Washing all laundry in cold water

[floridapalmtree]

My 2 year old washing machine has stopped using hot water so I'm having to wash everything in cold water including bedding, underwear, tea cloths etc and have been doing so for a couple of months.

We have the house up for sale, have a buyer lined up, so don't want to buy a new machine unnecessarily. However, we can't find anywhere else to move to so there's a possibility we might stay.

The clothes and bedding 'seem' to look clean, sometimes I soak things in Vanish to get rid of stains.

AIBU to think that it's ok to wash everything in cold water or will things not get properly clean?

White goods should last for 6 years. Did you purchase it on a credit card? If so you can raise a claim with them under section 75 of the consumer credit act, they will likely cover the cost of repair unless it costs more than replacement in which case you'll get a refund and can buy a new one

@RampantIvy there's about 11 near me apparently! Maybe more of a thing in Scotland?

[quote dementedpixie]@RampantIvy there's about 11 near me apparently! Maybe more of a thing in Scotland?[/quote]
Maybe you are right. I had never heard of washing machines in supermarkets or garage forecorts until this thread. We have a laundrette 5 miles away in the nearest market town, but they only have one washing machine now.

Dementedpixie- I must admit I hadn’t before, cos I have a washing machine downstairs that I have enough trouble keeping up with but just tried it and sadly my nearest one is 40km away. I might do a day trip to wonder at the marvel, I think it’s such a great idea 😁

@Chicchicchicchiclana

Apparently everyone in Australia does all their laundry in cold water. I find it mind boggling. But they say their laundry powder/liquid has extra special chemicals in it to make it clean.

I'm not convinced.

Not just Australia. 20 years living in a country that only washed in cold water and had no issues at all.

I'd never done a hot water wash in my life until I moved to the UK. All the people worried about things not being clean and clogged pipes - surely if this was true Australians and NZ would be covered in bacteria, stink and have washing machines breaking down. But they don't.

If you are worried about hygiene you can always soak things first in hot water (e.g. underwear) and rotate with an occasional laundrette visit.

Having said that you can get good inexpensive washing machines now. Which? just gave a Best Buy Indesit machine which is £220 retail.

Just buy a cheap one to keep you going or buy a decent one and bring it with you to your new house ? Are you planning leaving the broken one for the new owners to deal with ?

@Chicchicchicchiclana

Apparently everyone in Australia does all their laundry in cold water. I find it mind boggling. But they say their laundry powder/liquid has extra special chemicals in it to make it clean.

I'm not convinced.

I’m Australian and this isn’t true for me and my family and friends. Everyone I know uses the hot wash on their machines.

demented thank you. I actually googled it also. Again. I think it’s more one of those things I forget immediately ! It doesn’t stick. Like stains when using biological because of the enzymes , eh

@HerMammy

These are in supermarket, garage car parks, quite easy to google. Can take duvets and huge loads.

I used one of these a few years ago when our washing machine stopped working temporarily, they're really handy but the detergent is fierce stuff, poor DS skin flared up really badly after wearing the clothes washed in it.

In this weather OP clothes washed in cold and dried on the line will be perfect.

When people say "cold" what actual C do you mean? Because my lowest setting is 20 on a washing machine.

Op, you could always add some hot water through the drawer btw. Like you would with vinegar.

My cold is zero (now that could actually mean it is frozen in one reading but I think not - always took it to mean it it simply cold tap temp).

@Bellbottomstovetop

Has it stopped heating the water up? Does it not have some kind of warranty you could get it fixed under if its only two years old?

I don't wash anything under 40 degrees. I learned the hard way that it bungs the machine up with gunk. I went back to powder and hot washes!

My machine is 14 years old. I only wash at 30, apart from an occasional load of tea towels, floor cloths etc. It's never got bunged up yet, unless you count fabric conditioner building up in the narrow pipe where it leaves the dispenser. I do use a liquid detergent though, it seems to work better than powder in our hard water.

Of course, I've probably jinxed the machine by posting this ...

If it's temporary, and it's summer, I would stick with it for now.

You might need to soak a few bits before washing, I found that cold wash doesn't work on some stains as well or at all. But it's not much effort to put a few bits in a bucket with hot water and powder before running a load through.

We have the house up for sale, have a buyer lined up, so don't want to buy a new machine unnecessarily. However, we can't find anywhere else to move to so there's a possibility we might stay

O/T but have you started the selling process?! Do your buyers know you’re likely to drop them and waste their money?!

P.S just buy a cheap replacement washer, surely you’ll need one in a new place anyway

If you put your hands in 30 or 40 degree water it really isn't hot at all or even hand warm. It is tepid.

So I use laundry disinfectant generally unless I'm doing a wash over 60 degrees.

My nearest one is 68.6 miles away, @RampantIvy, according to AA route planner. I'm near the Sussex coast and it's in SE London. I could probably get that down to about 50-55 miles by going cross country though.

The nearest launderette is 10 miles away. Our local one was closed down and the site redeveloped for housing, and the next nearest two have also closed.

Australia and New Zealand do cold washes . I believe still a fair few toploaders and washing powder/liquid designed for the job. Didn't get smelly in long stays.

Bio washing powder needs higher temperatures or the enzymes don't work

High temperatures kill the enzymes. Completely the reverse.

Yes whilst I still have a tenuous memory/grip on this morning’s umpteenth google it is the reverse. The enzymes in bio enable stains to be lifted at lower temps.
Maybe the trick is to post repeatedly on a thread and this knowledge may finally stick.
Being a largely cold water washer I’m pleased to see my normal powder happens to be biological.

@Rubyrecka

We have the house up for sale, have a buyer lined up, so don't want to buy a new machine unnecessarily. However, we can't find anywhere else to move to so there's a possibility we might stay.

I don't understand why people do this. Why put your house up for sale if you haven't even found a house! Waste of time

Because these days you’re not allowed to even view a house unless yours is under offer.

@SchrodingersImmigrant

When people say "cold" what actual C do you mean? Because my lowest setting is 20 on a washing machine.

Op, you could always add some hot water through the drawer btw. Like you would with vinegar.

Cold - tap water temperature.

My top loader in Australia is not connected to a hot water tap, we wash in cold aka room temperature water. Most of the time we line dry in sun.

*Cold - tap water temperature.

My top loader in Australia is not connected to a hot water tap, we wash in cold aka room temperature water. Most of the time we line dry in sun.*

Man. Mine doesn't even have that setting😐 Only cold in either. I don't think they do hot and cold anymore

I do most of my washing on cold, towels and tea towels being the main exceptions. Clothes come out clean and don't smell and the machine doesn't seem to get any build up of gunge, but it does occasionally ask me to run the cleaning cycle which I think is on 70, so I guess that prevents it.

@Rubyrecka we can't even go and view any properties until we have accepted an offer on our current one!!

I would continue to wash in cold water for a few months but I only use bio washing detergent so it wouldn't be a problem

Why can't you just buy a new freestanding machine and take it with you when you move?