A really rather disgusting question

honeythewitch

suki1964 wrote: »

After being plagued with thrush like symptoms for a year and being tarted sight unseen by my GP, I took the bull by the horns and went to the GUM clinic

There it was confirmed I hadn't thrush or anything else wrong with me

However the consultant dis ask me about personal hygiene and explained that at 30oC no germs will be killed, and in fact will multiply. She advised a hot (40 but prefer 60) for knickers and to keep the frilly delicates for special occasions and not every day

Not had a problem since taking her advice

Every day normal wear clothes get a 40 wash. Sheets, towels, face cloths, tea towels, all get 90 and my ( not so ) smalls get either a 60 or the more delicate get a delicate 40 wash

However I do use a biological soap, I understand that a non biological soap is better for cool washes Something to do with the enzymes needing a hotter wash to kill germs whereas the bleaches in the non bio do the job at a lower temp

I may be wrong

Multiply? :eek::eek::eek::eek::eek:

lovefullshelves

When I was a little girl I sucked my thumb and my mum asked the doc if it would make me ill. His reply was that by the time I was an adult I'd be immune to everything. We are wrapping our families in cotton wool and they will never build up resistance to anything. No wonder there are so many more bugs about even though we use more antibacterials. They are used so much bugs are becoming immune.
Scare tactics to keep people buying new and improved products.
30 degrees and bug free, no anti bacs in this house! (and no flannels!)
PS. could go commando to never worry about panty probs?

Contains_Mild_Peril

suki1964 wrote: »

However I do use a biological soap, I understand that a non biological soap is better for cool washes Something to do with the enzymes needing a hotter wash to kill germs whereas the bleaches in the non bio do the job at a lower temp

I may be wrong

I believe it's the other way round: the enzymes in biological laundry detergents are only effective at lower temperatures. I don't think the enzymes actually do much to kill germs, but they're useful for breaking down things like food stains so they wash out more easily.
Clothes seem to get pretty hot in a tumble dryer, so I guess that's probably about as good as ironing for killing micro-organisms, and less effort. I've never ironed my underwear. Charity shops steam donated clothes to unwrinkle and sanitise them (though they've normally already been washed since they were last worn).
Washing underwear at high temperatures is recommended if you're prone to infections in that area: it's also advised to wear cotton rather than synthetic undies and avoid tight fitting trousers.

wannabe_credit_free

I wash at 30/40 temps, any staining gets blasted with a stain remover beforehand. Been doing my laundry for 45 years and never suffered any foul pestilences yet...:j

My d/inlaw is a paramedic and says exposure to germs does your immune system the world of good.

lostinrates

wannabe_credit_free wrote: »

I wash at 30/40 temps, any staining gets blasted with a stain remover beforehand. Been doing my laundry for 45 years and never suffered any foul pestilences yet...:j

My d/inlaw is a paramedic and says exposure to germs does your immune system the world of good.

Well....

Depends, doesn't it?

I certainly agree, exposure is good, but there is exposure and exposure.

Something to consider with knickers which is what OP asks about, is more people practise hair removal, which I guess might mean more people have ingrown hairs, which might mean more people are prone to minor infections from these, or abcesses.

Seems worth considering if a factor in the washing temp or method chosen for your knickers, . Even if its not every wash, perhaps some washed should be.

moments_of_sanity

Evil_Olive wrote: »

I have washed everything I own on the gentlest wash at 30 degrees ever since I first had access to a machine that offered a delicates program with this low a temperature (mid 90s). I have always used the cheapest washing powder I can find for whites and a discount brand 'colour' powder for everything else. Very occasionally I'll do a 90 degree wash if the machine starts to smell and I put all my white stuff in this that has any faint stains.
I have never owned a tumble dryer.

I am still alive and have never suffered from any kind of foul pestilence as far as I'm aware.

My clothes smell fine, are unstained, and last for years - I am still wearing the last few socks from a pack of 10 pairs I bought on Whitechapel market for £2 in 1996. They are very faded but no holes and elastic still good.

