Can molluscum be caught from clothes or remain in them - and what about towels?
Posted , 2 users are following.
I have been battling molluscum for the past six months or so and have managed to reduce it down to around half a dozen spots.
Over the years I have bought quite a lot of clothes from charity shops and although I tend to stick to bargains with their tags still attached, does anyone know if MC can be caught from wearing clothes and how likely this is, bearing in mind most of the clothes will have been on hangers for days/weeks and I tend to just chuck them in drawers when I get home and not even try them on until a few weeks later?
Also, how paranoid should I be after showering, as since getting molluscum I've put my towel straight in the wash if I accidentally touched some of the lesions with it despite being really careful trying not to?
I've washed all my clothes and towels vigorously recently and want to minimise the chances of it coming back and spreading again now that it appears the virus is on its way out...
0 likes, 11 replies
kim12266 PYFarnweather
Posted
ye it can be caught from towels and fro. items that have been touched clothing etc
kim12266
Posted
it all needs to be washed on a hot wash
kim12266
Posted
if u use a sponge in the shower i recommend throwing it away
PYFarnweather
Posted
Wow, so you think molluscum can survive on clothes for weeks or maybe even months, so I could have got it from a garment I bought in a charity shop? It makes me paranoid to think viruses can survive on surfaces 😦 I definitely do what you say and hot-wash all my clothes now, though, and I just use gel in the shower, not a sponge, and I dry myself in the air and with a hair dryer, not even using a towel any more, until it's gone.
kim12266 PYFarnweather
Posted
molloscum will only live on surfaces for up to a couple of hours
kim12266
Posted
it dosnt live long outside the body just ensure u was ur clothes an towels an keep the shower clean keep work surfaces clean etc just general hygeine really
PYFarnweather
Posted
Okay, thanks, I will do!
It's reassuring to know that once my MC has cleared up, there's not much chance of it coming back because of my clothes if I wash them regularly now and in the future.
kim12266 PYFarnweather
Posted
u should be ok u just have to keep clean basically wash hands etc wash clothes /towels after use it dosnt live for ling outside the body so u dont have to resort to buyin new clothing etc hot wash for towels an bedding
kim12266
Posted
i hope it clears up for u soon good luck
PYFarnweather kim12266
Posted
Thank you! I have managed to reduce it down to around 2-3 spots, but each time they nearly all disappear, one or two very tiny ones appear, which gradually get bigger. It's depressing, feeling like I'll never be free of MC.
But from researching the internet, most people say once it has started healing/going, it doesn't come back, so I wonder why I keep seeing very small spots appearing even if it's just 1 or 2 very close to where the main outbreaks have now cleared up.
Also, the area underneath where the molluscum was looks a bit purple still and like there's still fluid below the skin? I'm wondering if it's even MC, but two doctors were pretty sure it was.
kim12266 PYFarnweather
Posted
id need to see a photo to be able to say if thats what it is usually a doctor is pretty good at being able to tell of it is mc