Hundreds of loads of laundry were washed at various settings in a research test conducted by Jung-Won Park, M.D., Ph.D., of Yonsei University in Seoul, South Korea, and his colleagues. Their results were presented at the latest meeting of the American Thoracic Society.
"Rinsing after cleaning is especially important at low temperature cleaning for removal of allergens," announced Dr. Park at the meeting.
Allergists have been telling their patients to use scalding hot temperatures for their laundry to eliminate the allergens from bedding and clothes.
The higher temperatures kill dust mites and other allergens, but the recommended settings are at least 130° to 140° F. This may pose a danger for young children.
It has been suggested that families with young children should temporarily increase the temperature when doing the laundry while the children are asleep and to cover the faucets during that timeframe.
As a result of this study research, it may be easier to simply repeat the rinse cycle for lower-temperature washing to rid the laundry of allergens.
