Cold Water: The Future Of Laundering

[polkanut]

My oldest sister is one of the deluded people who has swallowed all of the bilge about laundering in cold water.  This past weekend my 8yo nephew stayed overnight 2 nights, and I was absolutely appalled at how gray looking his tightie whities were.  They were nothing that I would want to wear, but my sister won't listen to anyone.  She's afraid of the clothes "shrinking" if she uses any other water temp.  My wife & I get compliments all the time on how white our laundry is when we line dry it. 

 

[joeypete]

I can't even imagine washing kids clothes in all cold water. Though I have to say that I'm 40 years old and even when I was a kid in the 80's my mom would yell at me for using hot water in the washer. I even remember seeing Cheer commercials where they make a point of noting that HOT water washes were a thing of the past (the 1950's back then) and that modern fabrics don't need to wash in hot water. So I think this has been an issue for quite a long time. It's just recently of course that manufacturers are actually inhibiting users from controlling the real temp of the water.

I've noticed on most all new machines now, there is a clean cycle. The user manuals I've read all make a clear point to use it regularly so I imagine manufacturers know the drawbacks of using only cold water in the machine. My GE manual actually said to use at least a warm water wash every 5th cycle. But naturally, WHO reads the manual? LOL

 

[iheartmaytag]

As the article says we have been moving to cooler and cooler wash temperatures, not only for clothes, but dishes as well.

I wonder if the O3 water systems like Aerus Laundrypure and others, why the washer manufacturers don't just build these units into their machines--Oh, wait, I know P&G and other detergent manufacturers are their partners.

 

[paulc]

The article is nothing more than a thinly veiled advert for P&G

 

[wayupnorth]

My grandmother used to say "You cant wash your hands in cold water and get them clean, so you cant wash your clothes in cold water either and expect them to get clean".

 

[lordkenmore]

As I think about cold water detergents, I have to wonder what about people who have skin issues? A number have reported having huge trouble with Cold Water Tide. What would the effects on others be like long term (i.e. will normal people have skin problems develop?).

 

[DADoES]

 
Aggressive enzymes in Cold Water Tide?

 

[warmsecondrinse]

First, I have a wave-a-magic-wand wish. I want to video all the cold water wash proponents trying to convince their grandmothers and great-grandmothers that washing in cold water is fine.

Second, The English teacher (aka Grammar Bitch) is in the house! There are so many things wrong with this article that I really don't know where to begin...

1. This reads like an infomercial. There are way too many names of products and companies mentioned. This is red flag #1.

2. People's names are mentioned without specific credentials, job titles or departments. This is a major no-no as it makes it more difficult to source the info. Red flag #2.

3. Unexplained jargon: "catalytic chemistries", "recycled enzymes" ... wtf? Red flag #3.

4. Clicking on "recycled enzymes" brings you to a link that neither explains the term nor clarifies the somewhat cryptic sentence. Red flags #'s 4 & 5.

5. "Unlike TVs, cellphones, and computers, consumers don't often gravitate towards the latest trends in appliance technology." Really? I was unaware that "TVs, cellphones, and computers" [sic] often gravitated towards the latest trends in appliance technology. Don't look at me, lol. I'm just reading the sentence. Red flag #6.

6. There're a couple more sentences like the one in #5. There're also a large number of unsupported assertions, some even set up as if they support or explain each other. Red flags ad nauseum.

7. There are a gazillion and one logic problems: Laundry does not have a temperature. Detergents are not "suited" for climates.

Do I really need to go on??? This thing totally fails even as a puff piece to encourage people to wash in cold water. Certainly, this piece would be handed back for heavy revisions in the in the freshman English classes I interpret.

All in all, this article convinces me that washing in hot water must be a really, really good thing!

Jim

 

[logixx]

This sounds like yet another BS article from reviewed.com where the author, more or less, copied some company's press release... *sigh*

I love how the article says that cold water cannot remove grease from clothes. Well, last time I've checked, every human being's skin had a natural film of sebum on it, which eventually comes off on one's clothes. D'uh! The only thing this article is missing is an ad for Affresh. And has anybody read the author's short bio?

"Jonathan Chan grew up in Massachusetts and studied agricultural economics at the University of Connecticut. Before joining Reviewed.com, he's worked jobs as diverse as a ballot counter, an environmental lobbyist, and a math tutor."

