Warm Water Washing Is the New

[Chetlaham]

So after switching to Tide Professional powdered detergent and installing a 50/50 358277 mixing valve which provides about 105*F warm water I noticed that clothes actually come out cleaner when using Tide Professional with warm water instead of hot water. Tide Professional is the best detergent I have used. It cleans better than most other detergents even if those other detergents are used with hot, warm or 30/70 warm water. Tide Professional out cleans other detergents in hot water but those cleaning results actually improve when Tide Professional is used in warm water.

I've also found that Tide Professional works well with warm soaks at removing set in stains and food stains. I put about double the normal dose, fill and agitate for 5 minutes, pause for 30-60 minutes then continue the cycle with 10-14 minutes of agitation. Tomato, orange juice, curries, blood, grease, ect all gone. Wow-able results.

I've also noticed that most of the towels and sturdy fabrics I buy today ask for washing in warm water and define it as being 100*F. Previously it was commonly recommended that towels and white cottons be washed in hot water.

I think all standard use detergents should be formulated like Tide Professional and I think all washers should try and reach for 100*F water when set for warm. This would save a lot of energy while providing sparkly, clean, fresh results.

 

[launderess]

Well it would, wouldn't it?

Tide "professional" like many TOL powder laundry detergents from Europe such as Miele Ultra-White, Persil (Unilever and Henkel versions) and others are optimized to work at lower (warm) water temperatures. This in keeping with trend if not energy use mandates from governments to turn down the dial.

Decent to heavy dose of oxygen bleach and activators along with enzymes means products can deliver not only boil wash results at just 140 F but now down to 104 degrees F. Couple this with longer wash cycle times and you can see where things are going.

Outside of healthcare or perhaps issues of hygiene on grossly soiled or whatever domestic laundry there really isn't that much of a need to wash at elevated temps nowadays. Use of a good top shelf powder detergent and warm water should get you there.

 

[qsd-dan]

I'm curious what temperature(s) the enzymes in this formula can withstand on the hot side without killing them off. It's probably impossible to find without talking to the engineers who developed it.

 

[Chetlaham]

I'm curious what temperature(s) the enzymes in this formula can withstand on the hot side without killing them off. It's probably impossible to find without talking to the engineers who developed it.

Same here. It is just a hypothesis but after seeing better results with warm water I think those enzymes in Tide Professional are dying off with 140*F hot water.

 

[Chetlaham]

Well it would, wouldn't it?

Tide "professional" like many TOL powder laundry detergents from Europe such as Miele Ultra-White, Persil (Unilever and Henkel versions) and others are optimized to work at lower (warm) water temperatures. This in keeping with trend if not energy use mandates from governments to turn down the dial.

Decent to heavy dose of oxygen bleach and activators along with enzymes means products can deliver not only boil wash results at just 140 F but now down to 104 degrees F. Couple this with longer wash cycle times and you can see where things are going.

Outside of healthcare or perhaps issues of hygiene on grossly soiled or whatever domestic laundry there really isn't that much of a need to wash at elevated temps nowadays. Use of a good top shelf powder detergent and warm water should get you there.

By any chance do you know what longer cycle times are ideal? I have thought about incorporating more soaks into my laundry routine to let enzymes work best.

 

[me]

The oxygen bleach per(oxy)acetic acid produced by the powder will break down the enzymes, although I don't know how long it will take before they are completely inactivated.

The hot and cold fill washing machines we've had before would turn on the cold water valve to part fill the machine, before turning on the hot to wash the detergent down into the tub, so the water would initially probably be somewhere around 30°C or so, which would give the enzymes time to work while the element is heating it to the correct temperature for the selected programme. Modern UK machines of course are cold fill only, so the enzymes have more time before the water gets hot enough for the oxygen bleach to take over (and saves the cost of the hot pipe and solenoid valve).

My mum's 1980's machine had a "bio" button which modified the pre wash and main wash. According to the programme flowchart in the service manual, a standard pre-wash would be cold fill no heat 4' 22" normal action; whereas a bio pre wash 5' 5" then heat to 30°C then about 26 minutes gentle action. A bio main wash would add 9' 5" gentle action to the cotton programmes after filling with a mixture of hot and cold water, before turning the element on. https://automaticwasher.org/threads...ronic-x2000-service-manual.33256/#post-500625

 

[daveamkrayoguy]

eh, new what?

there are things that i have washed in warm since i could stand up to the washer on my own two feet...

so most laundry does get washed in warm as it always had... my own clothing gets washed in cold... white wash cloths and towels, i use hot...

 

[me]

eh, new what?

there are things that i have washed in warm since i could stand up to the washer on my own two feet...

so most laundry does get washed in warm as it always had... my own clothing gets washed in cold... white wash cloths and towels, i use hot..

I do most my washing on 40°C programmes with powder detergent to save electricity and sometimes use the 50°C cycle if something got a difficult stain on it like dirty bike chain oil. I also occasionally use hotter washes for cotton towels etc. I used to wash most stuff at 50°C or above.

The powder I currently use has got sodium percarbonate in it but no TAED so really needs at least 40°C for that to be moderately effective. The only detergent powder I can find in the shops these days that still contains TAED is Persil, which I used for years, but is quite a bit more expensive. I use liquid detergent only for delicates, wool, silk etc, which would be weakened by the oxygen bleach in the powder.

 

[Alan]

I'm like @daveamkrayoguy. Clothes in cool/cold water and the sheets and towels in hot water.