To think towels need a hot wash?

[FirstOfHerName]

Recently I was staying with my parents on holiday and I noticed that my mum washes everything (including towels and bedding) on a cold half-hour wash. I told her that towels probably need a warm wash at the least and she got annoyed with me, saying that she used a special washing detergent formulated to work in cold water. They're her towels so I left it at that and said no more.

However, whenever she's stayed with me, she's told me it's grim that I wash towels and bathmats together. Well it would be if I did them on a cold wash, but I wash them (and bedding) at 90 and then tumble dry after, so don't see the problem with it. Any bathmat germs would be killed off at that temperature, I would've thought.

Who is more in the right here, her or me??

(someone telling me we're both disgusting in 3...2...1...)

I've never used the 90° setting on my washing machine. Haven't felt the need to boil anything. Most things are washed on 30° or 40°.

Nothing gets killed below 60 degrees.

That aside, why would a bath mat need a different wash to towels? A bath mat is used for clean wet feet to stand on. A towel is used for wiping arses dry.

I was with you 100%, OP - I've cringed watching my mother wash absolutely everything on a 30 degree 15 min 'Quick Wash' when I visit.

I use a 30 or 40 wash for everything except towels, pants, tea towels and bedding (not all together!). Those I do at 60, or 40 with some of that Dettol laundry cleanser stuff (well, Sainsburys own brand version).

But now I've read about the enzymes being destroyed when you wash at 60 (did not know that before this thread) and machines not even reaching 60 for more than a minute or two, I may just do it all at 30 or 40 and use the laundry disinfectant stuff where needed. No point running my already massive electric bill up if it's not accomplishing what I thought it was. I'm not doing towels etc at 90, I can't afford it!

I won't be doing towels and undies together on a cold 15 min quick wash though .

As ever, I'm boggled by the amount of washing people are doing. I'm also completely boggled by the number of people suggesting they wouldn't wash pants with some other things. Why? You are understanding the function of washing, don't you?

Are t you, not don't you, obviously. Sentence got away from me...

Don't use bio powders as they make me itch. Clothes get washed at 40° - whites have a scoop of Napisan added, coloured get a shot of Zoflora clean linen. Towels go in at 60° with Zoflora and sheets at 40°, also with a cap of Zoflora. I use powder because liquid blocks the hoses and I do a 90° maintenance wash monthly, with a cupful of soda crystals.

Towels and bedding 60, other stuff 30 or 40. DP has a mighty dust mite allergy so bedding needs a hot wash.

It worries me that people are using really hot washes regularly!? So bad for the environment. I usually use a towel for 2 or 3 showers (depending on smell or dampness) and I do approx 3 washes a fortnight. Mostly 30!

That aside, why would a bath mat need a different wash to towels?

I wash our bath mats on 90 in a wash all on its own simply because we have a possible fungal infection and I don't want it to spread.

@cardibach it baffles me too!

I wash clothes on a 30 or 40 depending on whether anything is actually dirty/stained or just needs a freshen. Towels/bath mats go in with the 40 wash (towels, bath mats and pants together ) but I do do an occasional 60 wash of all the towels.

3 washes a fortnight? Genuinely, how?

Bedsheets done weekly. One superking bed one toddler bed. That's two washes if his under sheet needs doing, I can just squeeze it into one otherwise but it feels like overloading the machine.
One hot wash of towels/dish towels/toddler wiper cloths etc. That needs to go on a longer wash

That would leave one wash for everything g else, in two weeks. How do you manage?? Don't you separate out by colours? Ds needs clean clothes daily. They play out in all weathers/regardless of bibs he's always coveted in food. We just don't have enough clothes to let it go so long between washes. Even just two weeks with of undies would fill most of a load.

Our washer is on most days.

this is going to descend into one of those threads isn't it?

In the blue corner, washing when the moon is in the eigth house of Aquarius, and insisting they don't smell, is mumsmetter A! And in the red corner tonight mumsnetter B, who changes her sheets once a week and knows that the British would rather eat their own eyeballs than tell someone else they smell..,

Let battle commence!

ana I don't have children.

I have 3 sets of bedding so I alternate between those. Bed sheets get changed roughly every 2 weeks (maybe slightly more often in hot weather). I can usually fit a towel in with bedding too.

