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?

Never seen a machine to rent on a garage forecourt.

There's at least one by me, it takes a huge load so I can wash my king size duvets.

There's one in St Leonard's on Sea - is that anywhere near?

www.revolution-laundry.com/our-locations/

Washing in cold helps preserve colours, clothes will last longer , less likely to fade or shrink. It will save you money on your power bill.

Is the tap water temperature very cold though?

I mean I dunno but interested!

Stick Dettol stuff in for stinky things

@NiceGerbil

Is the tap water temperature very cold though?

I mean I dunno but interested!

Good question. I will check!

Letting it run for over a minute it comes in at 17 😁

I think there's too many differences when you look around the world!

I have had a machine where it wasn't heating the water/ getting hot water (forget which). It started stinking and it was full of gunged up washing powder. Not hot enough to dissolve the detergent.

Different countries probs have different powered machines (I remember someone from another country being shocked at how long the cycles here are) which will scrub more, room temp water in a hot country will often I assume be warmer than here?! Even where you live and how close to the surface the pipes are will make a difference, I've been in the UK in places where the cold tap never ran cold really. Where I live it always goes cold even in really hot weather. Drying outside kills bacteria. So many variables!

Experience tells me OP that if you use your washing machine with cold water over time things will get pretty grim.

HTH!

17?!!!

Wowsers.

I'll run mine in a sec when I've found a thermometer! Interesting experiment this! It's been unseasonably hot here for s couple of weeks -24 ish. So is a good time to do this.

@Blossomtoes are u sure about that? We viewed a house today and ours isn't on the market.

Are we supposed to be washing knickers on a hot wash?

It’s fine. I wouldn’t bother with a laundrette unless there is visible filth that didn’t come out or if washing smells after a wash.

Can't find a thermometer

I wash white undies on a very hot wash with the white sheets.

Black undies go in with the darks on a cold wash ( unless sickness then a warm wash)

Coloured undies in with the coloureds on a cold wash.

I wash with like colours not by article.

Are we supposed to be washing knickers on a hot wash?

Either that or add some laundry disinfectant in.

There are news reports every now and again on the fecal bacteria left on clothes, bedding, towels and tea towels due to people washing their knickers/underpants with them on washes under 60 degrees without laundry disinfectant.

@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

It's not a waste of time. By law you were not allowed to view houses unless you had sold during lockdown and agents did not let you view.

Also, last house I sold had four offers, two proceedable, two didn't have houses on market so they pointless offers.

@NiceGerbil

Can't find a thermometer

🙈 I have the food one always on hand. Use it a lot.

I wonder if 17 is standard though because it feels quite high. But it was warm🤔 I shall now measure every day for a week to find an average😂

@Theoldwoman

I forgot to add, use liquid detergent NOT powder as it doesn't really dissolve properly in cold water.

This is bad advice. Liquid detergents are the ones that gunk and block pipes. The reason is because powders contain special bleaches which not only act on clothes, but also clean the bacteria and moulds in the machine and pipes and stop mould forming in the sump. These bleaches are not stable in liquid detergents and they do not contain them.

If you have delicate black or dark-coloured clothes, then washing those is the time to use a liquid, for the same reason.

@floridapalmtree you have a buyer and your not actually ready to move. It's a waste of time for the buyer who's made an offer.

In Oz we did this routinely, but the washing powders were supposedly specially designed for it. I remember Cold Power! You might find a suitable laundry detergent. Lidl are doing an antibac laundry additive that you put in the fabric softener drawer, too.