Environmental lobbyist? How interesting...

 

[warmsecondrinse]

I went to UConn for 2 years in the early 80's. IIRC the 'Ag School" as it called, was actually one of the top in the country and rather tough to get into.

Odd that he's not working in the field having had that education.

 

[maytagbear]

The formula will need to be adjusted:

Mechanical action.

Temperature.

Contact time.

Chemical action.

When all four are in balance, the result is clean clothes. When one is modified, the other three elements also need to be modified.

As for me, sometimes in hot, always in warm, and if the label says cold, that's what the item gets.

I do give a darn for the future. Today's actions have consequences down the road. HOWEVER, as always, it is a question of choices and priorities.

Lawrence/Maytagbear

 

[joeekaitis]

And when was the last time you saw . . .

 

 

. . . 100% cotton socks and tees labeled <span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">MACHINE WASH HOT, CHLORINE BLEACH OK, LINE DRY OR TUMBLE DRY HIGH</span>"?

 

Is that kind of language taboo?

 

[appnut]

It's been at least 8 years.  Hanes used to have those instructions until 5-8 years ago.  I still wash 'em in hot. 

 

[washer111]

Same

Underwear and socks, in particular, but also my lights/brights get HOT water, and some oxy-bleach of some variety too.

Most of them generally say "THINK CLIMATE: COLD WASH, LINE DRY" and right below, "WARM, GENTLE MACHINE WASH, DO NOT TUMBLE DRY, DO NOT IRON, DO NOT BLEACH, DO NOT DRY CLEAN"

Given that the FL machine is so gentle, I'm seeing about 3-4yrs out of underwear and socks nowadays, even with reasonably long, hot washes. Compare that to a TL that would ruin underwear after about 1-2 years, in cold water only...

 

[tomturbomatic]

Pepco, our sad electric utility spends money to send out energy use statements each month to waste more of our utility dollars. In the latest one, it suggested lowering my electric usage by hanging the clothes out to dry. It is to laugh, as the Russians used to say, because in the summer, I use gas clothes dryers and all year round, my laundry is spun super dry before going into the dryers. I think the greatest revenge on them would be to install photo voltaic panels and just eliminate them from the picture. They must have junior college dropouts coming up with conservation ideas. They want me to live like households in the early 50s. I'd like to find out how to opt out of receiving their foolish reports.

 

[gusherb]

Energy Reports

I get those from ours too, and since its inception 4-5 years ago we've gotten not a single report saying that we used equal or less then our "neighbors", always higher. They also had "home energy assessments" which all they did were put low flow aerators/shower heads in and put in CFL light bulbs. I never got one but many of the neighbors did, and learned that there houses were already "efficient".

A lady also tried to sell me one of those boxes that shuts your air conditioner off right when you need it most. She tried to make it sound "cool" and "green", I started naming reasons why I don't need or want it and she stormed off in a huff!

Ok enough of my OT rant about useless utility company "energy saving" programs...

 

[DADoES]

 
Regards to care instructions for socks ... happens I bought a package of socks yesterday.  Gildan brand.  83% cotton, 16% polyester, 1% spandex.

 

[suburbanmd]

Energy use statements

We're also in Pepco's service area and get energy use reports. It didn't take long for my wife to point out that the "most efficient neighbors" might not even be home much of the time.

 

[mrb627]

LOVE THIS!

"A lady also tried to sell me one of those boxes that shuts your air conditioner off right when you need it most. She tried to make it sound "cool" and "green", I started naming reasons why I don't need or want it and she stormed off in a huff!"

Malcolm

 

[jerrod6]

My Electric distribution company, PECO Energy, also has energy information but it is in the form of a website where you log on to your account and see your usage by year, month, day and hour.  It always tells me I use less than my neighbors, but I use more than the most 20% of my most efficient neighbors.  I could never figure out who these most efficient people are, but perhaps it is the same situation as pointed out by Suburbandmd.

 

Since the graphs are by day and hour I CAN see when I wash some loads of clothes.  I have a tankless gas water heater, but I can see when the heater is on in my washer when I wash at 120F or higher.  It is only for 1 hour or at most two  and the cost goes up by $.15 for that hour so no big deal to me.  I'll pay $.15 to have hot washes.