I think it's a bad idea to hermetically seal yourself off from all everyday germs.
I like to make sure my immune system knows what it's dealing with
I call it 'Uploading the latest virus definitions'

I'm with you on this one, we don't worry about germs too much in our house. Washing is done on 40 degrees, including bedding, towels etc and I can honestly say none of the 3 females living here ever suffer from thrush or foul pestilence. My girls are 17 & 18 and were always allowed to play outside and providing they washed their hands before dinner, after they had been to the toilet and before bed they could play in soil, sand, play with the dog.......they both have the strongest immune system of all their friends. We NEVER suffer from upset stomachs, d&v has never shown it's ugly face once since the girls were born. The 'sickness' bug my DD suffered in Spain 2 years ago turned out to be a burst ovarian cyst!

My Dad, on the other hand, bathes regularly in Dettol and seems to constantly have a cold! :eek:

We certainly don't live in squaller, our house is clean and tidy but we don't live constantly worrying about germs.

wannabe_credit_free

lostinrates wrote: »

Well....

Depends, doesn't it?

I certainly agree, exposure is good, but there is exposure and exposure.

Something to consider with knickers which is what OP asks about, is more people practise hair removal, which I guess might mean more people have ingrown hairs, which might mean more people are prone to minor infections from these, or abcesses.

Seems worth considering if a factor in the washing temp or method chosen for your knickers, . Even if its not every wash, perhaps some washed should be.

I see your point. Of course anyone with a problem down there should be a little more fastidious. A little hibiscrub in the final rinse should take care of it..:)

lostinrates

wannabe_credit_free wrote: »

I see your point. Of course anyone with a problem down their should be a little more fastidious. A little hibiscrub in the final rinse should take care of it..:)

Exactly.

Its about timed judgment.

And acknowledgement this can fail.


I happen to have immune problems. And a basic understanding of 'bugs' from crossover time in labs ( I was never a lab technician but a researcher and did some lab work so have a very basic understanding of things like sterilisation and the benefits of exposure in other parts of life and the dangers of over cleanliness). However, even in the most experienced this can fail. My health has been quite precarious in recent times, So much so I wasn't even considered a wise candidate for the mild daily oral antibiotic for rosacea.

Recently my new consultant listened to me complain of not being able to shrug off minor stuff and feeling 'stomachs' more than usual for my state of health. Now, they have had me on all kind of strange diets and told me I had become intolerant to all kinda of foods ( which may or may not be so) but two weeks of a heavy dose antibiotic and washing stuff on a hot wash has really helped.

No one else in my household suffers, and I do wash some stuff on a hot wash anyway.

What was notable to me is that while I by no means stunk I did note my body odour had changed a couple of years ago. I was saying that the deodorants I was used to using were no longer right for me and my perfumes smelled different etc etc, but it seems I might have had a low level infection. A team of half a dozenish consultants hadn't picked this up, not my GP. I smell like me again, and did within four days ( though, almost got admitted in to hospital by the duty from side effects of what we think might have been infection clearing my system, no one seems to want to talk about that yet. )

Now, don't know why, but if washing my knickers on a hotter wash might help stave off infection, seems a price worth paying.

morganlefay

I'm finding this really interesting because we all seem to do such different things. I'm with you lostinrates as I have a somewhat dodgy immune system, tho have not had many problems because of it. I usually wash everything except OH's never-dirty shirts at 40, but I just wondered what other people do. sometimes I use bio stuff and sometimes non-bio. Am I right in thinking that bio wash stuff has absolutely no 'anti germ' effect ? ( I don't think our undies are seething with germs, but I do think that washing products are marketed a bit dishonestly sometimes ) But I now see that there are many variables which are different for us all: water temperature, bio or non bio, powder or liquid etc etc. what a minefield :eek:

lostinrates

morganlefay wrote: »

I'm finding this really interesting because we all seem to do such different things. I'm with you lostinrates as I have a somewhat dodgy immune system, tho have not had many problems because of it.:

I would have said the same until very, very recently.


I just finished the course. It will be interesting to see what happens. It might not have been infection of course. ( somethings don't sound right about it , others do)

I'm prepared to take risks to find out if they are prepared to give be the antibiotic course again.


Tbc because of an assumption drawn and referred to, no, I didn't have a groin abbcess!