Would you wash at 20?

[haxisfan]

If you wash at 30 then you might as well turn a blind eye on

Washing at 30 is unhygienic too... even washing at 40 is for that matter! The bottom line is... if you guys can put up with 30... why not 20? Besides, most modern detergents are designed to wash at such low temperature.

Having said that, I use the 20 degree program on the Hoover Dynamic 8-Pulse for some dark daily clothes (provided that they're not heavily soiled) that I used to wash at 30 degrees and the results are brilliant... or rather, they are exactly the same as when I was washing them at 30 in the other washer. I've done this for 6 months now and I'm still getting no bad smells or moulds neither in the washer or on the clothes.

Actually I could say that in my older washer, if I washed too many loads at 30, I had to do a maintenance wash after 3-4 months cos' I could detect some unpleasant smell in the washer (nothing overpowering... I had to stick my head in the drum to smell it). The dynamic instead smells as fresh as ever! This machine on the 20 degree cycle uses a different mechanical action compared to other machines and it's wash performance on such program is comparable to a normal wash at 40 degrees C (laboratory tests proved it).

Thus, my guess is that if they decide to include such cycle in other machines, they will make sure to alter its wash profile accordingly. Still, I keep washing my everyday lights at 40/50 and my towels at 60/70... sometimes I even boil-wash some bed linen.

On a different note, I wouldn't use the 20 degree cycle continuously and for everything, I'm afraid but that could potentially be some users' unfortunate choice for the sake of saving some penny... and that could make some of your worst fears come true (I'm thinking of that watchdog episode, some time back on UK TV, when Ann Robinson was showing the horrifying state of some Indesit Moon washers swarming with thick black mould - having been used on quick 30 all their lives no doubt).

 

[mrlavadoro]

I put 30 grades..

In my AEG when i wash delicate things for example:Curtains and winter sheets
I put 35º in my balay becose is not mine and my grandma decides to put at 35 becose before the clothes are washing in a sink.
I put 40º in my AEG with a normal clothes.
I put 60º to towels.
I put 90º in a cleaning cycle with vinegar
At 20º degrees the action of the detergent is nule

 

[rapunzel]

This is one funny thread

The Japanese are known for their cleanliness and they almost exclusively wash their clothes in cold water. Australians aren't dirty people and know the value of clean laundry and most of them wash cold. I do cold washes sometimes if clothes aren't all that dirty and the results are neither icky nor unhygienic.

For people who don't get all that dirty, who shower and change their clothes daily, washing at 20 degrees is more than adequate. They won't get sick from it, their clothes won't stink, nor look or feel dirty. They also won't have to wash their clothes for hours to get them clean. We have very good detergents these days that give good results at 20 degrees centigrade.

Of course nobody is being forced to do all their laundry in cold or tepid water and I don't really understand the emotional outpouring over this issue.

It is an option that consumers can use if they want to.

I appreciate the benefits of doing boil washes with grandma's heavy 19th or 20th century linen and heavy cotton shirts and underwear. I don't own stuff like that and almost everything I've got can't be washed hotter than 60 degrees.

Over the years I have found that what cleans at 60 degrees will also clean at 50, what cleans at 40 will clean at 30 and so on - I find this preoccupation with five or so different temperature settings a waste of time that I simply don't have. That is not to say that I compromise on clean clothes.

 

[fl1012]

No

I can't see the point, at all. Might save a few pence, but big deal. Washing machines cost pennies in electricity compared to many other household items (dryers, ovens, kettles, electric showers) and dropping 10 or 20 degrees and no doubt running for longer to compensate (if our dishwashers Eco cycle is anything to go by) will probably save so little it'll be pointless. Especially since washing machine manuals already say that if using low temperatures, run a 90c maintenance wash each month, thus probably wiping out the savings.

On the EU/UK's other obsession, Carbon Emissions, we can shave as many degrees of washing machine cycles as we like but with China, India etc doing just as they please then CO2 will continue to rise hopelessly so it'll be a massive fail on that front too.

Just an added cost to manufacturers that gets passed onto consumers no doubt at some cost, just like Particulate Filters (DPFs) on modern diesel cars that have caused so many problems.

Nope. Typically stupid EU decision probably made by people who know nothing outside of their little bubble. Just like the EU itself - a waste of time.

 

[mrb627]

Would I wash at 20C?

