# Washing Clothes After a Fungal Infection: Items and Temperatures > Athlete's foot, ringworm or jock itch: what to wash, how hot the care label allows, and what studies found at 30, 40 and 60 °C and in the dryer. **Published :** 2026-09-29 --- **Summary:** Change clothes, underwear and socks **every day** (AAD) and do not share towels, socks or shoes (NHS). In a lab study, a **60 °C** wash removed three tested fungi where 40 °C did not (Akhoundi et al., 2022). The care label's wash tub is the ceiling (GINETEX), and the dryers tested did not kill the fungi. The two tables below split the job: what to wash and who says so, then how hot each care label lets you go and what the studies found at that setting. Ringworm is a common fungal infection, not caused by worms; it can appear anywhere on the body, including the scalp (tinea capitis) and the groin (jock itch) ([NHS](https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/ringworm/)). Athlete's foot (tinea pedis) and scalp ringworm are fungal diseases caused by dermatophytes ([Akhoundi et al., 2022](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9143173/)). Ringworm can spread through infected objects such as bedsheets, combs or towels ([NHS](https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/ringworm/)), and the fungi can survive on objects for a long time ([American Academy of Dermatology](https://www.aad.org/public/diseases/a-z/ringworm-self-care)). This page covers laundry only, not diagnosis or treatment. The NHS says to speak to a pharmacist first if you think you have ringworm ([NHS](https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/ringworm/)). ## What to wash: the item table Each row names the item and what public-health and dermatology bodies say about it, with the source. ### Scalp ringworm: combs and brushes The BAD says the scalp-ringworm fungus can live for long periods in the environment, so infection can occur many months later, and that fungus can live in combs, hairbrushes and hair accessories, so clean them with simple bleach or buy new ones ([BAD](https://cdn.bad.org.uk/uploads/2023/05/19174107/TINEA-CAPITIS-MAY-2023.pdf)). That bleach advice is for combs and brushes, not fabric. Routine sheet care, outside an infection, is in [how to wash bed sheets](/blog/how-to-wash-bed-sheets/index.md). ## How hot: what the care label allows, and what the studies found The AAD and healthdirect say "hot" without a number. The AAD advises washing the clothes, towels and bedding you use while you have ringworm in hot, soapy water, without a temperature ([American Academy of Dermatology](https://www.aad.org/public/diseases/a-z/ringworm-self-care)), and healthdirect advises washing socks and towels in hot water to kill the fungus, also without a temperature ([healthdirect](https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/tinea)). The care label sets the ceiling: the number in the wash tub is the maximum washing temperature in °C, which must not be exceeded ([GINETEX](https://www.ginetex.net/gb/labelling/care-symbols.asp)). Find your item's label in the first column; the table gives what the studies found at that setting and what they leave open. The decoder reads the whole care label, including the maximum wash temperature and whether the item can be tumble dried. For everyday loads with no infection involved, temperature choice by fabric is in the [laundry temperature guide](/blog/laundry-temperature-guide/index.md). ### Soap and detergent The AAD asks for soapy water ([American Academy of Dermatology](https://www.aad.org/public/diseases/a-z/ringworm-self-care)), so a plain laundry detergent covers that. In the Akhoundi study, results at 40 °C and at 60 °C were the same with or without detergent ([Akhoundi et al., 2022](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9143173/)), so no detergent is presented here as antifungal. **Recommended product** ## What four laundry studies found Each study below used its own fabric, fungi and machine; its scope is given with its result. ### Akhoundi et al., 2022: gauze pads in a home machine A 2022 lab study washed cotton gauze pads carrying three dermatophytes (Trichophyton rubrum, T. tonsurans and T. interdigitale) in a domestic washing machine; the pads carried a burden of spores far higher than the environment of an infected patient. No fungus grew from pads washed at 60 °C for 100 minutes, with or without detergent. All pads washed at 40 °C for 100 minutes still grew the fungi. In the 60 °C programme, the water was at 60 °C for only 8 of the 100 minutes. The authors conclude that washing linens