[Question #14032] Can a Public Dryer (Laundromat) Transmit HPV or STIs?

49 minutes ago

Hi Doctor, my wife and I always wash our clothes at home using our own washing machine, but sometimes we use a public dryer in our apartment laundromat or while travelling. We usually only use the dryer, not the public washer( except sometimes while travelling). Our laundry, including underwear and towels, is dried on high heat for about 50 minutes to 1 hour or more and comes out hot and fully dry/almost dry afterward.

We're worried about HIV, other STIs, and HPV transmission through the public dryer (laundromat) environment.

Previous user's underwear/towel > dryer interior > previous user removes their items > our washed underwear/towels/clothes go into the same dryer > heated for about 50 minutes to 1 hour or more > we later wear our underwear or use our towels after showering.

1. Could HIV, HPV, or any STI be transmitted this way if a previous user had put unwashed, contaminated underwear or towels directly into the dryer before we used it? We only used the dryer after he/she had removed their items. In other words, could pathogens still survive on the metal drum, transfer onto our laundry, and later infect us when we wear our own dried underwear or use our towels?

2. If the previous user had already fully washed their clothes before using the dryer, would the risk be absolutely zero?

3. I sometimes masturbate while wearing my underwear. If there were somehow any viral traces of HPV or another STI left on my underwear from the public dryer, could the friction/contact infect me myself?

4. Can a laundromat/shared public dryer transmit HPV, HIV or any STI at all?

THANKS SO MUCH!