One word answer, yes. But not everything. Some things are better in hotter temps while other should be done at cooler temps.

Malcolm

 

[pierreandreply4]

this depends on the kind of fabric or shirt so in a way this can play on the chosen temp and do not forget that on some washer models its the selected was time that plays on the temp selection as there is no actual temp knob i know because in 2011 me and my whole family with my nieces we went to orlando florida i was the one doing the washer was a top load rebadge whirlpool roper washer straigh vane agitator and the wash temp was on the time knob there was a water level with extra large it look like this no hot water temp option but the warm water was more like cool water so a little piece of advice to aw members if you plan a vacation and rent a vacation villa make sure the washer in the rental is one that fits your needs or everyday wash use.

 

[washer111]

I think we'll have to agree to disagree rapunzel...

Until we got our Miele, our previous machine could only use cold water (The hot tap was not being replaced, as we knew we were getting an FL machine later and our water heater was on the fritz at the time). Even after hanging overnight in some instances, my clothes (and the others) all had a musty/B.O. smell to them, and we were dosing detergent correctly and using a cycle adequate for light soiling. 

 

I've also noticed that we were catching colds 3-4 times a year. I had on in the Summer (last year), then 2-3 in the Winter that I had transmitted to someone else and caught it back. This happened a couple of times over the years Since we've had the Miele, I've not had a cold, and I've been washing in Warm - Hot water. Clothes don't stink, machine doesn't stink. Mind you, the Simpson before didn't smell, though leaving the lid open practically all of the time tends to do that - so I think there was some buildup hanging around in that thing. 

 

The other "issue" is our Miele seems to have enough "intelligence" to lengthen the cycle as you choose colder options. The "standard" Cottons 60º programme is about 1hr 40mins. Drop below that, and right away the cycle is extended almost an hour. Down to the straight Cold option (or tempered to 24º, I don't know), and its basically an hour longer. Of course, if the Miele senses a light load, this "added" time is generally cut back substantially. 

Going up from 60, we see mild time increases, but nothing drastic over here. I think it has more to do with heating the water with the "mega-element" than anything else. I can't imagine the Main-Wash being extended at 95º. "Over 2 hrs of boil washing is absolutely guaranteed to kill germs, bacteria, mould, mildew and the all the clothes in the wash. New, from Miele."

By Miele's standard, Cottons Cycle should be 60º and anything else must be a "special" cycle...

 

Above, I stated why I wash hotter. I would probably do darks at 30º, but my use of Fabric Softener causes me to do otherwise. Besides, its more hygienic, so I might just wash hotter anyway. 

 

[mrlavadoro]

In my opinion..

I think wash at 20 degrees for delicate clothes is good but .For example: in chile the mayority of the people wash at 20º or cold becose the water is hot (i think).But i think is a little stupid wash all at 20º because some of the clothes need more temperature for good results, for example: very diry towels or sheets with bloods spots.

 

[pierreandreply4]

it depends on the type of stain me other than paint stain when i wash i notice that in cold water the paint stain go away and i use resolve spray and wash first and also i think that also depends on the washer brand if you look closely at the picture i am posting these are one of the last few direct drive washer that offred a 4 wash rinse temp including the hot warm rinse option after that the hot warm rise option was remove from all direct drive top load washers see picture number 2 for other exemple for us and canadien members of aw who set the wash rinse temp to a hot warm rinse when they had that option and who think that the hot warm rinse temp should be on front load washers of today?

 

[pierreandreply4]

picture number 2

here is pic number 2 i think this was not a wise idea when they remove the hot warm rinse option from direct drive washer because if i would of had that option and would wash something in warm water i would switch the temp know when in the first spin to fill for a warm rinse

 

[rapunzel]

Washer111

I can offer a different explanation for the musty smells and frequent colds.

When I moved here, I came from places where people usually had either central heating and/or central airconditioning. Homes were toasty in winter and cool in summer with few or no significant temperature fluctuations during the day or night. Indoor humidity levels were low as a result and I never saw mildew/mold problems to the extent that I have observed them here.

In Sydney and much of Australia a lot of homes have neither. I've noticed that musty smells in closets and houses here is not uncommon as a result, especially older homes. It does get cold and humid/damp in Sydney and I've often wondered why other peoples' clothes and towels had that musty smell about them. I also reckon that clothes are not properly dry when they come off the line and are put away. BTW and to clarify, when I am at other peoples' places, I am there as an invited guest and not as someone who goes there to intentionally smell their towels and clothes.

