Its an understatement to say that thecoronaviruspandemic has completely thrown a wrench into our lives.

Some people are lucky enough to have their own washing machine and dryer in their homes.

What are the risks involved?

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How can you be as prepared as possible?

How does this all factor into doing laundry, in particular?

Wear a cloth face covering.

A laundromat or shared laundry room would certainly be one of those places.

Avoid doing laundry during popular times.

The usualsocial distancing rulesapply when youre doing laundry.

If youre working from home and get a full lunch break, consider doing it then.

Wipe down machines before you use them if it’s possible for you to.

If you dont have wipes, thats okay.

And if you cant wash your hands?

We have some advice for that below.

Use the hottest configs your clothes can tolerate.

Raynor says theres no need to wash clothes on such a hot setting that it ruins them.

Between washing and drying, there should be sufficient heat to kill the virus.

Detergent does a good job here too.

So its pretty easy to kill this.

Dont hang around in between wash and dry cycles.

So limiting the time is part of that equation.

In the meantime, if you’re able to, head back to your home to wait.

If you cant, double-check wherever you decide to kill time is conducive toproper social distancing.

Wash or sanitize your hands once youve left the space.

Fold your clothes at home.

A lot of people like to fold laundry in the laundromat or laundry room.

It makes sense to fold everything when its fresh, so it doesnt have a chance to wrinkle.

But its not the best option when youre trying to limit time spent in public spaces.

Raynors advice: Take your laundry and fold it at home, and accept some wrinkling.

Chances are no ones going to care aboutor, lets be honest, even noticea couple of wrinkles.

Dont wear gloves unless someone in your home has COVID-19.

In that case, theCDC suggestswearing disposable gloves.

Take a few other precautions when handling a sick persons laundry.

But there are a few other precautions the organization recommends taking if youre handling a sick persons laundry.

If your hamper can be washed, throw in with the rest of your items, Raynor suggests.

Then you have a clean container you might use to carry your clean clothes home.

You also want to avoid shaking out clothes or any other items that a sick person has used.

Would the virus fly into the air?

Would it be infectious?

Still, its best to be cautious just in case.