Turkish tailor irons banknotes believing it kills germs
Doğan steams and irons paper notes as a hygiene measure, Dec. 19, 2022. (AA photo)


Practicing good hygiene has a wealth of benefits, including reducing your chances for illnesses, diseases, and infections. Following this notion, a Turkish veteran tailor irons banknotes he receives from his customers as a hygiene measure.

Ahmet Doğan, 63, who has been a tailor for more than half a century, started ironing paper notes received from customers after the COVID-19 outbreak. Doğan said that he does not put the notes in his wallet without ironing them first.

Serving his customers from his tailor shop in the Mamak district of Ankara, Doğan decided to implement an extra hygienic measure during the pandemic. Believing paper money to be covered in germs, he started ironing the money so the high temperature and steam kills any bacteria.

"I iron all the money I receive from customers. When I steam the banknotes, it kills the germs," Doğan said.

Doğan said that from time to time, his customers and their children also iron their money.

He even irons notes tendered as change outside his shop and disinfects coins with cologne. "Thank God I never got sick during the coronavirus pandemic. Even my customers are satisfied with my precautions."

A neighboring tailor, Muammer Elmaderesi, said that he was very surprised when he saw Doğan ironing cash. He shared that he visited Doğan's shop to have a pair of trousers altered and saw him put the money he paid on an ironing board to disinfect the cash.