How to Use Lysol Laundry Sanitizer: Directions and Dosing

You bought a bottle of Lysol Laundry Sanitizer, you read the label, and you still are not sure what to do with it. Does it go in with the detergent? In the little fabric softener cup? Straight into the drum? And will it even do anything if you wash in cold water? Those are the exact questions that send people looking, and they are fair ones, because the bottle is easy to misuse. This guide explains how to use Lysol Laundry Sanitizer correctly, step by step, so the active ingredient actually reaches your clothes at the right moment and does its job. I test hygiene products for a living, and the single most common mistake I see is pouring the product in at the wrong time.

The short version: Lysol Laundry Sanitizer is a rinse-cycle additive, not a detergent booster. It is designed to go in during the rinse, either through the fabric softener dispenser or added straight to the drum, and it needs to stay in contact with the fabric for 16 minutes. Add it with your detergent at wash-in and you waste most of it. Below, I walk through the dosing, the exact spot it goes, why it works in cold water, what it does and does not kill, and how it compares to bleach and oxygen bleach.

What Lysol Laundry Sanitizer actually is

Lysol Laundry Sanitizer is a liquid laundry additive made by Reckitt. Its job is narrow and specific: it kills bacteria that ordinary detergent leaves behind on fabric. According to the official Lysol product page, it “kills 99.9% of bacteria that detergents leave behind” and “works even in cold water,” and it contains 0% bleach.

The active ingredients are quaternary ammonium compounds, commonly called “quats.” On the EPA-registered product label (EPA Reg. No. 777-128) the primary active is listed as alkyl dimethyl benzyl ammonium chloride, which is another name for benzalkonium chloride. The formula also includes companion quats such as octyl decyl dimethyl ammonium chloride and dioctyl dimethyl ammonium chloride. Quats work by disrupting the outer membrane of bacterial cells, which causes the cell to break down. This is the same class of active ingredient used in many hospital surface disinfectants, which is one reason it stays effective at low temperatures.

The 99.9% figure is a 3-log reduction, meaning it removes 999 of every 1,000 target bacteria. Reckitt names two organisms specifically in its consumer materials: Staphylococcus aureus (linked to staph infections) and Klebsiella pneumoniae (linked to pneumonia), per the company’s own Reckitt newsroom release. The product is registered and labeled for cold-water use, which is why its cold-water performance holds up. More on that below.

If you are still deciding whether this is the right product for your household, our roundup of the best laundry sanitizers compares quat additives like this one against oxygen and pine-oil options.

Lysol Laundry Sanitizer directions: the correct steps

Here is the process, start to finish. These directions follow the official label wording.

1. Sort and load your laundry as usual. Add your normal detergent to its normal spot. The sanitizer does not replace detergent; it is a separate step.
2. Measure the sanitizer using the cap. For a standard (non-HE) machine, fill each cap to line 1. For a high-efficiency (HE) machine, fill each cap to line 2. Use 2 capfuls for a normal load. For a large or heavily soiled load, use more, following the fill lines on your specific bottle.
3. Pour it into the fabric softener dispenser. This is the default spot. The dispenser releases its contents automatically during the rinse cycle, which is exactly when you want the sanitizer to reach the clothes.
4. No fabric softener dispenser? Add it during the rinse cycle instead. Wait for the machine to reach the rinse, then pour the 2 capfuls directly into the drum, onto the water and clothes.
5. Let it dwell. Leave the product in the rinse cycle for 16 minutes of contact time, as the official label specifies. This dwell time is what lets the quats actually reduce the bacteria; a quick splash-and-drain does not work.
6. Finish and dry as normal.

That is the whole method. The design intent is simple: get the active ingredient onto clean, detergent-washed fabric during the rinse, and hold it there long enough to work.

One practical note from testing. If your machine runs a very short rinse, you may not get a full 16 minutes of contact. Some washers let you add a second rinse or extend the rinse; if yours does, use that setting on loads where sanitizing matters most, such as illness laundry or heavily used gym gear. If your washer has no way to lengthen the rinse, the manufacturer’s soak method is a fallback: two capfuls in one gallon of cold water, soak for 15 minutes, then wash as normal. Use the soak method only for items that tolerate hand-soaking.

Where to pour Lysol Laundry Sanitizer (and where not to)

This is the part people get wrong, so it deserves its own section.

Correct: the fabric softener dispenser, or the drum during the rinse cycle. The fabric softener compartment is the intended home for this product because that dispenser is engineered to release during rinse, not during the main wash. If your machine has no such dispenser (many older top-loaders and some HE units do not release on a timer), you add it manually once the rinse begins.

