Many of us are aware of the importance of keeping our clothes clean and fresh.
Underwear in particular should be changed every day to avoid unwanted smells and bacteria.
However, even by sticking to what we think is a hygienic routine we still might not be as clean as we think we are.
This is the claim of one expert who has warned that many people do not wash their pants correctly.
Speaking to Huffpost, Dr Lisa Ackerley – who is also known as the Hygiene Doctor – claimed that there is the risk that underwear will still carry harmful bacteria after leaving the washing machine unless washed at the correct temperature.
They can then be put back in your drawers, exposing other items to the bacteria.
She also advocated for washing your pants separate to other household items like bed sheets and tea towels for the same reason.
“Faecal contamination” can remain in the fabric of your pants and make its way onto other items in the washing machine drum, she said.
As reported by Huffpost, Dr Ackerley said: “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.”
However, if turning up the temperature on the washing machine is not an option for you there is no need to panic.
According to Dr Ackerley, adding a laundry sanitiser to the load will effectively remove germs.
These can be picked up from your local supermarket for around £3 a pop.
There are many types of bacteria that can be found in human faecal matter.
E.coli is one such bacteria that lives in the intestines.
While some strains of E.coli are harmless, others will result in uncomfortable and even potentially dangerous symptoms such as diarrhoea, bloody diarrhoea, vomiting, stomach pains and cramps.
According to the Cleveland Clinic, you can become infected with the bacteria by touching your mouth with hands that are contaminated or by eating or drinking contaminated food or water.
Therefore, not only is keeping your underwear clean important but practising good hand washing regularly at home can help prevent this.
The clinic advises speaking to your GP if you experience diarrhoea that lasts more than three days as well as any of the following symptoms:
- You can’t keep any fluids down
- You have blood in your poop
- You are feeling very tired
- You have many bouts of vomiting
- You have a fever higher than 38.8C (102F)
- You are not urinating a lot
- You are losing the pink colour in cheeks and inside your lower eyelids.
To prevent the spread of germs when doing your laundry WebMD recommends washing your towels separate to your clothes.
And it advises running your washing machine once a month with nothing in it but chlorine bleach.