Your washing machine probably isn’t killing harmful bacteria on your clothes

Most people assume that a hot wash means clean clothes. But new research suggests your washing machine may be underperforming, especially when it comes to killing harmful bacteria. Despite running at high temperatures on paper, many machines aren't actually getting hot enough.

Guidelines from health organizations like NHS England say you should wash contaminated clothes at 60°C (140°F) for at least ten minutes. That’s usually enough to kill off most microbes. But when researchers tested six popular home washing machines...