Incorrect: with the detergent, at wash-in. If you pour the sanitizer into the detergent tray or dump it in with the detergent at the start, two problems happen. First, it drains away with the dirty wash water before it has done anything useful. Second, detergent and other additives in that first wash can interfere with the quats and reduce their effectiveness. Quaternary ammonium compounds can be partially neutralized by anionic surfactants, which is exactly what most detergents contain. So timing is not a minor detail; it is the difference between the product working and the product going down the drain.

If you want the broader picture of how a rinse additive fits into a full hygiene routine, our guide on how to sanitize laundry covers where chemical additives, heat, and drying each play a role, including whether your machine’s own built-in sanitize cycle does the same job (it usually does not).

Does Lysol Laundry Sanitizer work in cold water?

Yes, and this is one of its genuine selling points. It is formulated to sanitize in cold water and contains no bleach.

The reason comes down to chemistry. Two things reduce bacteria in laundry: heat and chemistry. Hot water works by denaturing bacterial proteins, but you need real heat to get there. The CDC’s infection control guidance recommends hot-water washing at a temperature of at least 160 degrees Fahrenheit (71 degrees Celsius) for a minimum of 25 minutes for thermal disinfection of laundry. Most home washers on a “warm” or “cold” setting never come close to that, and many domestic water heaters are not even set that high. Our deep dive on what temperature kills bacteria in laundry explains why your everyday wash usually is not hot enough on its own.

Quaternary ammonium compounds do not rely on heat. They attack the bacterial cell membrane chemically, and that reaction proceeds at room temperature. Because Lysol registers and labels this product for cold-water use, you get the sanitizing benefit without cranking up the water heater. The CDC itself notes that satisfactory microbial reduction can be achieved at lower water temperatures when a suitable laundry additive is used at the correct concentration, which is the general principle a cold-water rinse additive relies on. That is useful for the many fabrics that should not be washed hot, and for anyone trying to keep energy costs down. It is worth being honest about one caveat: some independent testers have found that results improve with longer contact time and warmer water, so give the product its full rinse window rather than shortchanging it.

What it kills, and what it does not

Be precise about the claim so you do not over-trust the product.

What it targets: odor-causing and illness-causing bacteria, at a 99.9% (3-log) reduction. Lysol names Staphylococcus aureus and Klebsiella pneumoniae specifically. This is why it is genuinely helpful for gym clothes, gym towels, cloth diapers, underwear, pet bedding, and the load you run after someone in the house has been sick.

What the standard claim covers: the headline “kills 99.9% of bacteria” claim is a bacterial claim. A soft-surface sanitizer like this is held by the EPA to a bacterial standard on fabric, and the EPA does not extend soft-surface sanitizer claims to viruses, fungi, or spores in the same way it does for bacteria. Some Lysol laundry labels do carry separate, tested virus-kill claims, so if virus reduction matters to you, read the specific bottle you own rather than assuming. When it comes to mold on fabric, a rinse additive is not a substitute for actually removing the mold; badly mildewed items may need to be discarded.

The takeaway: this is primarily a bacterial sanitizer for fabric, not a broad-spectrum disinfectant. For a plain-language breakdown of these categories, see our explainer on cleaning vs sanitizing vs disinfecting.

How it compares to bleach and oxygen bleach

People often ask whether they even need this if they already own bleach. Each option has a role.

Option	Active ingredient	Reduces bacteria?	Works in cold water?	Color-safe?	Notes
Lysol Laundry Sanitizer	Quats (benzalkonium chloride)	Yes, 99.9% of bacteria	Yes	Yes, gentle on most fabrics	Rinse additive; 0% bleach; bacterial claim
Chlorine bleach	Sodium hypochlorite	Yes, broad-spectrum incl. many viruses and fungi	Less effective cold; needs adequate concentration	No, whites only	Harsh on fabric; strong fumes; not for many materials
Oxygen bleach	Sodium percarbonate	Some antibacterial and whitening action	Works better in warm or hot water	Yes, color-safe	Better as a stain and brightening booster than a true sanitizer

Chlorine bleach is the strongest germ-killer of the three and reaches viruses and fungi that a quat sanitizer’s standard bacterial claim does not. But it is only for whites and bleach-safe items, it can damage many fabrics and elastics, and it produces fumes. Oxygen bleach (the sodium percarbonate in many “OxiClean-style” products) is a color-safe brightener and stain fighter, and it has some antibacterial effect, but it performs best in warm or hot water and is not marketed as a laundry sanitizer. Lysol Laundry Sanitizer fills the gap: a color-safe, cold-water, bacterial sanitizer you add at the rinse without touching your detergent choice.

If your real goal is getting sour, musty smells out of fabric rather than germ reduction, that is a slightly different problem, and odor and sanitizing are not the same job. Treat the smell and the bacteria as two separate tasks and use the product for the one it is built for.

You can find all three product types, including the fragrance-free “Free and Clear” version of the Lysol additive, through major retailers. Buy by category and pick the one that matches your fabric and your goal, rather than assuming one product does everything.

