to use the 30 degree super express wash for nearly everything?

[everythingsgoingsouth]

my clothes aren't dirty, just worn once, or PJs 2-3 times.
towels and bedding I'd still wash at 60, normal wash.

does the 30 express wash really...wash?

I use 30 some of the time for 50 mins or 40 for cottons, bedding. 1 hr 20

Towels on 60, line drying everything

I couldn't cope with a 2.5 hour cycle. Why so long?

When did we decide all our clothes needed to be germ free? Surely that lasts for about 10 seconds once they are out and drying on the line (fly poo :) ) or worn and on a bus for example?
I use 30 degree ordinary wash for everything. White towels sometimes get 40 degrees and always have vanish. I don't use conditioner with anything and don't have a tumble dryer.

I would never wash anything on a short 30 degree wash. Wouldn't believe it was clean and not worth the effort of putting it in the machine.

My washing machine repair man says it creates all sorts of problems for the machine if you wash at a low temp. all the time.

Cardibach - the "germs" that cause problems in laundry are the ones that leave a slight sweaty aroma behind. You don't need to use Dettol laundry booster or similar rubbish, you just need to launder your clothes for long enough and at a sufficiently high temp to get everything properly clean.

Bedding and towels washed at 60. Only way to kill bacteria.

This is an interesting thread

Have been suffering with the arm-pitty Ness too - 60 it is then !

I do all my own clothes on 30degree 1.5 hour cycle
Underwear, dh & dd clothes on 40degree 2.5 hour cycle
Bed linen on 60degree 2.5 hour cycle
Towels, flannels, cleaning cloths etc on 90degree 3 hour cycle
All come out smelling fresh including my own at 30 degrees and dh (who works in a very physical job) at 40 degrees. Should I be concerned about these 'germs' that I'm not killing at those low temps?

Hadenoughoftumble sniff his t shirt pits I bet they're not as fresh as you'd like!

You lot better be right about this 60 degree shit . Am gutted it's Monday tomorrow and can't get cracking

My machine has a 20 minute 20 degree wash which I use for delicate tops/things that need a quick freshen up.
The next programme up is 56 minutes and the longest is 3.5 hours which I've never used!

Any wash below 60C I add Napisan to, in order to kill bacteria. Although idk how long they last on clean dry clothes tbh anyway.

Sorry to derail slightly but I've started using "quick wash" (30 mins) on my dishwasher and everything comes out just as clean as the main (over an hour) cycle ... 10 years of spending double the time ...

I used to wash DHs tops at 60 as they would stink. Oddly, he didn't. The tops still smelt after they were dried, so we now use some of that dettol wash in with his tops.

Otherwise I'm mot actually that arsed about 'bacteria' on my washing. My clothes look and smell clean, not sure what could possibly happen if the clothes aren't bacteria free?!

I do run an empty hot wash every few weeks to keep the machine clean.

Yanbu. I wash all of my clothes on 20 degrees for 15 minutes. I don't want to ruin them. Underwear, nightwear and slips and things get a 40 degree wash. Surely the soap used will deal with bacteria. We don't boil our hands when we wash them, do we?

If the clothes were sterile and bacteria free they would get contaminated as soon as they come out of the machine and absolutely coated in bacteria when we put them on.

Cannot believe how long some of the cycles are.

I do exactly the same OP. YANBU.

My Bosch will do a 4.5hr eco wash given half a chance.

I do mainly quick washes at 40, longer ones for sportswear or stuff that's actually stained dirty, and then bedding and towels on long 60C cycles.

Plus a maintenance wash at 90 once a monthish, thanks to MN.

I can vary the temperature and spin on my quick wash. I can do a 40°c wash with a 1400rpm spin done in forty minutes.

I don't wash at thirty very often, it just doesn't get stuff clean.

I thought the reason the better cycles are so long is that they are far more efficient in terms of energy consumption, and a longer rinse cycle properly rinses the soap out of the clothes. I don't do the bonkers numbers of loads that most MNers think essential so 3 or 4 2-hour cycles a week is absolutely fine.

Lots of stuff I do on the quick 20 minute 30 degree wash - jeans, trousers, skirts, dresses, tops, jumpers, cardis, cushion covers, etc.

Towels, bedding and tea towels- 60 degrees cotton wash - economy button

Underwear, my PJs and DH shirts , 60 degrees economy wash with anti bacterial stuff added

"Matilda The OP says her clothes aren't dirty. So I don't understand why she is washing them."

Because barbara clothes still smell "worn" after wearing once, even if they are not "dirty". So if for example you absolutely had to wear them again it wouldn't be awful, but you might feel a bit lived-in.

no
the super quick cycles are ok for refreshing clothes
but

• they use insane amounts of water
• are only suitable for half (or less than half) loads

so check the manual.

false economy for most things imo

The reason for all pants and socks being washed at 60° is that anything less does not kill bacteria.

Not exactly ...

www.which.co.uk/reviews/washing-machines/article/should-i-wash-at-60c

'Bacterial spores and some viruses are quite resistant to 60°C. The major sanitising effect of the domestic wash is the removal, rather than destruction, of bacteria and viruses.

And that's before you consider if your machine is actually reaching 60 in the first place ...

i use a cold delicates cycle for knitwear and bras, so they keep their shape
however every 6 washes or so they need a decent warm wash, otherwise they start to smell less than clean.