Not having central heating in winter many households are unevenly heated leaving a lot of cold spaces, especially the bedrooms where the closets are. Because energy is expensive, heaters are only turned on in the evening for a few hours. Homes never have a chance to really warm up and retain that warmth to drive out the damp. This is particularly noticable in older houses with poor insulation.

Our temperate climate encourages germ growth, because we don't have the freezing temperatures that kill pathogens in winter, as it happens in many places where it snows. Airconditioning is widely used in public buildings and one of the most effective ways to spread colds and flus. I've also noticed that when there are kids and frequent visits to medical centers one tends to catch flus and colds more often.

Even when clothes are washed in cold water, when they are rinsed and dried properly, they don't smell musty.

On the issue of cold and warm, I've actually felt colder living in Sydney than I ever did when I lived in the northern hemisphere. In places where it snows and temperatures fall below zero for several months in the year everything is centrally heated, including public transport. Winter clothes are warm, not like the stuff they sell here. Unless you go to Katmandu and spend hundreds of dollars the winter clothes they sell at Kmart, Target or anywnhere else are pathetic. It's as if Sydney people pretend that winter doesn't exist and it never gets cold.

 

[ronhic]

It's as if Sydney people pretend that winter doesn't

It's not the cold per se, but the dampness that makes it feel cold in Sydney.

Sydney doesn't actually get 'cold' in the same way that it does in Canberra or Cooma for example. It is, however, a much more humid climate being at sea level and has a higher rain fall.

And lets not go there about being seriously 'cold', like some parts of North America, Europe and Asia experience....however, as a Canberran, I never felt cold in Northern Germany in winter or when living in London for 3 years.

A serious lack of insulation in Sydney homes (and in other places) is often the problem to their feeling cold as they become hard to heat....but it also allows the damp to invade when its wet too.

Anyway, sorry about he segway.

 

[washer111]

Interesting explanation rapunzel. I have noticed some of what you describe in certain situations - but I was actually smelling stuff while they were still on the line, and it was musty smelling (perhaps the slightly more humid morning isn't the time?)

 

It doesn't seem to be like that anymore (and I was so glad to grab my first shirt that was washed in the Miele, so much nicer to wear I thought) - which I correlate to the Miele, though your explanation is an interesting and different perspective - thanks for sharing that!

 

And Pierre, I do agree with you on that front: Machines should always have a Warm rinse option, to aid rinsing performance or when you need to wash clothes sensitive to the drastic temperature change between Warm or Hot and Cold. 

 

[pierreandreply4]

washer 111

i can tell you that on my old direct drive inglis superbII whirlpool topload washer i can tell you that cold water rinsing was poor i had to remove the suds fully to restart the washer on a full cycle just for adequate rinsing and suds removal from clothes i think what ever type of detergent or washer use that be a front load or top load there should always be a warm rinse option eather that option comes after the hot water wash for those that use that setting or warm water if you look on the pic i posted my family had that washer when i was a teen - the matching dryer

 

[pierreandreply4]

the way i see this the way for european made machine or those that do not went there clothes wash if its a normal soil load not to dirty the dial should offer the option of having a cold 20 prewash option to wet the clothes then the dial or electronic board makes the washer heater kick in to heat the water to the selected temp for the main wash for my exemple i will say 40 warm for normal avrage soiled loads on the normal cycle 45 to 50 mid warm to hot for more soiled fabric in the mean time during the heating process the washer pause so the clothes kind of soak during the heating part with an ocasinal tumble of the drum to mix the suds to send them on the clothes depending on the brand of the washer of course

 

[rapunzel]

In Canberra at least...

...I've noticed that a lot of homes do have central heating or a wood stove that burns throughout winter. The same if you go to the Blue Mountains or the Snowies where they do get some pretty icy cold spells. It's more of a suburban problem in Sydney and the old brick or fibro houses are the worst.

I found that Cairns was another place where the almost constant humidity caused mold issues. Good ventilation is an absolute necessity there and having an aircon, even just to extract moisture from indoors, is essential to protect clothes, furniture and anything that can be affected by mildew.

 

[washer111]

Yes Pierre!

