KEYWORDS: Domestic hygiene, household appliances, textile care, sanitization, bacteria, mould.
ABSTRACT: Textiles are potential vectors for transmission of infections in the domestic environment. In textile reprocessing the drying process is inextricably linked to the washing process. In this study the antimicrobial effect of different drying processes, and their role in domestic laundry hygiene was investigated by drying artificially contaminated textiles indoors and outdoors on the clothesline or in tumble dryers. All types of drying proved to reduce the germ load on the fabrics significantly; the highest effect was observed drying on the clothesline outdoors.

INTRODUCTION
Microbial contaminations on garments and textiles are sought to be removed by laundering to avoid unwanted microbiological problems such as risk of infections or malodour production. Studies so far have mainly focused on the laundry process. The consecutive drying process might further affect the remaining microbial load and should be taken into account when assessing the microbiol ...
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