No I don't separate my washing. I work with kids so don't have any shirts or many whites. The only thing I wash separately is bath mats but they don't get washed too often. So yes I'd say I average 3 loads. Maybe 4 at a push as my housemate combines with my washing too.

Zaurak that wasn't an unbiased report, was it? You clearly think people washing clothes and towels at reasonable intervals and following the manufacturers' instructions smell. I don't think that's true. I also think family would tell each other (and they won't 'all smell the same' - everybody's body smells different, which is why mothers can recognise their child's Tsaritsyn by smell alone).

Tsaritsyn? Tshirt!

I wash everything on a cold wash then the bedding and towels will be washed again at 90. The cold wash gets rid of most stains whereas a hot wash will set the stain.

I clean the machine once a month

Ok of it's just you that's a different matter,

I couldn't manage on that, but I have a very, very messy toddler :) literally if I left his clothes more than a day or two they smell due to all the food/goo caked on them.
I like bedsheets done weekly. In an ideal world I'd have fresh bedsheets daily, but since I don't have staff... :)
We also have plenty of things that need washed on specific cycles - when it's -30 out you need woollens and I always do those (thermal undies and whatnot) on a dedicated wool cycle with wool wash. At least one wash a day I'd say.

I cannot believe that people wash their towels after one use?! Absolutely crazy!

I wash everything on 40 apart from my work uniform. All of you who wash bedding at 90, isn't it all faded and shrunk?

If someone in the household has an infection or is sick or has an accident of course cleaning needs to be more thorough. Likewise if someone is immunosuppressed, but otherwise there is no need to boil anything or to use disinfectants or antibacterial products.

I had athletes foot as a child and so for a while was very careful about bathmats, socks and shoes. Once it was gone I no longer needed to be concerned. I wash my towels with everything else, just separated into white/pale and everything else, on cold/normal/light soiled unless it's obviously dirty.

The OP and her mum are both unreasonable, there's no reason to separate towels and bathmats, and absolutely no reason to wash at 95.

You have a very erudite and well read autocorrect cardibach mine has come out with some really weird stuff this week...

I actually do think an awful lot of people smell 😳 It's really noticeable in public places. Hair and just general unwashed and that damp musty smell from damp houses. This might just be me having a keen nose but I do experience it. I have a crazy sense of smell (had HG in pregnancy and it's never really been back down to normal levels since then)

It is not something I'd ever say to anyone in real life.

The OP and her mum are both unreasonable, there's no reason to separate towels and bathmats, and absolutely no reason to wash at 95.

The reason they do so is because they want to, and that is a perfectly reasonable reason. It's her clothes and her washing machine; she is free to wash as she sees fit.

Grief. Perhaps Which magazine can investigate and tell us.

I'm falling into Zarak's "washing when the moon is in the eighth house of Aquarius" which it hasn't been for months, I tell you. One of my DC insists on washing everything worn every day - even though the only things that ever smell on them are deodarant and shampoo.

Why if people are using bio are they ignoring the manufacturers suggestions the enzymes don't work above 40? Why not use non-bio?

For all those using so much water and energy (tumble dryers are evil but can understand if you don't have a garden or balcony) - do a bit of research. Water companies are taking so much out of rivers fish and the rivers themselves are dying - and we are having to build more and more energy generating stations whether atomic or wind powered.

Just about to check the moon has got near the sixth house.

I only wash at 90C if anyone has been ill. Otherwise 60 for bedding and towels; 40 for work clothes and hand wash programme for the rest.

For those who wash towels at 90 or even 60, what do you think would happen is you washed them at 40? Is it that lower temperatures won't kill bacteria so you'll get sick? Is it about getting out stains? Is it that
you think the towels will smell? Genuine question - am interested.

here, it's:

Normal clothes 30

Partner's work gear, underwear, baby's clothes and towels 40 with antibacterial dettol laundry liquid stuff

Bath Matt separate wash 60 with dettol stuff

Bedsheets separate with 60 with dettol stuff

We have the 30 @ 30 wash here but I don't know what it can really work for. My partner uses it sometimes, nothing ever comes out clean enough for my liking!