Washing clothes at 60°C (140°F) reliably kills yeast, including Candida albicans, the species behind most yeast infections. Lower temperatures can work for some organisms, but 60°C is the threshold that eliminates both yeast and tougher fungal species like dermatophytes. If you’re dealing with recurring yeast infections or athlete’s foot, how you launder contaminated clothing matters more than you might expect.
Water Temperature Is the Most Reliable Method
Candida albicans, the yeast responsible for vaginal yeast infections and oral thrush, is relatively easy to kill with heat. Washing at just 30°C for 10 minutes eliminates it from fabric. But if you’re also dealing with fungal skin infections like athlete’s foot or ringworm, those organisms are far hardier. Dermatophytes (the fungi behind those conditions) survive a 40°C wash cycle. Only at 60°C are both yeast and dermatophytes reliably destroyed.
Most modern washing machines have a 60°C or “hot” setting. Use it for underwear, socks, towels, and any clothing that directly contacts an infected area. A standard wash cycle length is sufficient at this temperature.
When You Can’t Use Hot Water
Silk, wool, and other delicate fabrics can’t handle 60°C without damage. The good news: mechanical agitation during washing does a surprising amount of work on its own. Research on fungal-contaminated fabric found that two cold-water wash cycles with regular detergent removed all detectable fungal contamination, regardless of water temperature. The physical action of the wash cycle dislodges organisms from fibers even when the heat isn’t high enough to kill them outright.
If you have delicates that were in contact with a yeast-infected area, run them through two full wash cycles with detergent on a longer setting (at least 14 minutes per cycle). This approach effectively decontaminates fabric without bleach or hot water. It works because the combination of detergent, water, and agitation physically removes fungal cells from the textile rather than relying on heat to kill them in place.
Bleach Works, but You May Not Need It
Household bleach (sodium hypochlorite at 5.25% to 6.15% concentration) is a powerful fungal killer. Even highly diluted, it destroys fungal organisms in under an hour. A small amount added to a wash cycle provides an extra layer of assurance for white cotton underwear and socks. Follow the label instructions for your bleach product, typically about half a cup per load.
That said, research on fungal-contaminated laundry found no detectable difference between loads washed with and without bleach when proper washing procedures were followed. Bleach is a useful tool for heavily contaminated items or when you want extra confidence, but it’s not strictly necessary if you’re washing at 60°C or running two full cycles with detergent. For colored or synthetic fabrics where chlorine bleach would cause damage, color-safe oxygen bleach is a reasonable alternative, though it has less antifungal potency.
Your Dryer Alone Won’t Do the Job
This is one of the most counterintuitive findings: standard home dryers do not reliably kill fungal organisms. Testing with dermatophyte spores showed that fungi survived both domestic and laundromat dryers, even after 150 minutes of drying. The problem is that home dryers rarely sustain temperatures of 60°C for long enough. Data loggers placed inside laundromat dryers recorded only about 2 minutes at 60°C during a full drying cycle, with most of the cycle spent at lower temperatures.
Use your dryer to get clothes fully dry (fungi thrive in moisture), but don’t rely on it as your primary disinfection step. The killing needs to happen in the wash.
Sunlight Provides a Useful Boost
Hanging clothes in direct sunlight after washing does reduce fungal contamination. A study of socks from patients with athlete’s foot compared sun-exposed socks to those kept indoors over three consecutive days. The sun-exposed group showed significantly higher rates of negative fungal cultures. UV radiation damages fungal DNA and creates an inhospitable drying environment.
Three days of sun exposure produced the best results in that study. Even one day helps, but this method works best as a supplement to proper washing rather than a standalone treatment. If you have the option to line-dry contaminated items in direct sun, it’s worth doing.
Microwaving Underwear After Washing
One unconventional but research-backed approach targets a specific problem: Candida that survives ordinary laundering on underwear. Researchers found that microwaving damp, freshly laundered cotton underwear sterilized residual Candida within five minutes. The fabric must be wet for this to work, as the moisture converts to steam and reaches temperatures that kill the yeast throughout the fabric.
This only applies to 100% cotton underwear with no metal components (no metallic threads, underwires, or decorative elements). Synthetic fabrics can melt. If you’re dealing with recurrent vaginal yeast infections and suspect reinfection from underwear, microwaving damp cotton underwear for five minutes after a normal wash is a practical extra step.
Vinegar Is Not a Reliable Antifungal for Laundry
White vinegar is frequently recommended online as a natural laundry disinfectant, but the evidence doesn’t support its use against yeast. Standard household vinegar (4% to 4.2% acetic acid) showed inhibitory effects against only one species of mold in laboratory testing and had no effect on others. It was not broadly effective against the diverse fungal species you’d encounter in real-world contamination. If you prefer natural additives, vinegar won’t hurt your laundry, but don’t count on it to kill yeast. Stick with hot water, proper wash cycles, and bleach if needed.
Preventing Recontamination Between Loads
Your washing machine itself can harbor fungi if you’re not careful. The most important habit is simple: don’t leave damp laundry sitting in the machine. Wet, warm environments are ideal for fungal growth, and clothes left overnight in a closed washer can pick up organisms rather than shed them. Remove laundry promptly after the cycle finishes and dry it completely.
You don’t need to disinfect your washing machine between every load. The CDC notes that when proper laundry procedures are followed (appropriate temperature, detergent, and additives), disinfecting the machine’s drum is unnecessary. If you’re concerned, running an empty hot cycle with bleach once a month keeps the machine clean. Many newer machines have a dedicated drum-cleaning cycle for this purpose.
A Practical Laundry Routine for Yeast
- Underwear, socks, and towels: Wash at 60°C with regular detergent. Add bleach for whites if desired. Dry completely in the dryer or in direct sunlight.
- Delicate fabrics: Run two full cold-water cycles with detergent, at least 14 minutes each. Dry thoroughly.
- Cotton underwear during active infection: Wash normally, then microwave damp for five minutes (cotton only, no metal).
- All laundry: Remove from the washer promptly. Never leave damp clothes sitting in the machine. Ensure everything is fully dry before storing.
Fungi need moisture to survive and multiply. Whatever method you use to kill yeast during washing, making sure clothes are bone-dry before they go back in your drawer is the simplest way to prevent recolonization.