Yep, cold pre-wash is GOOD. Our Miele does use it, but hotter temperature settings actually yield (what feels like) a heated pre-wash time, only to 30 or 40º though. Especially when you are washing items with set stains and loose dirt, like dust (Curtains, Sheets etc) that need the easy stuff "washed" first and any heat sensitive stains removed, then blasted in hot water. I ALWAYS do this for my bed sheets. 

 

I'm not exactly sure of the heating phase, though ours starts heating once the final fill completes - and takes a little while to do so. During this phase, it is tumbling regularly and getting more vigorous. I.e. It starts slow, speeds up the tumble to a distribute speed then slows down again (on full loads on Cottons for example). Once heating finishes it does this and gets more vigourous. 

 

[mrboilwash]

I`ve used the controlled cold on a recent vaccation in the States. Only had a small package of some nasty Sun powdered detergent on hand and did not want to chance any damage to my clothes from the caustics and perborates, so I tried the cold setting.
Even my socks looked amazingly clean and smelled fresh.
But after just a few hours of wearing my shirts stank to high heavens. The shirts I came with (washed at 60°C) I could easily wear for 24 hours in the very same climate and they still smelled ok.
Rinsing of the GE toploader I used was superb, as you get the full procedure of spray rinses plus a deep fill when 2nd rinse option is selected. So I don`t think poor rinsing was the reason.

My conlusion is that cold water washing can work for some, but not for me because I only change my clothes once a day. If I had to cope with cold water only I could not possibly sleep in the same underwear I`ve worn all day long.

 

[dave886]

My multi colours come out brighter on a 60c wash, than a low temperture such as 20c, 95c for the everyday whites, such as shirts/t-shirts towels, socks etc... 60c for my coloured towels & bedding, everyday darks 40c. i only used a cold wash, to wash those precious items, just to freshing up or even hand wash cold gets the job done.

On my samsung the eco cycle defaults at cold and u can select from *cold, 20c to 40c MAX and i can honestly say, i don't like that wash cycle, the water level is near to nothing, and spins at 1200rpm for 2mins and the wash cycle is too long rinse cycles are super short, it just does not make sense to me. im all for long wash cycles but its makes more sense to have long rinse cycles with high water level in my opinion, so i always use cotton/heavy cycle rated at 12kg.

I just couldn't wash everything on 20c COLD that's crazy! There are to many bugs & virus out there to do so, cannot stress how it is important to use longer cycles & higher temperatures with proper detergent. not ecover crap, the worst offender is a detergent called method which retails @ £4.99 tried it didn't like, i don't think the machine did either.

 

[rapunzel]

"There are to many bugs & virus out there to do so"

Unless you work in a hospital and launder your work gear at home, you needn't be so concerned about bugs. What's on your regular clothes is already in your daily environment and your body is used to it.

Machine drying would pretty much kill anything that wasn't already diluted, killed and flushed out in your washer.

 

[dave886]

Machine drying would pretty much kill anything

i wouldn't compromise my wash temperture just so the tumble dryer can kill germs, they should be killed in the wash cycle. Because low water level u need a long wash, i just don't see how you could get a full load clean at 20oC, they proberly smell like damp afterwards.

 

[logixx]

Tumble Dryers

Really depends on the dryer, though. Heat pump dryers don't get all that hot - usually 40 to 50C. Some coutries, like Switzerland, have already stopped selling anything but heat pump dryers.

 

[foraloysius]

Dustmites certainly need hot water. If you have a dustmite allergy, especially bed linens should be washed at 60 degrees Celsius (140 degrees Fahrenheit) at least for an hour.

 

[glenfieldmathk1]

Bit of an exaggeration Foraloysius - My sister has mega skin allergy's to dustmites, yet her bedding goes in a cottons 60 on my hotpoint, with all the other bedding and super rinse option, its then all converted into the dryer on Bed+bath a varying temp High heat cycle. She suffers very little allergies from her bedding. my Hotpoint certainly doesn't hold at 60C for over an hour, the wash stage is about 30-40minutes max. The dryer probably reaches 60C about once during Bed+Bath due to it being designed to fluff up and evenly dry bedding & towels together, and it does a great job.

Meanwhile, not all dryers reach 60C especially heat pumps, as mentioned, therefore machine drying wont always remove bacteria/allergy's/germs.

