Sunshine to kill germs in laundry?

Question

I'm curious how much sun exposure would be necessary to "sanitize" laundry? I usually wash the really dirty laundry (kids undies & socks) in hot water (and bleach every once in a while), then fry in the dryer. If I washed in a cooler temperature to save energy, then hung the clothes to dry, how long would items need to be in direct sunlight to receive some "sanitizing" benefit? One wouldn't want to fade clothes unneccessarily.

Answer 1

I don't think you'll get much of a "sanitizing" effect from drying your clothes in the sun. If you're referring to ultraviolet sterilization, the wavelength of UV that causes that effect is actually blocked by the Earth's atmosphere.

Just use color-safe bleach when washing colors or using cooler water.