing detergents are used. (the editor)