To use the cold tap instead?

[upandready]

We have a combi boiler, which takes a little while (15 seconds or so) for the water to heat up when you turn on the hot tap. I'm usually too impatient to wait, so I wash my hands in the cold water. But in the meantime, the gas still fires on and runs for about 30 seconds, even after I've turned the tap off. The energy crisis has made me realise this is a waste. I need to either be more patient for the hot water, or cut my losses (literally) and use the cold tap instead. What do you do?

We're not combi now but we use cold unless already warm in the tap or I'm feeling particularly filthy!

Cold, my parents taught me to do that and I don’t think (until now!) it’s occurred to me to do it differently. I think I assumed everyone used the cold tap too.

We use the cold tap after our boiler broke and we got used to it. We don't seem to have had an increase in illness, and I'm sure I researched it at the time and found loads of articles indicating that cold water was effective anyway.

we are on a combi boiler and just use cold water- the exception being if one of us has just run the hot tap for washing up/bath/shower, then the hot water is there already iyswim. Decades spent in a boat with hot water only available if the engine had been on or a kettle was boiled has conditioned us!

My combi takes quite a lot longer than 15 seconds to run hot to the sinks - id say nearer a minute. So i wash my hand in cold - and splash my face with cold water in the mornings!

My face is better for swapping hot water for cold, much less dry.

Likewise. Unless you've been doing something to get your hands really greasy, soap and cold water should be fine.

I always wash my hands in cold water, no ill effects. I think using hot water is just for comfort, if it was hot enough to kill germs it would scald you.

I don't think yabu but I wouldn't wash my hands (or anything really) with just cold water.

Cold water unless really need hot. Much more fuel efficient

Why are you using the hot tap at all if you aren’t using it for long enough to run hot?

Cold. I don't like letting water run to waste.

Yeah, that's pretty much the point of the thread!

DH (works in hospital theatre) has trained us that it’s the soap, not the temperature. Sometimes I do like to run it though and luxuriate in a warm hand wash, warm flannel for the baby’s face and a hot wipe of the kitchen work tops 😂real luxury!!

Cold tap. I have almost opposite problem - water from hot almost instantly very hot with no mixer tap. Would be perfect if there was a mixer but I rent so no choice (I’ve also tried changing settings, but it works well in kitchen and shower so just letting it be.

Cold should be fine , I doubt anyone is putting their bare hands into water that would be hot enough to kill germs so cold or hot should make no odds .

We always use the cold to wash our hands. By the time the hot water has came through we've long since finished, so slow

Cold. Unless I have something greasy on my hands or been touching raw chicken

Always use cold for the same reason as you, it takes too long for the hot water to come through. Have done it for fifteen years and we are still alive. We do wait for the hot if hands are greasy.

I didn't get a combi boiler partly for this reason - it seemed pointless.

I'd use the cold tap if I did have one.

I have always washed my hands in cold water and soap. I don't even turn the hot tap on for that, just the cold one.

I don't have a combi boiler, but even if I did it would be cold water and soap.

I don't mean to sound like a git @upandready but me and DH have been doing this for 10 years, since we got a combi boiler. Unless my hands are very dirty - been doing the garden for example - I ALWAYS use the cold tap. Not having the boiler fire up every time I quickly swill my hands!

Cold. Unless hands are very dirty or handling raw chicken etc

My mixer tap takes forever to run hot so I wash hands cold, and my face in the morning, and basically everything except stubborn dishes in the kitchen sink. Can't remember the last time the bathroom tap was hot.

I’ve always washed in cold water - hands, face, clothes.

There is no difference except the comfort levels.

Combi here we use cold