Anyone else heard this thing about washing below 60 degrees in the machine is unhygenic?

[electra]

I always wash towels at 60 and clothes at 40.

Apparently knickers in particular should always be washed at at least 60.

Doesn't this spoil the clothes though?

Solo i might be that mum.

Nope, no pong in the machine.
We have a soap scum problem with the machine, too, it sometimes leaves streaks on clothing if overfilled, but no pong.
DS had diarrhea all over the downstairs loo last night, now that room pongs.

ironing and freezing is a good point. can't see myself putting (clean) knickers in the freezer but maybe that's why MIL irons all the underwear?!

washing machine at 90 once a month i thought was to clean the machine out so i do that when i remember.

i read that washing at 60 is the only way to properly clean the grease and oils out of bedding so i do it for that reason more than bugs and hygiene.

a lady i once knew read about a study that found faecal matter on 'clean' towels and told us we should all be washing at 60. i was more bothered about how faecal matter got on the towel in the first place, rather than what temperature to wash it out!

ThePanthanKhansWitch do you have 4 Dc's?

Hang on a minute, everyone...

Damn! 'Tis true after all!

Cooeee! Speedy!! why aren't you down to go on the Christmas do?!!

Hello gorgeous, how are ya?! You know, I hadn't even thought about the Xmas party, we've moved out of London now so my lazy alter ego decided it would be too much hassle...pathetic, I know!

I'm Ok honey! :) how's you?

Aww! such a shame! would've been a treat to see you again! didn't know you'd moved away :( we must have a catch up soon!

Solo just the one, think i'm a bit PFB [hsmile].

live in Aus, wash in cold water (like everyone else), hang clothes on line to dry in the sunshine. sunshine kills bacteria.

oh and use a toploader that uses lots of water to rinse everything.

We've just left Australia and our (very expensive) rental had a cold water washing machine. No heating element and not hooked up to a hot tap. It looked like something from the 1950s.

I mentioned it to the managing agents and was told it was normal in Australia - most people wash in cold water. It just never felt right to me

Wherethewildthingswere - you said In any other 30 wash I might have, tea towels, pants, washing up cloths, bathroom cloths, rat bedding, sanitary towels and clothes Did you mean one wash of tea towels, one of pants, one of rat bedding or did you actually mean one wash which might have tea towels, pants & rat bedding in it?

40 for most things
60 or 90 for tea towels or bedding or towels - not mixed up.

Nope chipping, all in together.

I stayed with a friend last year who is er...not very houseproud (bit of a slob) and only washes at 30. I was almost heaving when I used her washing machine. The clear front was thick with a black film over it and the seal with absolutely bogging and scummy. I took kitchen roll and tried to clean it and it just smeared it all over! (And she puts her knickers in with her dishcloths)

WhereTheWildThingsWere - OMG Sanitary towels, rat bedding etc in with washing up cloths......... Huey..

Wherethewildthingswere - I was afraid that's what you meant.

I rarely say this but, O.M.G!!!

TPKW not you then my dear :) and the OMG was not at you either.

I think doing a mixed wash like that is really not right WTWTW not on any level...bleugh!

In the US and Canadia, they seem to do colder washes than here, but to use chlorine bleach additives, which I expect kill bugs. I would have thought a tumble drier would kill bacteria (ours gets hot enough to melt polypropylene unless it is on half-heat) and I expect sunlight will help if you put stuff on the line.

It must be less hygenic though if you drape damp washing around the house or over radiators.

While cotton towels on an occasional hot wash will clean away the sludge of old soap and fab soft that builds up in a washing machine if you mostly do cool washes (this is a very common cause of smelly machines)

To kill bacteria, dust mites etc
Pants, separate wash at 60C
Towels - separate wash 60C
Tea towels - separate wash 60C
Bedding - separate wash 60C

Everything else 40C

I colour code blues, reds, blacks, whites too . All fabrics and colours still great after years.

Serious question, why can't you put bedding and towels in together?

You see you all say it is terrible and things have to be washed hotter to be hygenic, but I appear to be living proof that they do not.

We are all very healthy, the kids never get colds in the winter, or any kind of vomiting bug, or anything really.

Probably should have added that the rats are totally litter trained and it is only their soft sleepy beds I wash, yeah I am sure there are micro dots of wee and stuff but

Lots of cloth nappy users will wash them at thirty and in with clothes.

Sanitary towels are just blood and well rinsed out at that.

Imagine what could be on the knee of your ds's jeans after they have fallen over in the park, would you wash those at 60?

There are bacteria everywhere.

Plus our energy bills are really low.

I wash everything at 30/40 and have no scum on the machine, no dirty clothes, no smelly clothes. We are all well.

That's enough for me.

Anna - you can :) It's just generally you get fluff off of the towels on the bedding so I prefer to wash towels separately that's all.