Cold Water Wash?

[launderess]

All oxygen bleaches work on the same principle, releasing oxygen. Just as hydrogen peroxide will "kill" germs, so does oxygen bleach per se.

Activated oxygen bleaches, especially those made from TAED combine with sodium perborate to form peracids in wash liquor. This results in a rather powerful disinfection action. Indeed the UK, where wash temps for hospital laundry were mandated at temps >71C for three minutes, TAED oxygen bleaches give the same standard of results at lower wash temps 40C to 60C. TAED will also kill germs even when the amounts used are not enough to shift stains.

Persil by Henkel used to contain TAED, and the box boasted about how sanitary it got laundry. My modern boxes of Persil sensitive list sodium percarbonate, but no bleaching activator (not really needed with percarbonate bleach, as it will remove stains even in cold to warm water, whereas perborate bleaches need temps from warm to hot to boiling to really get going).

One reason given by so many washer repairmen in the UK and Europe for the growing whiff in front loaders, and slime formation is that many detergents today now do not contain bleaches. By this they mean oxygen bleaches and it is because so many persons are wearing coloursm and darks, that cannot or should not be exposed to detergents with any sort of bleaching agents. This combined with low temperature laundry habits is a recipie for creating a bacteria and mould breeding ground inside a washing machine.

L.

 

[rolls_rapide]

Mouldy smell from washers

My mother commented today that her Bosch machine has been whiffy over the past two days - something she has never noticed before. She has been using P&G Daz powder for some time, but recently Daz has been "reformulated" to make it even more compact. She always washes on 40 deg C.

I used a good amount of powder and stuck it on a 90 deg Celsius wash, adding a few jugs of water through the dispenser drawer to bring the water level up a bit - just to be sure that the hot solution was gettin to all parts of the tub. P&G detergents seem to create a hellish amount of foam, though.

The machine smelled clean after the cycle, but I will monitor the situation. The next time, it gets the dishwasher cleaner treatment.

 

[djmjlcst]

Clothes and Cold Water...........

I personally use hot water washes for whites, underwear, and sheets not to mention dish rags too. This followed by a cold rinse.

Warm water washes for clothes - jeans, shirts, etc. But depending on the season I'll use a cold rinse during summer and fall, but for winter and early spring I'll use a warm rinse - due to the cold weather here which causes the water to be just above freezing (or so it seems)! I find that cold water washes for those clothes labeled as such just don't get all the detergent off the clothes. You can see residue left over after the rinse. I don't pack my washers too full either. However even with cold water wash clothes, I still prefer a warm rinse to make sure the detergent residue is gone.

Is there any harm with washing cold water labeled clothes in warm water? I would guess it depends on the fabric.

Just my .02 - Mike L.

 

[toggleswitch2]

Slight chance of fading.

Bu then a hot dryer does the same. IMHO most darks need a medium to low heat in the dryer, rather than high.

Be careful with those care labels. I have seen care guides given (sewn in to garments) that clearly indicate to me that the PIC (persion in charge) never EVER did laundry. Many are ridiculous.

 

[qsd-dan]

Cold water temp

What's the hottest temp that can be used with very dark colors without causing them to fade? I've heard 70-75F. Any opinions are welcomed.

 

[brettsomers]

i usually do my heavy soil items (washcloths,pillowcases,sheets) in hot to help remove soap residue and skin oils. im gonna do one of these loads in cold as a test, with a 30 min soak, to see if the washcloths come clean and pillowcases are free of sebum.
lets see...

 

[pulsator]

At work, (a fitness center,) our towels are washed in 80 degree water and rinsed in cold water. However, we have an ozone gas generator that pumps ozone gas into the machines while they are running, it bubbles up through the water from the bottom. That is supposed to disinfect the towels, and there haven't been any problems!

 

[roto204]

Gak

I just spent a week rewashing everything here because this was a cold-water household (and you should have smelled what socks and undershirts smelled like--blecch!!).

I also discovered that there was a temperature-limited DD Whirlpool attempting to provide me with 100º water as "hot." (*squeak-squeak-squeak* as the cold-water valve gets turned off...)

 

[launderess]

Damp and warm conditons, such as what are normally found in washing machines are perfect breeding ground for germs.

Laundry, by it's nature is contaminated with all manner and sorts of "germs". If proper laundry technique is not carried out, much of these germs not only will remain on textiles, but will coat the insides of the washing machine surfaces as well, (biofilm). Once this happens, it rather like having a sick person spreading about his germs. Everything that goes into that washing machine will become contaminated with whatever is growing inside the machine.

Remember also, washing machines, like dishwashers hold a small amount of water in their pumps after each cycle is complete. If that water has an active enough colony of germs, they will grow and breed, again to be spread the next time the machine is used.

Slime,mould, gunk, germs and all the rest one sees growing inside the washer, around the boot, between the tubs an so froth are what one is washing one's laundry in!

Because of the movement towards lower temperature washes, and or wearing of colours which cannot tolerate any bleaching, including oxygen bleach, we are seeing more and more "sick washing machines" out there. Hence these new products like "Affresh" (which is mainly oxygen bleach),to "clean" the insides of one's washing machine when it goes whiffy. Well if one has chronic bad breath, that usually means something is rotting in one's mouth or down the pipes, and just brushing one's teeth is not going to cure the disease. One has to get at the root cause.

 

[jeffg]

> I also discovered that there was a temperature-limited DD Whirlpool attempting to provide me with 100º water as "hot." (*squeak-squeak-squeak* as the cold-water valve gets turned off...) <

Nate, brings back memories of our Cabrio AGI last year. At least your Whirlpool understood the difference between warm and cold. We lasted about five loads with the Cabrio's cold "hot" water, before we called Sears and told them to please come pick the piece of shit up. We replaced it with a Speed Queen TL (no auto temp control, yay) and have been blissfully blazing away with 160F washes ever since.