Dave886 - washing at 20C wont clean the clothes in a normal washing machine as you say, it will clean to some degree though. But on some washing machines an Intensive high water level wash with very intensive tumbles, the smells will be removed, and if your laundry smells at the end try using fabric softener or Detergent.

Anyway in response to the thread title:
yes I would wash at 20C if my machine had a 20C option that carried out an intensive wash. I would use it for my coloured items which aren't to dirty, but I would always use a 40C wash now and then for coloureds and I would always wash my whites, towels, bedding, kitchen linens, chef whites etc at/above 60C.

Its certainly not a great idea to use cold water for tea towels, nappies oh and towels, coloureds & underwear all in the same wash, which I feel some people will after reading manufacturers claims it delivers the same results as a 40C wash.

 

[dj-gabriele]

if your laundry smells at the end try using fabric softener

This is gross and unsanitary!
It means COVERING the fact that laundry isn't clean at all and you must hide the smell!

I like my laundry to be odour-free, regardless of the fact that I might use a fabric softener (which I do, a odourless one)

 

[foraloysius]

I'm not exxagerating. To kill dustmites you need high temperatures for a long time. On Wikipedia it even says 10 minutes in a dryer on 105 degrees Celcius! The asthma nurse practioner told me that an hour on 60 degrees Celcius has about the same effect. While some dustmites will be killed on a shorter cycle, some will surely survive.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_dust_mite

As for using fabric softener, I get short of breath from a lot of the fragrances in that stuff. Laundry needs to be really clean, when it's smelly it isn't.

 

[washer111]

Cold Water isn't Unhygienic:

Unfortunately, it is. We're not talking about deadly pathogens (you die shortly after contact), we are talking about killing creatures in our environment that can survive up to bodily temperatures (and cooler too). These creates can cause small infections and the common cold and other respiratory infections. Plus, at these lower temperatures, the bacteria found in faecal matter matter (E. Coli etc.) are not being eliminated. This is especially true if you wash your socks, underwear, shirts AND shorts in the same wash in cold water. 

Would you wear a shirt that was visibly covered in your, someone else's or another animal's faeces? I wouldn't. Whilst you can't see, it is still there in cold-water laundered items (and probably Warm/Hot if you mix everything, but not as pronounced, I imagine). Cold water washing distributes this matter throughout the load, and doesn't eliminate (much) bacteria. As another member said, cold water might just make the bacteria angry, at best. And unless you burden the environment with double or triple the detergent to wash away bacteria, you may not get the best results possible. There is a reason why we should wash our hands for AT LEAST 20secs, with WARM water. This is not my recommendation, but that of the HEALTH DEPARTMENT (based on my research). Washing laundry in cold water is semi-related to that.

 

If you sort your laundry appropriately (For example only: Mine is Coloured/Whites: Shirts, Pants. Darks: Pants, shirts. "Dirties:" Underwear/Socks.), then cold water is fine for shirts/shorts, but may not eliminate odours found in these (from B.O. or odours in your pants from a bad digestive day).It may not get rid of dust mites and some stuff, but it is adequate for your daily load. I still wouldn't wash in cold water, but I admit it is probably adequate for this.

 

Cold water is not (however) adequate for bedding, towels, underwear/socks, floor rugs etc. These contain all manner of dust, faecal matter (pets or you), remnants of dead flies, mosquitoes etc. that can be harmful to one's health if not laundered correctly. Hot or even warm water (40º-50º, none of that "tempered" crap) helps to eliminate the "bad stuff" found in these items.

 

[pierreandreply4]

bath mat

washer 111 i totaly agree with you once a month or when i notice a humidety smell in the bath carpet i wash those carpet in warm water if the humidety sent is not to strong but if it is i wash those in hot water and 1 once a week i wash bedsheets in hot water but if its just pillow case then i do not change the temp and i also fine that its sad that today because of the new energy settings that water temp are dumb down because some loads like bedding or bath math may require a warm rinse. So to any aw members knowing they have to change there washers for vintage toploads and for those that prefer front load make sure you chose a model with a warm rinse option

 

[lavamat_jon]

Pierre - so you do use hot water??

 

[pierreandreply4]

yes but not for all items of clothes i use hot water for bedsheets no bleach of course bath maths but the max i use most of the time is warm water but my washer is a model with no water heater so when the washer starts to fill the water may enter cool as the hot water must go up true the pipes to the second floor where my washer is