The hygiene expert explained that unless you set your washing machine to a certain temperature, you won’t kill the bacteria on your pants – which means you’ll still be wearing dirty underwear
We all know the drill: change your underwear daily and keep them sparkling clean with regular washes.
But, brace yourselves, because you might still be donning dirty briefs despite your best efforts. A health expert has dropped a bombshell on our laundry habits, revealing that many of us are failing to banish enough bacteria in the wash.
Doctor Lisa Ackerley, dubbed The Hygiene Doctor, has dished out some essential advice, stressing that unless your washing machine is cranked up to a specific heat, those pesky germs will cling to your undies, leaving you in not-so-fresh undergarments post-wash.
She’s even warned against mixing your intimates with other household linens. She warns: “With knickers and pants, anything under 60 degrees won’t kill the bacteria. Don’t put the knickers in with the tea towels on a low wash, because you might have faecal contamination in your knickers and you wouldn’t want that near your kitchen.”
So, if you’ve been laundering your delicates at a cool 30C or 40C, or tossing them in with the rest of your wardrobe, you’ve likely been wrapping yourself in less-than-pristine panties. Not exactly a comforting thought.
For those who can’t crank up the heat on their washing machines, fear not, your underwear can still be saved from unwanted faecal matter. Dr Ackerley recommends putting a laundry sanitiser into the mix to kill off any lurking germs.
You can snag these handy additions at local supermarkets like Sainsbury’s, which offers its own brand for a mere £2.80, or pop over to Asda for a Dettol version priced at £3.75. And if that hasn’t already made your head spin, brace yourself for the revelation that there’s a ‘wrong’ way to wipe post-loo visit – especially for the ladies.
Tap Warehouse has unearthed that a staggering one-third of British women are wiping from back to front, a method that could lead to some rather sore issues. Their nationwide poll revealed that 33 per cent of women opt for this controversial technique, a stark contrast to men for whom it poses no issue.
However, for women, this approach could usher in some nasty infections. Dr Luke Powles from Bupa UK advises: “A woman’s urethra and anus are quite closely located, so it’s best to wipe from front to back. Otherwise, you could be spreading faeces from the anus to the urethra. Spreading bacteria to the urethra can lead to a urinary tract infection.”
