Monkeypox: Steps for removing contaminated clothing
This publication was published before November 28, 2022. Since then, the World Health Organization began using ‘mpox’ as the preferred term for monkeypox disease.
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Organization: Public Health Agency of Canada
Published: 2022-11-15
If you are providing care to someone with a monkeypox infection, your clothing may become contaminated while handling their laundry. It is recommended to have an extra change of clean clothes available in case your clothes get contaminated.
- Keep mask and gloves on while removing clothing
- Remove the contaminated clothing
- minimize contact with the outer surface and avoid agitating clothing while doing so
- If you need to transport your contaminated clothing to another location, place it in a disposable leak-proof bag.
- After putting the clothing in the laundry, place the bag used to transport it in another disposable garbage bag, close it, and dispose of it.
- Wash your contaminated laundry in a washing machine using hot water (70 C) with detergent
- clean and disinfect contaminated footwear, if worn
- Remove and dispose of gloves and clean your hands
- Remove and dispose of mask and clean your hands
- Put on clean clothes
For more information on monkeypox: canada.ca/monkeypox