While washing clothes in water and detergent can help remove dirt and soils, what happens to the bacteria and germs? Are any laundry appliances truly effective at sanitizing laundry or addressing issues related to allergens such as dust mites and pet dander?

Fortunately, many laundry products on the market today are designed to help make doing the laundry easier. The ability to sanitize laundry and reduce allergens in baby clothing, bedding, towels and other laundry items is now available in washers and dryers certified to one of the following protocols:

• Sanitizing Washers
  
• NSF Protocol P172 was developed by a panel of experts, including representatives from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Using established scientific methods, clothes washers are evaluated to determine if they can effectively sanitize clothes.
• To earn certification, a clothes washer tested under this protoco ...
...