Washing at 40 or cold is not a good idea

[Stangerthings]

There is an advert for washing clothes in cold water. I think this is wrong. I washed a load of towels at 40 degrees and had to wash them again as they smelled dirty so how is a cold wash going to remove bacteria?

You know there's this thing called detergent.....

Now and then I might put towels (all white) on a 60deg wash, but that’s largely for keeping them white. Usually it’s 40 deg, and they don’t smell of anything except ‘newly washed’. Nor have any of us acquired infections from bacteria on towels!

Nowadays most of the washing here is done at 30.

IMO all this fussing about bacteria, most of which are both harmless and necessary, is a modern ‘disease’. Especially on MN.

I was towels, underwear and sheets at 60. Fortunately we have enough towels and underwear ti only do that wash twice a month.

Everything else is washed on 30 or cold.

Why are you wiping raw chicken juices and dog poo all over your towels in the first place?!

Since the heating element in my washing-machine failed I’ve been forced to launder everything in cold water. Too cheap to buy a new one. This has been the case for nearly a decade. I separate whites/lights from darks and wash towels and bed-linen on their own usually. Everything comes out clean and fresh-smelling. No capsules, just the cheapest liquid I can find on half the recommended dosage

Live in Australia and have only ever washed cold. Can’t think of a single person I know that washes in hot water. Yet to catch ‘something’ 🤦‍♀️

I do the same. Never hand a problem

Brought up to wash everything - everything - in cold water. Normal in NZ. Now in Uk I wash in cold or 30 if the machine doesn’t have that option and won’t let me! Sounds like you have a problem with your machine. Mine and my towels etc smell lovely and clean

@EatDiamondsForBreakfast - No one believes me when I try to explain that Nz is a nation of cold water washers! Stands to reason that Oz is the same but I’d never checked it out!

Most stuff at 30 degrees, DS's clothes at 60 (they get very sweaty).

Otherwise I would only 60 when someone's ill. 30 degrees gets things perfectly clean for the majority of stuff.

I wash towels and bedding (and some whites) at 60 deg and the rest at 40. I don't use washing liquid/powders with enzymes.

The only time I've had smelly washing is if the washing machine itself needs cleaning!

For whoever said how do you get dog poo on a towel, I got cat poo on an old towel I keep as a doormat by the kitchen door (which is near the litter tray). My cat has got diarrhoea and got some on the towel as he insisted on not going in the litter tray but on the lino, then obviously was 'covering' it up by moving the towel!! So it can happen!

Bedding and towels at 60 and clothes at 40

Why do people wash their towels and bedding at a higher temperature than normal clothing? If anything I would think it made sense the other way around? Towels are only used to dry my clean body after bathing and I usually shower before bed and wear pyjamas so my bedding doesn’t get particularly dirty, most people’s towels or bedding are only coming into contact with them and don’t leave the house. Day clothes will spend time outdoors, on public transport, at workplaces and shops and other public places and will be around other people etc and probably have far more scope to pick up germs from out and about than towels and bedding do. If you’re worried about germs it seems bizarre to only worry about them on the items which have least contact with anyone or anywhere else.

Anyway I wash everything at 40, I would happily wash cold but my washing machine doesn’t go lower than 40.

I wouldn't wipe dog poo with a cloth and put it in my machine I'd use kitchen roll. I use a cloth for wiping up after chicken but I'd soak it in bleach and rinse well before washing.

The agitation and water in the machine washes dirt etc off. It doesn't all need sterilising.

Wash most things on 40 degrees. 30 quick wash for lights and every so often a 50 wash for white bedding and towels. I use powder and 1/2 the recommended amount. My washing always smells clean. I clean the machine whenever I remember!

If your towels smell after washing, either your machine needs a clean or you're not drying them properly. Bio detergent at 30 is plenty to get them clean.

Because @Stangerthings enzymes are denatured above 40 degrees do using biological washing powder is pointless above this temperature.
Its pretty basic science.

even if you use non-bio, it’s scientifically proven to be effective at lower temperatures.

either you have unusually filthy towels or there’s a problem with your washing machine.

washing over 40 is unnecessary and pretty terrible energy-wise

@LynLynette
Hmm not quite right and rather old fashioned thinking
Perhaps you need to read up more on this
Which has a good explainer for all temperatures actually based on research....

www.which.co.uk/reviews/washing-machines/article/washing-machine-temperature-guide-aLiyf2p96y4d

"You might be washing at 60°C because you've heard it kills bacteria, but the temperature on its own doesn't. Some bacterial spores and viruses are resistant to washing at 60°C.

You need to combine your 60°C wash with a good detergent to blast that bacteria. So you might be better off simply choosing a good detergent, treating stains and washing at 40°C to get a great clean"

If I had a towel covered in cat diarrhoea then tbh it would be going in the bin, not the washing machine.

I use paper towels and disposable gloves if I cook chicken. Don't have toddlers or a dog so never get poo on clothes.

Cause towels sit around damp after you've used them, presuming you don't wash each towel every time you use it. Obviously this also depends on the temperature in your house, if it's warm they dry quicker and don't sit around damp.

Agree -some of the COL reduction tips are insane. Switching off radiators in unused rooms has given us the beginning of a mold problem. which is going to cost a lot more to sort out than any energy savings

I only rarely wash above 30 degrees and nothing smells.

I wash mines on cold eco wash at 20. It’s fine for most things occasional long wash for bedding or dirty stuff.

Ds' sheets have to go at 60 as he's allergic to dust mites and that kills them off (or freezing them for 24 hours!)
Most other things get washed at 30.
However I have found that recently as a teen boy his sport's kit needs spraying with vinegar and washing at 40 or it keeps the smell.