Unfortunately, there will likely come a time in everyone’s life when they have to clean some kind of poop off fabric.
It’s understandable to question the best way of doing this, as poop isn’t the most pleasant thing to deal with.
So, can you put poop in the washing machine? What are the best steps for taking care of poop-soiled fabric? Let’s find out.
Can You Put Poop in the Washing Machine?
While you can wash soiled clothes in the washing machine, you’ll want to remove as much actual poop as possible before doing so.
Sure, it’s an unpleasant job, but it’s necessary for keeping your washing machine clean in the future.
The cleaner the item before it goes in the machine, the better job your washer will do.
A rough guide for washing poopy items is as follows:
- Remove as much poop as you can. It’s best to do this with some kitchen paper, which you should then throw in the bin. Never flush kitchen paper down the toilet.
- Soak the item in warm water for 30-60 minutes with a small amount of laundry detergent. Of course, rinse whatever basin you use thoroughly after.
- Treat the affected area with an enzymatic cleaner, such as Simple Solution Extreme Stain Remover. Follow the instructions on your chosen product.
- Wash the item – on its own – on a hot, heavily-soiled setting. Add the normal amount of detergent.
- Check the item when the cycle is finished. If you still notice stains, run it on another cycle after treating with stain remover.
- Dry the item, either by hanging up or in the tumble dryer.
What Happens If Poop Goes in the Washing Machine?
Provided you’ve followed the steps above, there should be minimal actual poop making its way into your washing machine. Granted, there will be a small amount left, but it’s nothing to worry about.
Washing the item on the hottest setting (typically 90 degrees Celsius) is enough to kill any nasty germs and bacteria that might be hanging around on the item. As such, you shouldn’t need to do any extra cleaning of the machine itself.
If you want to be extra careful, run another 90-degree cycle, this time with about 100 ml of bleach in the detergent drawer.
Make sure the cycle is set to an extra spin to remove all traces of bleach so it doesn’t affect the next load of washing.
As a final tip, be mindful about the next load of washing you do.
By this point, there shouldn’t be any nasty stuff left in your washing machine, but avoid doing any kitchen-related laundry (e.g., dish towels) as your next cycle.
Final Thoughts
Dealing with poopy clothes or fabric is mostly in the pre-treatment. Provided you take the necessary steps for dealing with excess matter and the stain itself, your washing machine should have an easy job of getting the item fresh again.
Just make sure you use a heavy-hitting stain remover and you should be good to go.
Jacob is a freelance writer based in Wales, where he lives with his partner and two dogs. All his work is fuelled by extensive research and buckets of coffee.
