Although current research findings and guidance from public health authorities provide insight on how to reduce viral transmission on surfaces, the same is not true for clothing and other textiles. Not everyone has a washing machine in their home. However, those who use laundry facilities can still follow the guidelines listed above. As the pandemic has continued encompassing the globe, scientists have learned more about how long the virus can survive on an open surface and if that is a key component of transmission. Later this year, IFTNA plans to launch a laundry product people can use to apply its antiviral chemical to their clothes at home, and by 2021, it will debut its own Underit line of Protex-treated activewear, like jogging pants and sports bras. In contrast, the virus was only shown to survive for up to 6 hours on polycotton and 24 hours on clothes made from 100% cotton. Researchers say that the virus was able to spread onto other surfaces through all three materials, meaning it's especially important for all frontline workers to have their garments cleaned to hospital standards.

The company is currently awaiting approval from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to market Protex as effective at destroying the novel coronavirus.The authors of a 2020 study reported that SARS-CoV-2 is more stable on smooth surfaces, such as glass or metal. On the fabric sample that was 100 percent cotton, the virus lasted for a single day, while the dosage on the polycotton sample only survived for six hours. A front-runner in the antiviral textile business is Intelligent Fabric Technologies North America (IFTNA), a Toronto-based biotech company that produces a fabric treatment called Protex (officially known as PROTX2AV). The company’s lab tests have shown that Protex can kill 99.9 percent of SARS-CoV-2 particles within 10 minutes. He gives an example of how antiviral fabric might reduce the chance of infection for someone who touches a contaminated surface. “If someone sneezes on a bench, then you sit on it and wipe your hands on your pants and then touch your nose, that’s a big area where we can see [Protex] working. It’s prevention in day-to-day life.” He adds, “I’m sure the material does inactivate the virus, but if so, so what? You’d still get [COVID-19] the way everyone else is getting COVID-19.”

I bought the T shirt in the hope that it might pleasantly surprise me. It looked great in the photo & I thought it worth a chance. All the evidence suggested otherwise.Disinfection requires the use of chemicals that kill germs. Disinfecting hard surfaces and textiles after cleaning them can further reduce the risk of spreading infections.