Do you wash laundry in hot or cold water?

Discussion in Water started by Pat • Oct 4, 2012.

  1. marvelz

    marvelzActive Member

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    I suppose I could save on energy and help the planet by washing in cold water every now on then on items that aren't particular dirty. I do, however, wash most things in hot water. It just seems better and gets rid of dirt easier. I'll try to be more mindful of it and only wash things in hot water that really need a good clean.
     
  2. Bolt

    BoltWell-Known Member

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    I'm the same, I wash all of my white shirts in a cold wash. I don't think you need hot water. My mum used to wash all my clothes in a very hot wash and they would often shrink. Colder water is easier on the fabric and it can save money as well.
     
  3. SandyW

    SandyWNew Member

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    I generally wash our clothes at 30 degrees C but we have a baby which we use cloth nappy's, we have to wash them at a high temperature but we never have washed clothes using cold water. I have made the mistake in the past at washing clothes at a higher temperature and found some clothes have shrunk :( therefore i only wash our clothes at 30 degrees C :)
     
  4. sjohnst77

    sjohnst77New Member

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    I wash my whites with warm water but I've heard that colored washes are more likely to bleed dye if you wash them with hot so I always make sure to use cold water in my colored loads.
     
  5. GreenCamino

    GreenCaminoNew Member

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    I started doing the laundry with cold water not even knowing that it would save money on gas or be good for the environment. I had moved into a new house and the water heater was rather small so I decided to do the laundry with cold water so there would be hot water left for the shower. My gas bill had gone down dramatically from the first month to the next though I cant quite remember just how much it saved me. Definitely a good idea to wash with cold water.
     
  6. Michael Brown

    Michael BrownNew Member

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    Warm water wash for white shirts are best. But there are fabrics that needs to washed on warm water. Colored fabrics are best washed on cold water.
     
  7. scottyxx

    scottyxxExpert

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    I do cold, then warm, very rarely hot. I make my own laundry detergent which is amazing, and works fine in a cold wash, I just always like the warm because I feel like it cleans better. It might be in my head..
     
  8. rachel1970

    rachel1970Active Member

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    I wash clothing at 40 degrees and other things - sheets, towels etc. - at 60 degrees at least. Research has shown that the trend towards washing at very low temperatures is contributing greatly to the build up of mould and bacteria inside washing machines - yuk!

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  9. deansaliba

    deansalibaActive Member

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    I always wash my clothes in cold water because every time I wash something in a hot wash they shrink!
     
  10. Libragirl67

    Libragirl67Active Member

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    I have always washed our clothes in hot water. I just feel like they get alot cleaner if I wash them in hot. And it seems like it gets out any kinds of bacterias or germs that way. The only time I ever use cold water is on blood stains. Then I use cold, because hot water only further sets the stain in. I had never heard that using hot water is more eco friendly. But I do wait till I have a full load to do laundry if that counts toward being more eco friendly. I tend to not seperate most of our clothes. We do not have very many colors that bleed. So we throw them all in together .
     
  11. Nick2011

    Nick2011Active Member

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    It depends on the color of the clothes. Lights should be warm, darks should be cold. I think it more depends on what detergent you use. Tide, Ajax, and a few others will get the stains out before any of the off branders will.
     
  12. fourmatic

    fourmaticMember

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    I try to watch most of my clothes in cold water, I usually use that special cold water soap too. I also have a line set up outside and a small one in my room so I can do as much line drying as possible. Saves some money on heating water and running my drier, plus I feel more accomplished when I do it that way.
     
  13. shane002

    shane002Banned

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    I am guilty of washing everything in hot water and I just think the clothes are cleaner if I do in hot water.
     
  14. JosieP

    JosiePWell-Known Member

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    Cold water for everything here. If there are tough stains, there's always a way to get it out before putting it in the wash.
     
  15. limcid

    limcidActive Member

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    Well, you need to read those labels. They will help you save your clothes investment every time. Detergents like Woolite are great, too. They really increase the longevity of dark clothes.
     
  16. trishgl

    trishglActive Member

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    I wash my laundry in cold water. I know some people say that washing in warm water is best since you are able to get the oils and grease off of the cloth better. I have not noticed any difference though. Anyway the detergents we use are already formulated to cut grease and such so warm water isn't really needed.
     
  17. Esperahol

    EsperaholActive Member

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    Warm - I always wash in warm water unless specifically told not to by the tag. I have to otherwise I'd never get a load finish - do you know how long it takes to fill up a medium or large load with just cold water? Meanwhile the warm water just rushes in.
     
  18. Katewon1

    Katewon1Member

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    I usually wash in warm water just because that is the default setting on the washer. Sometimes I do switch it to cold if the tag on something says to wash it in cold. Although I've washed plenty of items that say cold in warm water and they've been fine. I don't think that I get any better results using hot water on anything. I used to use hot water on my husband's exercise clothes, and they don't seem to be any cleaner or fresher than when I use warm water. Using the hot water was just a waste of energy.
     
  19. BlackSolaris

    BlackSolarisActive Member

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    Well, now after reading this thread, i am confused, should i wash it on cold water? Because i always thought Hot water would clean it a lot better because of the expansion of the clothes, the dirtiness would come out easier.
     
  20. jodiann12

    jodiann12Active Member

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    You can get rid of difficult stains with cold water. Tide and Seventh Generation both make great cold water detergents which allow you to clean your clothes well with cold water. It's better for the environment and saves money. If you don't own a solar water heater then using cold water detergent to wash your clothes well while saving money would be a great option for you.