[Effect of domestic laundry processes on mycotic contamination of textiles].

Inadequately decontaminated clothing may be a source of reinfection following therapy of dermato- and onychomycoses. The objective of this study was to determine whether domestic laundering is suitable for cleansing mycotically contaminated garments. Textile-samples contaminated with Trichophyton rubrum, Trichophyton mentagrophytes, Candida albicans and Scopulariopsis brevicaulis were washed in an ordinary washing machine at different temperatures. Regardless of the textiles and detergents used, reliable decontamination was achieved by laundering at 60 degrees C. Trichophyton rubrum was eliminated with a washing temperature of 30 degrees C.