What Is Laundry Sanitizer—and Do You Really Need It?

Key Points

• Laundry sanitizer reduces germs on fabrics, making it useful after illness or when items carry pathogens.

• Use detergent to remove dirt and stains, and sanitizer only as an added step to reduce germs.

• For everyday healthy household loads, detergent and proper drying are usually enough; follow labels when using sanitizer.

While browsing the laundry aisle, you might have spied laundry sanitizer on the shelves, alongside fabric softeners , dryer sheets, and, of course, detergent in all its forms . Is it something you need to be regularly stocking and incorporating into your everyday laundry loads?

Here's what laundry sanitizer actually does, when it can be useful, and when regular detergent is likely enough.

Meet Our Expert

• Kim Romine, fabric care scientist with P&G

• Dr. Pete He, co-founder and chief scientist of Dirty Labs

Related: 15 Laundry Room Storage Ideas You'll Wish You Tried Sooner

What Laundry Sanitizer Can Do

Laundry sanitizer is an additive that sanitizes certain bacteria or pathogens on fabric (rather than removing visible dirt like detergent does). "Laundry sanitizer is designed to reduce or kill certain bacteria on fabrics," says fabric-care scientist Kim Romine. "It targets germs and bacteria that may remain on fabrics after washing, particularly when dealing with heavily contaminated items."

To note, it is not a stronger version of detergent. "Detergent and sanitizer serve different functions," Romine says. "In simple terms, detergent cleans the fabric, while sanitizer focuses on microbial reduction."

Laundry expert Dr. Pete He explains that EPA-registered sanitizers typically claim to kill 99.9 percent of the specified pathogens listed on their label. "A laundry sanitizer is an additive that reduces pathogens left on fabric," he says, "especially after cold or warm washes ."

What Laundry Sanitizer Can't Do

Laundry sanitizers aren't formulated to lift most everyday soil from clothing and linens, our experts explain. "Detergent cleans," says Dr. Pete. "It lifts soil, oils, and stains out of fabric so they rinse away."

On the other hand, "Sanitizers don't effectively remove stains , body oils or dirt," Dr. Pete says. Therefore, you should "always use it alongside detergent, never instead of it," he adds.

Romine agrees: "For best results, use detergent to remove soils and stains. Use sanitizer when microbial reduction is a desired additional benefit," she says. "Some odors may improve when odor-causing bacteria are reduced, but sanitizers are generally not formulated to remove stains. If clothing is visibly dirty, detergent remains essential."

When Laundry Sanitizer Is the Most Useful

For regular loads, laundry sanitizer is generally unnecessary, our experts say. "For everyday loads in a healthy household, good detergent and proper drying are usually enough," Dr. Pete says.

Think of laundry sanitizer as an occasional add-on—not a mandatory step for every load. "Laundry sanitizer may be especially helpful for household members recovering from illness, such as norovirus," says Romine.

According to Dr. Pete, laundry sanitizer can be helpful and may be recommended in the following circumstances:

• After recent illness in your household

• In homes with someone who is immunocompromised

• When items are contaminated with pathogens

"For many households, detergent alone is sufficient for routine laundry care," says Romine.

How to Use Laundry Sanitizer Correctly

If you do use a commercial laundry sanitizer, follow the product label carefully, as well as any fabric care tags. Not every laundry sanitizer is suitable for every fabric or washing machine.

"Proper dosing and sufficient contact time are important for effectiveness," Romine adds. "Following label instructions is critical because the product's antimicrobial performance is based on those tested-use conditions."

Another important note: While our experts say that detergent and sanitizer should be paired together to thoroughly clean and sanitize, the products shouldn't necessarily come into contact with one another. According to Dr. Pete, mixing sanitizer directly with regular detergent during the wash cycle can reduce both the detergent's cleaning performance and the sanitizer's ability to reduce pathogens.

Many sanitizers are added during a rinse or soak stage rather than at the start of the wash. "Different laundry products should never be mixed unless explicitly directed by the manufacturer," says Romine.

Other Ways to Reduce Bacteria in Laundry

Laundry sanitizer isn't the only option for when you're looking for some extra bacteria-butt-kicking power. "Most laundry sanitizers use quaternary ammonium compounds, often called 'quats,' as they're active antimicrobial ingredients to kill specific pathogens," Dr. Pete explains. "However, those quats have been widely recognized as having significant health and environmental concerns."

Dr. Pete points to heat as one alternative. When the fabric can tolerate the temperatures, "a machine's sanitizing cycle together with high-heat drying reduces bacteria," he says. (A standard hot-water cycle by itself, however, may not be hot enough to provide the same effect.)

"In addition, combining your detergent with a laundry booster that contains sodium percarbonate or hydrogen peroxide can effectively eliminate those organic stains where bacteria tends to grow and accumulate," adds Dr. Pete. As always, the fabric's care instructions should help you determine appropriate treatment and products, ingredients, or methods to avoid.

Read the original article on Martha Stewart