Healthy New Year, Part 2

Second set of health tips...

Wet Laundry

Any time you transfer underwear from the washer to the dryer, you may be getting E. coli on your hands. One dirty undergarment in the washer can spread to the whole load and the machine.

Ways to reduce the risk:

-Run washing machines at 150 degrees (you can check the temperature of your washing machine water with a candy thermometer--before adding the clothes!) and wash whites with bleach (not the color-safe type; it doesn't pack the same punch), which can kill 99.9% of germs.

-Transfer wet laundry to the dryer quickly so germs don't multiply.

-Wash underwear separately (there's about a gram of feces in every pair of dirty underwear) and dry them for a minimum of 45 minutes.

-Wash your hands thoroughly after handling dirty laundry.

Tune in next time for...the bathtub! :o)