[nudephil (OP)]

A listener from a ladies' clothing shop got in touch to ask the following:

Can we steam our clothes that are due to be quarantined - from either returns, or items tried on and not purchased - rather than simply put them in quarantine for 3 days?

Many small clothing shops either don't have the extra space or will run out of 'clothes for sale' because all the popular sizes will be out the back in quarantine. Within a few days we could run out of stock.

We have a professional steamer that we use on all our clothes when they come out of the box or bag they arrive in, before we sell them. The steamer steams at between 12C and 140C.

The irony is that the only other space we have is our store and office. If we can’t steam clothes and move them back to the shop floor, I’ll be sitting in a room with all the quarantined clothes. Should I bag myself up or is it OK for me to spend every day sitting in a quarantine box with all the clothing?

Can anyone help?

[Bored chemist]

s it OK for me to spend every day sitting in a quarantine box with all the clothing?

As long as the clothing is enclosed in a bag or something, yes.
The virus can't jump.
Steaming, if it raises the temperature to 120^oC will certainly inactivate the virus.
On the other hand, it risks damaging some fabrics. The problem is that the steam might be that hot, but does it get the cloth to 120^oC? I think it would get them pretty soggy if it did.

Ironing might also work.
According to this,
https://www.journalofhospitalinfection.com/article/S0195-6701(20)30124-9/pdf
1 minute at 80^oC is sufficient to inactivate it.

.
"A total of 10 studies with original data were found. Overall a
thermal disinfection at 60^oC for 30 min, 65^oC for 15 min and
80^oC for 1 min was effective to strongly reduce coronavirus
infectivity by at least 4 log₁₀ "



Laundering will remove/  inactivate it, though I recognise that's potentially expensive.

[alancalverd]

Many small clothing shops either don't have the extra space or will run out of 'clothes for sale' because all the popular sizes will be out the back in quarantine. Within a few days we could run out of stock.

Surely you will only be holding 3 days' return stock, which you rotate on a first-in-first-out basis. Unless you were in the habit of reprocessing the returns and tryons immediately they appeared, it's more likely that you will only be holding an additional 2 days' worth.  As footfall will have reduced anyway, you won't need as many copies of each size on shop display. I'd be surprised if things didn't "iron themselves out" in a week.   

[Bored chemist]

Unless you were in the habit of reprocessing the returns and tryons immediately they appeared,

Do you realise that, pre covid, "reprocessing" meant folding?

[alancalverd]

Since this shop steams new stock before putting it on display, I assume they have a fairly serious attitude to quality control and appearance. Even Tesco used to take the reject rack away, check for stains and rips, and make sure the price label was intact, before putting stuff back on display.