at 60 °C is essential for removing the dermatophyte spores ([Akhoundi et al., 2022](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9143173/)). ### Amichai et al., 2013: socks worn by people with athlete's foot A 2013 study laundered 81 socks worn by people with athlete's foot at 40 °C or 60 °C and dried them at room temperature. After the 40 °C wash, samples from the socks gave 29 positive fungal cultures (36%); Trichophyton rubrum was isolated in four specimens. After the 60 °C wash of the same socks, samples gave 5 positive fungal cultures (6%), and only Aspergillus species were detected. The authors conclude that laundering at low temperatures is not effective in eradicating fungal pathogens, which requires laundering at 60 °C ([Amichai et al., 2013](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23879806/)). ### Hammer et al., 2011: the laundry basket and 30 °C In a lab simulation of storage in a clothes basket, about 10% of the infectious material moved from contaminated textiles to sterile ones. T. rubrum could be recovered after washing at 30 °C, while washing at 60 °C eliminated both T. rubrum and the yeast Candida albicans, which did not survive any of the tests ([Hammer et al., 2011](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20652833/)). Akhoundi's paper notes an earlier study that reported washing with detergent at 30 °C eliminated T. rubrum, while T. mentagrophytes was eliminated only at 60 °C ([Akhoundi et al., 2022](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9143173/)). ### Skaastrup et al., 2022: a disinfectant soak A 2022 Danish lab study inoculated cotton sock pieces with 13 Trichophyton isolates, including terbinafine-resistant ones, using a load the authors expect to greatly exceed the fungal material in the socks of people with athlete's foot. Soaking the pieces in a quaternary ammonium (QAC) disinfectant detergent, diluted 1:10 as its maker instructs (0.3% QAC in the soak), left no growth for all 13 isolates after 24 hours, for 11 of 13 after 2 hours and for 6 of 13 after 30 minutes. A domestic wash at 40 °C with detergent disinfected 1 of 13 isolates, while a 40 °C steam wash and freezing at −20 °C for up to 24 hours disinfected none. The study did not test whether washing the sock pieces after the soak changes the result. The authors propose laundering socks at a minimum of 60 °C, or soaking them in a QAC-based detergent for at least 24 hours before laundering ([Skaastrup et al., 2022](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10138727/)). ## Drying: dry it, but do not count on the dryer Heat drying did not kill the fungi in the Akhoundi study: every pad still grew them after 100 or 150 minutes in a domestic dryer or 10 minutes in a coin-operated dryer. The recorded temperature in the domestic dryer stayed at about 20 °C, and the coin-operated dryer reached 60 °C for only 2 of its 10 minutes, so these trials do not test a longer, hotter drying cycle. Freezing at −20 °C for 24 hours, 48 hours or one week, and dry heat at 60 °C for 10, 30 or 90 minutes, did not kill them either ([Akhoundi et al., 2022](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9143173/)). A crossed-out dryer on the care label means the item is unsuitable for tumble drying ([GINETEX](https://www.ginetex.net/gb/labelling/care-symbols.asp)). Dryer settings by fabric are in [how to tumble dry clothes](/blog/how-to-tumble-dry-clothes/index.md). > The NHS says to keep following this advice after finishing treatment to help > stop athlete's foot coming back ([NHS](https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/athletes-foot/)). ## Mistakes to avoid > **Warning:** > - **Counting on the dryer.** The domestic and coin-operated dryers tested did not kill the fungi, at the low temperatures they reached (Akhoundi et al., 2022). > - **Freezing clothes instead of washing them.** Freezing at −20 °C did not kill the tested fungi (Akhoundi et al., 2022; Skaastrup et al., 2022). > - **Going above the label.** The number in the wash tub is a maximum that must not be exceeded (GINETEX). > - **Sharing towels.** For athlete's foot, the NHS advises not sharing towels, socks or shoes (NHS). ## Related reading - [Laundry temperature guide](/blog/laundry-temperature-guide/index.md) — choosing 30, 40 or 60 °C for everyday loads. - [How to tumble dry clothes](/blog/how-to-tumble-dry-clothes/index.md) — dryer settings and the care-label dots. - [How to wash bed sheets](/blog/how-to-wash-bed-sheets/index.md) — routine sheet care. - [Care symbol decoder](/tools/care-symbol-decoder/index.md) — read any care label.