Safety around kids and pets

This matters, and it is not scaremongering. Quaternary ammonium compounds are effective antimicrobials, but they are also recognized skin and respiratory irritants and sensitizers. Handle the concentrate with the same respect you would give any household disinfectant.

• Store it closed and out of reach of children and pets. The concentrated liquid is not something a child or animal should access.
• Do not let pets, especially cats, contact the undiluted product. There is documented veterinary literature on benzalkonium chloride toxicity in cats, including a published case report in the National Library of Medicine describing severe intoxication. Cats are particularly sensitive because they groom, and quats can cause oral ulceration and other effects. Wipe spills, and do not use the concentrate to spot-treat a pet’s bedding by hand.
• Rinse fully and dry completely. Used as directed in a full rinse cycle, the residue on finished laundry is very low, which is the normal, intended use. Problems come from the concentrate, not from a properly rinsed, dried load.
• If someone has a skin or respiratory sensitivity, the fragrance-free version removes the added fragrance, but the quat active is the same. People with fragrance or contact allergies should watch for irritation and stop use if it appears.

This is general hygiene information, not medical advice. If a child or pet ingests the product, or you have a skin or breathing reaction, contact Poison Control or your doctor or veterinarian right away.

Fabric compatibility

Lysol describes the product as gentle on most washable fabrics, including whites and colors, and lists baby clothes, gym clothes, undergarments, towels, bedding, and delicates as suitable. Because it contains no bleach, it will not strip color the way chlorine bleach can.

That said, “most” is not “all.” For anything you truly care about, and for anything the garment care label flags, do a discreet spot test first. Very delicate items, items with special finishes, and anything labeled dry-clean-only sit outside the intended use. When in doubt, follow the garment’s own care label over any additive’s general claim. If you are treating a stain as well as sanitizing, handle the stain first, because heat and some cleaning agents can set a protein stain if you skip that step.

The bottom line

Lysol Laundry Sanitizer is a rinse-cycle bacterial sanitizer, and it only works if you use it at the right moment. Add 2 capfuls (filled to line 1 for standard machines, line 2 for HE machines) to the fabric softener dispenser, or straight into the drum once the rinse begins, and let it dwell for 16 minutes. It works in cold water because its quat active kills chemically rather than by heat. It reduces bacteria by 99.9%, it is not a bleach substitute for viruses and fungi, and the concentrate deserves care around children and pets. Use it as directed and it is a genuinely useful tool for gym clothes, towels, and sick-day laundry. Pour it in with the detergent and you are mostly rinsing your money down the drain.

For the wider system this fits into, browse the full Laundry and Textile Hygiene hub, or start at our homepage if you are new here.

Frequently asked questions

Where do you pour Lysol Laundry Sanitizer?

Pour it into the fabric softener dispenser, which releases automatically during the rinse cycle. If your machine has no fabric softener dispenser, wait until the rinse cycle starts and add it directly to the drum. Do not add it with your detergent at the start of the wash, because it drains away before it can work and detergent can reduce its effectiveness.

How many caps of Lysol Laundry Sanitizer do I use?

Use 2 capfuls for a normal load. Fill each cap to line 1 for a standard (non-HE) machine, or to line 2 for a high-efficiency (HE) machine. For a large or heavily soiled load, use more according to the fill lines printed on your specific bottle.

Does Lysol Laundry Sanitizer work in cold water?

Yes. It is formulated to sanitize in cold water and contains 0% bleach. Its active ingredients are quaternary ammonium compounds, which reduce bacteria by disrupting the cell membrane chemically rather than relying on heat, so they work at room temperature. The product is EPA-registered and labeled for cold-water use in the rinse cycle.

How long does Lysol Laundry Sanitizer need to sit in the rinse cycle?

Leave the product in the rinse cycle for 16 minutes of contact time, as the official label specifies. This dwell time is essential because the quaternary ammonium active needs sustained contact with the fabric to reduce bacteria. A quick splash and drain will not sanitize, so extend or add a rinse if your cycle is shorter than that.

What does Lysol Laundry Sanitizer kill?

It kills 99.9% of bacteria that detergent leaves behind, a 3-log reduction, and Lysol specifically names Staphylococcus aureus and Klebsiella pneumoniae. The headline claim is a bacterial claim. Soft-surface sanitizer claims are not extended to viruses, fungi, or spores the same way, so read your specific bottle if virus reduction matters to you.

Is Lysol Laundry Sanitizer safe around kids and pets?

Used as directed in a full rinse cycle, residue on finished, dried laundry is very low. The concentrate, however, is a skin and respiratory irritant, and benzalkonium chloride can be toxic to cats, which is documented in veterinary case reports. Store it closed and out of reach, keep the undiluted product away from pets, and call Poison Control or a vet if it is ingested.