Ok, since this post is resurrected and I am a nurse and also a clean freak, I'll weigh in here. Yes, the CDC recommends just soap and water. Actually, soap and water OR hand sanitizer is what we use in the hospital to kill germs on our hands. FYI, The only thing that doesn't get killed with sanitizer on your hands, according to our continuing education on infection control is C-Diff. Guess what you use for that one? Good ole soap and water. Yup, soap and water is even better than sanitizer in some cases! As for surfaces in the hospital, its bleach or cavi-wipes (not sure what's in those, some chemical you can't buy at home, I think. Bleach is the only thing to use on C-diff, once again, but bleach will kill everything else you run into in a hospital. That being said, if you or a family member is immuno- compromised then take extra measures at home or if you are like me and work in a hospital, it doesn't hurt to be extra cautious. When I wash clothes, I am both protecting myself from patients and also protecting them from anything floating around my house, so it warrants the most stringent measures I know of. I take extra measures I wash my uniforms separately in HOT water, even though they are dark blue. Yes they do fade and wear out faster, but that's the trade off I will take. Think of that next time your nurse has a faded uniform. Also, my new washer has a sanitize feature that steams the clothes. I plan on using that with my uniforms and anything my pets (or family) may have an accident on. I just would not feel comfortable relying on vinegar, or peroxide or even store bought sanitizer, in those cases, especially when the hospital is using bleach. As for the original OP's question, my son is grown but I never put him into any dress clothes I couldn't wash in hot water until he was old enough to be fully potty trained and then some. After that, well, he didn't get sick much and I'm known, even now, for throwing any clothing out that I can't soak the poop, blood or vomit out of and then follow with a wash in super hot water in the washer. The rare fragile fabric that you mentioned that gets stained, yea, if I can't sanitize it in hot water after an accident, I throw out. I think I got over putting my son in expensive baby clothes really quick. One word...onesies, lots of them. Cheap, comfy, cute and disposable, if need be. :)) Also, peroxide does do a fantastic job of getting blood out of clothes, but I never use it as a sanitizer in clothes. It would have to be something like a gallon of peroxide in the wash to be any kind of germ killer. I do pour it directly on blood spots alternating it with some sort of spot lifter like Oxy Max and luke warm water (body temp) . I've been doing this for years, even on lacy fragile fabrics ( if ya know what I mean, ladies) and that combo is what usually works, Try to treat blood as soon as you can. The longer it sits, the more it sets in. Oxy Max will eventually eat up your fabrics too, by the way.

rayjay1, if you don't mind the smell of bleach and you are not overly sensitive to it, bleach might be a great sanitizer. I can't stand the smell of chlorine in towels, underwear or bedding. Even the bleach bathroom cleaners smell disgusting and they literally give me a headache. Chlorine bleach is not as healthy and safe as many people seem to believe. I have worked in chemical labs for many years and I know some disgusting and toxic smells. Chlorine is one of them! Besides, lots of things can't be bleached because the colors would fade quickly. Certain fabrics are also not supposed to come in contact with bleach (for example microfibers).

I have had the Whirlpool Duet HT 9400 model now for a little over 2 years. I just love my washer and dryer so much and have to thank this site that helped me to figure out what would be best to buy for my situation. I always dry the washer's door when I am not going to doing any more washes that day. I always leave the washer door open slightly to air it out as well as leave the laundry room door open to air it out since my laundry room has no window in it. I learned this from this site 2 years ago. I never cleaned out my washer with bleach and didn't realize I should. should I still if I have no problems? So far, I never had one problem with my very quiet washer and dryer that gets my clothes cleaned and is pretty also. I love being able to fold clothes on the top of them. I did not buy the pedestals since I am not quite 5 feet. I just put a lot of shelves in the laundry room for storage.

I was in a very similar situation a couple years ago. I wanted a midcentury modern home but it had to be in a specific area. Prices were still depressed at that time, but I knew they were bound to increase soon. I had been watching a home online that was built by one of my favorite 1950's architects. I had seen black and white pics of the house from the 50's and it was beautiful then. Unfortunately, the previous owners had altered much of the architecture. The price was much too high. When the price decreased significantly, the realtor and I went to look at it. It had also been abandoned for 10 yrs. There was major water damage EVERYWHERE. The ceiling ballooned out all over the place. The patio overhang and soffit had areas of rot. The carpet had water damage. The realtor and I walked out laughing that anyone would think they could sell the house for the asking price (which was still above my budget). We looked at more homes, but the bones of these homes did not compare to the damaged home. The home had walls of glass, amazing views of the city and mountains and in my opinion had great potential. When I wanted to make an offer on it, the realtor was shocked. He tried to talk me out of it. But I felt it was a matter of time before I was priced out of this area and despite the terrible condition of the home, it had other things going for it. Before making an offer, we had a roofer look at the roof. Like your roof, it had been replaced in the last 10 yrs. All I can figure is that no one had bothered to repair the extensive drywall damage. The exterior soffit damage was from condensation in AC vents (yes- they had AC on the patio!). After haggling with the bank (shortsale), I finally got the house. I remember that night thinking, WHAT HAVE I DONE? The house has taken extensive investment. It is not done, and because of the expense, I am taking my time with it. I did put in new floors, new roof, new electrical, new kitchen, drywall, opened the floorplan up, etc. The house just appraised for much higher than I paid. If I were you, I would have a roofer look at the roof to verify it is intact. Try to get a contractor out there also to give you his/her opinion on the source of the water damage elsewhere and his worst cost estimate. Think about the WORST possible outcome with the water damage and decide if you are willing to pay this for the house. I was fortunate that for my house the water damage, although it looked awful, was negligible for cost. If you really want the house, repairing the issues may be worth it. Dont forget that other things might need repair/replacing - HVAC system, etc.