The protocol combines provisions from the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers (AHAM), the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the Department of Energy under one protocol.

The National Sanitation Foundation International (NSF) has developed a new protocol that will test and certify residential clothes washers to make sure they effectively sanitize laundry.

NSF Protocol P172 -- Sanitization Performance of Residential and Commercial, Family Sized Clothes Washers (NSF P172) is the first protocol to test and certify residential clothes washers with sanitizing cycles. NSF P172 addresses consumers' interest regarding proper sanitization of residential and family-sized clothes washers. The protocol combines provisions from the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers (AHAM), the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the Department of Energy under one protocol.

Whirlpool claims to be the first appliance manufacturer to meet P172 requirements and bear the NSF mark.

The protocol requirements include testing to ensure that:
- At least 99.9% of test organisms are removed when the washer's sanitization cycle is selected, and
- There is no carryover of test organisms between loads after sanitization cycle is used.

The protocol was developed by a panel of experts including representatives from the University of Iowa Hygienic Laboratory, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Silliker Laboratories, Stilwell Consulting, American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists (AATCC) and the Centre for Research on Environmental Microbiology (CREM).

"All consumers have to do is look for the NSF Mark on the washing machine to make sure that the proper sanitization requirements have been met," said Tom Bruursema, general manager of NSF's Engineering & Research Services. "Annual certification will assure continued confidence in NSF certified clothes washers."

"Whirlpool is proud to set the precedent for other clothes washer manufacturers to meet the new NSF requirements," said Dick Conrad, product business leader for Whirlpool North America.