Dr. Gerba from the University of Arizona recommends washing undergarments last to avoid spreading germs and fecal matter onto other clothes. He also recommends using a chlorine bleach. Not all bleaches are made to disinfect, so make sure it is a chlorine bleach. Non-chlorine bleach, like that used for colored clothes, may say “not to be used as a disinfectant.” Chlorine bleach also cleans the washing machine itself, but sometimes, like after cleaning pesticides off of clothes, it is recommended to run a hot-water cycle in the empty washing machine to fully clean it.
