Abstract
Public events are confronted with public-health challenges such as the risk of the spread of infectious diseases. Laundering should make clothing visibly clean and reduce the risk of transmission of infectious illnesses, especially during mass-gathering events. The present study evaluates the effectiveness of the laundering process for household linen using detergent either with or without chlorine bleach or with both. The study was conducted on 30 household linen samples of cotton clothes collected from 10 buildings. The antibacterial activity of these textile samples was determined after frequent laundering using detergent, bleach, or both. Results showed that bleach inhibition achieved a higher reduction in the bacterial count when compared to that of the detergent. For Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli, the maximal percentage of bacterial-count reduction was 99.7% and 99.6%, respectively, when both detergent and bleach were used with five-time washes. The bacterial count of S. aureus and E. coli showed a significant difference (p > 0.05) versus the frequency of washing. It was concluded that laundry is important in reducing the transmission of bacterial infections via household linen. The inhibition results were more effective when bleach was used with detergent. The best hygienic cleaning of laundering is achieved by a combination of rinsing, detergent, and chemical action.