Clean, freshly laundered clothes ? they are one of life's little joys and necessities. But, have you ever been concerned about how clean your clothes really are? With the polluted air, germs, and other environmental contaminants your clothes come into contact with on a daily basis, you have to wonder if your laundry detergent is doing its job adequately.

Depending on your lifestyle and what you do for a living, disinfecting your laundry may not always be necessary. But if a member of your family is ill or if you wash your clothes at a public laundromat, then disinfecting your laundry every time becomes a priority. And, of course, you never really know what germs you might have come into contact with on a daily basis. After all, they are everywhere around you and you don't even know it. So, what is the best way to ensure your clothes are germ-free? Read on for some valuable information on microbial disinfection by hot water and how to disinfect your laundry.

Hot Water Still Rules

Way back in the old days people would literally boil their clothes to make sure they were clean and sanitized. It seems our ancestors had the right idea. Studies have shown that hot water is a naturally hostile environment for germs and other microbes, essentially killing them off. These same studies also concluded that, to effectively do this, the temperature of the hot water needs to be between 178'F and 194'F. The problem here is that washing machines in most homes heat water to a maximum of 140'F, not quite hot enough. An obvious solution is to add bleach to your laundry. Known for its ability to sterilize, bleach can augment the disinfecting power of hot water, but should be used only if the fabrics being washed will allow it. Some fibers such as silk, wool, and many of today's popular spandex blends cannot tolerate such a caustic agent and they tend to weaken and break down when bleach is used. The solution to this dilemma is to use a detergent that is gentle enough for finer fabrics, but equally tough to both clean and disinfect your laundry (FULLER 86 Powder Laundry Detergent). And, keep in mind, hot water will boost the cleaning power of any laundry detergent.

Detergent Additives and Boosters

Answering the needs of consumers, a recent trend in laundry detergents has been the addition of enzymes. Enzymes have long been famous for their ability to break down and remove tough protein stains such as blood, perspiration, and urine when used to pre-soak clothes. But detergents enhanced with an enzyme disinfectant (FULLER Plus Liquid Laundry Detergent) will effectively clean your clothes without pre-soaking and without bleach. In fact, the addition of chlorine bleach will minimize the cleaning power of enzymes. Adding a booster in with your detergent is an alternative to bleach when washing heavily soiled clothes. A booster (FULLER Cleaning Booster) will augment the performance of your detergent, giving you truly clean and disinfected laundry.

Other factors to keep in mind to ensure cleaner laundry are: do not overload your machine, follow the directions on your detergent's package so as not to use too much of it or too little, and whenever you can, wash your clothes in the hottest water your machine will allow.