20.500.12556/RUL-178894 Integrated low-temperature washing and drying for sustainable hygiene of domestic laundry Low-temperature laundering is promoted to reduce the environmental impact of domestic textile care; however, washing at ≤ 40 °C is insufficient for hygienic decontamination, rendering the drying stage critical, as microbial survival strongly depends on moisture availability and drying conditions. This study systematically investigates the antimicrobial efficacy of low-temperature washing combined with different drying methods under controlled, household-relevant conditions, and directly links hygiene performance to environmental impact using life cycle assessment (LCA). Cotton carriers inoculated with representative bioindicators were washed at 30 °C using a commercial detergent and subsequently dried by high- and low-temperature tumble drying, controlled indoor air drying, and simulated outdoor solar exposure (Xenotest). Low-temperature washing alone resulted in limited microbial reduction, whereas drying led to substantial additional inactivation. Both high- and low-temperature tumble drying eliminated most microorganisms (>7 log CFU cm⁻²), while simulated indoor air drying achieved significant reductions (∼6 log CFU cm⁻²), indicating that moisture reduction is a dominant mechanism of microbial inactivation, even without elevated drying temperatures. In this respect Xenotest treatment was less effective. The LCA showed that drying accounts for more than 50 % of the total environmental impact of the laundering process, with low-temperature tumble drying reducing overall impacts by approximately 20 % compared to high-temperature drying due to lower electricity consumption. By quantitatively linking microbial hygiene outcomes with environmental impacts, this study provides decision-relevant evidence for optimising domestic laundry practices, demonstrating that energy-efficient drying strategies can compensate for the hygienic limitations of low-temperature washing while significantly reducing the environmental footprint of textile care. laundry low temperature washing drying microorganisms reduction environmental impacts nega tekstilij nizka temperatura pranje sušenje zmanjšanje števila mikroorganizmov vplivi na okolje true false true Angleški jezik Slovenski jezik Članek v reviji 2026-02-01 04:37:26 2026-02-02 13:09:19 2026-03-23 12:00:48 0000-00-00 00:00:00 2026 0 0 11 str. art. 104763 Vol. 41 2026 0000-00-00 Zaloznikova Objavljeno NiDoloceno 0000-00-00 0000-00-00 0000-00-00 677 2352-1864 10.1016/j.eti.2026.104763 266818563 1-s2.0-S2352186426000209-main.pdf 1-s2.0-S2352186426000209-main.pdf 1 4ED6A22251BF10F11E066C9AAFE0651C 5581221966d86e157d881c5e0e09e031af90761b6f8ac3878a1aca8cb3c02f23 bf2ac253-002e-11f1-a1ba-0050569b8976 https://repozitorij.uni-lj.si/Dokument.php?lang=slv&id=226985 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352186426000209 1 47347408-ff1f-11f0-a1ba-0050569b8976 https://repozitorij.uni-lj.si/Dokument.php?lang=slv&id=226925 Zdravstvena fakulteta Naravoslovnotehniška fakulteta 0 0 0