title: Impact of wash cycle time, temperature and detergent formulation on the hygiene effectiveness of domestic laundering.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Investigation of the effect of temperature and duration of the laundering process with and without activated oxygen bleach (AOB)-containing detergent on the hygienic effectiveness of laundering.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Cotton test swatches were contaminated with Staphylococcus aureus, Enterococcus hirae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Candida albicans and Trichophyton mentagrophytes and were washed in a household washing machine using temperatures between 20 and 60°C and different wash cycle times. The logarithmic microbial reduction factor and cross-contamination (i.e. transfer from contaminated to sterile swatches) were used to indicate the hygienic effectiveness of the washing process. For all tested micro-organisms, the temperature needed for decontamination depended on washing time and detergent type. Hygiene effectiveness of laundering was enhanced by inclusion of AOB even at lowest temperatures, except for C. albicans, which was virtually unaffected by AOB. The use of AOB-containing detergents as well as high washing temperatures reduced cross-contamination to sterile swatches included in the load.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Depending on the type of organism, longer wash cycle times or the use of AOB-containing detergents can be used to enhance the hygiene effectiveness of laundering.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The study demonstrates that it is possible to compensate for the loss of hygiene effectiveness of laundering at lower temperatures using detergents with activated oxygen bleach or by extending the wash cycle time.
authors.affiliation: University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Honisch
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Stamminger
authors.forename: D P
authors.initials: DP
authors.lastname: Bockmühl
mesh_terms: D001419:Bacteria / Q000254:growth & development; D002176:Candida albicans / Q000254:growth & development; D003666:Decontamination / Q000379:methods*; D003902:Detergents; D006920:Hygiene; D007846:Laundering / Q000379:methods*; D013696:Temperature; D013784:Textiles; D013997:Time Factors; D014249:Trichophyton / Q000254:growth & development
chemical_list: D003902:Detergents
keywords: activated oxygen bleach; domestic laundry; laundry hygiene; wash cycle time; washing process; washing temperature