Everybody, it seems, is telling us to wash our laundry at lower temperatures. Turning our dials down to 30°C can reduce the precious energy used by our washing machines by 41 per cent.
"The vast majority of households wash laundry at 40°C or above. Turning to 30°C is a really simple and effective way to use less energy and reduce your environmental impact on a regular basis," Joanna Yarrow, the founder of the sustainability company Beyond Green, was recently quoted in a press release from the detergent brand Ariel as saying. "It takes no extra effort yet the benefits are huge."
Leading laundry detergent brands advertise new gel products that deliver "brilliant cleaning results at temperatures as low as 15°C", while washing machine manufacturers are advising consumers to turn their dials down and are racing to introduce special "eco" cycles because low temperature programmes have become key selling features. It is almost universally accepted that washing at lower temperatures saves money, energy and time. But does it really?
A recent study has highlighted serious hygiene risks associated with low-temperature washing that can't be ignored. Professor Sally Bloomfield of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and the author of the report, says there is a real risk that laundry could transmit infectious diseases when items are washed at low temperatures with detergents that are not bleach-based.
"Our parents and grandparents always used powder or tablets that contained oxygen-based bleach to kill bacteria as well as clean clothes," she explains. "But nowadays, lots of people prefer liquid detergents, which contain enzymes to lift dirt from fabrics. The problem is, they don't kill the bacteria. Clothes may look and smell clean, but they won't necessarily be hygienically clean.
"What's more, we're washing at lower temperatures in order to save money and the environment. I'm concerned that these cooler washing cycles aren't killing bacteria."
It is worrying to learn that bacteria such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) can survive cooler washes, which could potentially mean that certain resistant strains might thrive in the community. "If a member of your family is carrying MRSA, uses a towel, then somebody else uses the towel it can spread. It really is as easy as that," Bloomfield says. "The more MRSA is passed around, the more likely it is to get into hospitals and infect patients who have cuts or abrasions. It's a real risk, and one of the reasons why hygienic laundry practice is so important.
"Just like door handles, tap handles, our hands, food contact surfaces and so on - dirty laundry can be a critical point in the transmission of infection. Proper laundering at the correct temperatures with the right detergents should be an everyday part of our hygiene regimen, just like washing your hands or disinfecting food preparation surfaces is."
Luckily, there are some simple things we can all do to make sure our laundry is hygienic and to minimise the risk of spreading infection:
• Don't share towels - allocate one for each member of the family.
• Wash your hands thoroughly with hot water and soap after handling dirty laundry.
• Never put wet items in your laundry basket.
• Don't mix soiled underwear, towels or bed linen with low-risk outer clothing in the laundry basket or a wash.
• Launder kitchen tea towels and dish cloths separately.
• Dry laundry as soon as possible after washing. Leaving it damp in the machine overnight can cause germs to multiply rapidly.
• Tumble drying at high temperatures helps to keep laundry hygienic.
• Always use bleach-based detergents if you're using a shared launderette.
• Keep your washing machine clean. It's not just our health that could suffer if we wash at low temperatures regularly. Cooler temperatures and liquid detergents encourage slime and scum to build up inside your machine, which could cause technical problems as well as make your laundry dirty.
Joseph Oram, the product manager for laundry at Samsung, advises flushing out your washing machine on a regular basis: "Run a very hot (ideally 70°C) wash programme to sanitise the drum and interior of your washing machine and keep it in peak condition," he says.
It's also important to keep the detergent drawer, door seal and rubber lining clean. Use a disinfectant spray and clean cloth to wipe it every week to kill bacteria inside it.
For more information and advice, visit the International Scientific Forum on Home Hygiene, www.ifh-homehygiene.org, and the Energy Saving Trust, www.energysavingtrust.org
Temperature guidelines
Confused about what temperature to use? The International Scientific Forum on Home Hygiene recommends these guidelines for best laundry hygiene
30°C-40°C
Underwear, socks, bedding, sheets, bath towels. Everything that comes into contact with your body regularly should be washed at 30°C-40°C with a traditional bleach-based detergent powder or tablet.
40°C or less
Outer clothing. You can wash clothing that doesn't come into direct contact with your body such as skirts, jackets and trousers at lower temperatures and use laundry liquids that don't contain oxygen-releasing bleach. It won't constitute a serious infection risk.
60°C or more
Kitchen cloths and towels, sports clothing, heavily soiled items (such as reusable nappies), health care workers' uniforms or anything that presents a high-risk situation. "If somebody in your home has an infection or is particularly vulnerable to infection, all underwear, clothing, towels and bed linen should be washed at 60°C or more using a bleach-based laundry detergent powder or tablet," says Professor Sally Bloomfield of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
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Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
- Join parent networks
- Look beyond school fees
- Keep an open mind
Anxiety and work stress major factors
Anxiety, work stress and social isolation are all factors in the recogised rise in mental health problems.
A study UAE Ministry of Health researchers published in the summer also cited struggles with weight and illnesses as major contributors.
Its authors analysed a dozen separate UAE studies between 2007 and 2017. Prevalence was often higher in university students, women and in people on low incomes.
One showed 28 per cent of female students at a Dubai university reported symptoms linked to depression. Another in Al Ain found 22.2 per cent of students had depressive symptoms - five times the global average.
It said the country has made strides to address mental health problems but said: “Our review highlights the overall prevalence of depressive symptoms and depression, which may long have been overlooked."
Prof Samir Al Adawi, of the department of behavioural medicine at Sultan Qaboos University in Oman, who was not involved in the study but is a recognised expert in the Gulf, said how mental health is discussed varies significantly between cultures and nationalities.
“The problem we have in the Gulf is the cross-cultural differences and how people articulate emotional distress," said Prof Al Adawi.
“Someone will say that I have physical complaints rather than emotional complaints. This is the major problem with any discussion around depression."
Daniel Bardsley
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
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Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, (Leon banned).
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
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Shubh Mangal Saavdhan
Directed by: RS Prasanna
Starring: Ayushmann Khurrana, Bhumi Pednekar
