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There’s a big market for second-hand goods at the moment with a number of Facebook groups popping up online and classifieds websites like Gumtree allowing people to sell their unwanted items.
While most things are relatively safe to purchase second-hand, is it okay to buy second-hand textiles like sheets and pillowcases?
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Speaking to Stuff, microbiologist Dr Heather Hendrickson says secon-hand textiles are perfectly safe as long as they have been washing in hot soapy water.
“Either the bacteria’s membranes will be disrupted by the soap and or they are just washed away. Those things I wouldn’t be that concerned about,” Heather said.
Even if they haven’t been washed, they should still be okay.
“We are full of bacteria. We are all covered in bacteria and covered in microbes, so what is the point where you suddenly think ‘oh now I am really concerned’. These bacteria aren’t going to harm you.”
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