Article
Energy & Fuels
Daniele Martinello, Sandro Rubino, Radu Bojoi
Summary: The estimation of laundry unbalance and inertia is crucial in washing machine applications to reduce mechanical stress and noise, and to accurately manage water and detergent usage. This study proposes a novel method to estimate these parameters without additional sensors, enhancing motor control scheme with a position-tracking observer to optimize washing performance. Experimental results on a commercial washer validate the effectiveness of the proposed solution.
Article
Microbiology
Kelly Whitehead, Jake Eppinger, Vanita Srinivasan, M. Khalid Ijaz, Raymond W. Nims, Julie McKinney
Summary: Although clothes washing machines remove dirt, they cannot reliably remove microorganisms. This study quantified and identified bacteria and fungi transferred from laundromat machines to cotton washcloths under standard cold-water conditions. The results showed that public washing machines are a source of both non-pathogenic and pathogenic microbial contamination of laundered garments.
MICROBIOLOGY RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Microbiology
Susanne Jacksch, Huzefa Zohra, Mirko Weide, Sylvia Schnell, Markus Egert
Summary: The detergent drawer and door seal of domestic washing machines are important sites for microbial growth, which require regular cleaning to prevent bacterial contamination. Predominant bacterial genera identified in this study were Staphylococcus and Micrococcus, with some species classified as opportunistic pathogens.
Review
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Sarah E. Abney, M. Khalid Ijaz, Julie McKinney, Charles P. Gerba
Summary: Cleaning textiles removes dirt and bodily fluids, preventing the transmission of pathogens and controlling odor. The process varies based on culture and resources, utilizing mechanical, chemical, and physical methods to control microbes. Temperature and detergents play key roles, with additives and bleach being essential for low temperature washes.
APPLIED AND ENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Loren C. Tholcke, William H. Fang, Bryn R. Gornick, John A. Schlechter
Summary: This study aimed to investigate the difference in particulate count from different hand drying methods after surgical hand preparation. The results showed that both reusable and disposable towels produced more particles compared to the alcohol scrub control group. The alcohol dry scrub produced significantly fewer particles compared to both the disposable towels and reusable towels. Disposable towels produced significantly more particles in the 0.3 mm count compared to reusable towels.
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF INFECTION CONTROL
(2023)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Manca Lunder, Brigita Tomsic, Rok Fink
Summary: Low-temperature laundry washing led to the development of a new biobased detergent made of soapnut extract and Carvacrol which meets sustainability criteria. The detergent showed good cleaning performance on certain soiling agents but weak performance on others. It demonstrated excellent disinfection properties compared to a commercial detergent and sole soapnut extract. It effectively removed standard soiling agents and ensured good disinfection.
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Kelly A. Reynolds, Marc P. Verhougstraete, Kristina D. Mena, Syed A. Sattar, Elizabeth A. Scott, Charles P. Gerba
Summary: The study used quantitative microbial risk assessment to evaluate the safety of household laundering practices. Results showed that measures such as using advanced enzymatic detergents can effectively reduce the risk of pathogen transmission.
JOURNAL OF APPLIED MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Polymer Science
Mengdan Qiang, Jianrong Wu, Hongtao Zhang, Xiaobei Zhan
Summary: In this study, chitosan was used to prepare Ag/Cu-CTS composite beads, which exhibited a remarkable antibacterial effect on Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. The composite also showed strong inhibitory effects on laundry pathogens such as Acinetobacter sp., Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Candida albicans. The antibacterial rates reached 99.9% using a standard laundering program, and the composite satisfied Chinese washing machine requirements with no silver emission detected.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Petra Forte Tavcer, Katja Brencic, Rok Fink, Brigita Tomsic
Summary: The study aimed to determine whether the addition of hydrogen peroxide (HP) to liquid detergents in low-temperature household washing allows disinfection of the laundry without affecting its properties. The results showed that the addition of 3% HP in the main wash demonstrated excellent disinfection activity, without affecting the color and tensile strength of the laundry, thereby maintaining its overall appearance.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Rossana Roila, Caterina Altissimi, Raffaella Branciari, Sara Primavilla, Andrea Valiani, Fausto Cambiotti, Lorenzo Cardinali, Attilia Cioffi, David Ranucci
Summary: Spraying lactic acid solution or aromatic vinegar on the surfaces of wild boar carcasses can effectively reduce microbial load, with lactic acid showing better results.
APPLIED SCIENCES-BASEL
(2022)
Article
Food Science & Technology
Katerina Dorotikova, Josef Kamenik, Katerina Bogdanovicova, Simona Krepelova, Jan Strejcek, Danka Harustiakova
Summary: Evaluation and repeated monitoring of hand hygiene practices in food handlers are crucial to prevent foodborne outbreaks and different sampling methods can detect microbial contamination effectively. Food handlers may contribute to the spread of pathogenic bacteria, particularly Bacillus cereus and Staphylococcus aureus.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Brigita Tomsic, Lara Ofentavsek, Rok Fink
Summary: The efficacy of soil removal and bacterial reduction from textiles was tested using different washing cycles. It was found that washing at 40 degrees C and 10 g/L was the most effective for soil removal, while bacteria reduction was highest at 60 degrees C, 5 g/L and 40 degrees C, 20 g/L. The 40 degrees C, 10 g/L scenario approached the standard requirements for household laundry in terms of bacteria reduction and soil removal.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Abraham Gihawi, Colin S. Cooper, Daniel S. Brewer
Summary: Results show that machine learning models can accurately distinguish between tumor types based on microbial composition. However, there are concerns regarding contamination, batch effects, false positive classifications, and limitations in the machine learning approaches used. This makes it difficult to determine the true biological signal and the reliability of these models as clinical biomarkers.
MICROBIAL GENOMICS
(2023)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
L. Owen, K. Laird
Summary: The study repurposed a silver-based antimicrobial textile coating as a dual-function antimicrobial laundry additive and textile coating. The silver additive showed effective antimicrobial activity in a 40 degrees C domestic wash, reducing bacteria and preventing cross contamination onto clean textiles. This suggests that silver may be useful as an antimicrobial laundry additive in domestic and industrial settings to reduce the risk of transmitting micro-organisms.
JOURNAL OF APPLIED MICROBIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Maria Salome Giao, Sotiris Vardoulakis
Summary: Effective hand drying is essential for hand hygiene and can reduce the risk of infectious disease transmission. This study found that using jet air dryers or paper towels to dry hands in indoor environments increased the concentration of aerosols and bacteria in the air. However, these increases were not significantly different from the concentrations associated with walking and washing hands.
FRONTIERS IN PUBLIC HEALTH
(2022)
