Pharmacist reveals bath time hack to help safeguard kids from school bugs

28 September 2018, 13:47 | Updated: 5 December 2019, 17:09

September is the primetime for children to pick up contagious illnesses after heading back to school, however, your bath time routine could help prevent infections.

Parents could avoid the dreaded back to school bug by giving their children a shower as soon as they get home.

UK pharmacist Shamir Patel is urging parents to help prevent the spread of cold and flu by making the simple change to their bath time routine, as the sniffly season officially gets underway.

"To some people, this tip will sound like an old wives' tale," Shamir, a father-of-three and founder of chemist-4-u.com told MailOnline.

He added: "But there's actually some very sound logic to it, and I believe it'd help reduce the number of cold and flu infections we see in the UK.  

"We know that rhinoviruses, a common cold-causing virus, can linger on the skin and remain infectious for more than an hour after first exposure. It can also linger on surfaces and clothing.

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Certain cold-like viruses like, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) can survive on can survive on worktops and door handles for up to six hours on clothing for up to an hour and on skin for up to 20 minutes.

Shamir says taking his advice into account could help prevent your children spreading germs around the home and making the family members ill in the process.

What's more, washing your children's clothes on high temperatures could also be key in preventing unwanted tummy bugs.

He adds: "Bacteria such as salmonella and campylobacter can cause really horrible bouts of food poisoning, with the young and old particularly vulnerable.'And these germs can survive for around four hours on fabrics like school uniforms.

"Wash any fabrics that may be contaminated with bacteria or viruses at 60C (140F), preferably with a bleach-based laundry product."