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Fashion Questions About Coronavirus Answered

By Akinwale Akinyoade

05 April 2020   |   2:00 pm

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Many times, the fashion industry has been accused of lacking social responsibility. With the current coronavirus pandemic taking a major impact on the lives of people across the globe, we have chosen to answer some unknown questions about the virus. The questions and answers are specifically as it affects one of the mainstays of your…

Many times, the fashion industry has been accused of lacking social responsibility. With the current coronavirus pandemic taking a major impact on the lives of people across the globe, we have chosen to answer some unknown questions about the virus.

The questions and answers are specifically as it affects one of the mainstays of your daily life: your clothing.

Can coronavirus live on clothes? If so, for how long?

It is unclear for many whether coronavirus can live on any surface with some wanting to know in regards to clothings. According to Harvard Health, coronavirus is more likely to survive on a hard surface than a soft surface like fabric. It is also unclear how long the virus can stay but the World Health Organization estimates the lifetime of the disease is between a few hours and a few days. It is advisable to maintain good clothing hygiene by changing and washing your clothes regularly with detergent and hot water.

How to wash clothes during coronavirus:

Again, there is conflicting information about whether the coronavirus can be killed at a certain temperature or if it can survive through a laundry wash. You can choose to play it safe by washing your items in hot water as well as wiping your washer and dryer with a disinfectant. Experts recommend wearing gloves and sanitizing all of the shared spaces you might use for your laundry.

How do I protect myself from coronavirus when shopping?

Some good news: For the most part, you should feel free to shop away. The likelihood that a person can infect a package — and that the infection will last through the shipping process long enough to infect the recipient of the package — is relatively low.

“The biggest risk from shopping is going to come from interaction with other people, not the product,” says Brian Labus, assistant professor at the University of Nevada Las Vegas School of Public Health. “If you minimize direct contact, you will reduce your risk of disease. As it is a rapidly changing situation, there may be numerous changes in recommendations as to how we go about our day-to-day lives, and that will include our shopping behaviors.”

Can coronavirus be spread through renting clothes?

Due to the recent lockdown of Lagos, Ogun and Abuja due to the coronavirus outbreak, renting of clothes may not be on the high side. However, if rental services practise safety measures during the receiving and unpacking process, the end result will be clean clothing that is clean and free of germs or bacteria.

For instance, Armoire, says all its clothing is “cleaned and sanitised prior to shopping.” The company’s founder and CEO, Ambika Singh. “We use both wet and dry methods for cleaning, and utilize a steam process, which heats to 250 degrees. We are also doubling down on our standards and quality control around shipping.”