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?

Phew

Add message | Report | Message poster electra Mon 24-Oct-11 00:20:29
I think I will start doing knickers at 60 then. I read that it's particularly an issue if you work with food, in say a kitchen and the clothes that are soiled after work should always be washed separately.

Why are you working in a kitchen in just your knickers?? Surely that's the first health concern?

Ah no, I love cooking in my undies.

Is Stepford vibe. Or something.

Surprised at how many of you can afford to wash on anything other than a cold cycle.

I wash everything cold. Use a high quality detergent with white vinegar in the rinse cycle and it all comes up much better than it did when I washed with hot water and fabric conditioner.

We are still alive.

That's a bit presumptious Padme! You actually don't know what (any) of our finances are. Are you an Aussie btw? They mostly wash in cold while trying to save the planet (and at the same time drive huge gas guzzling cars)

The things is; we all KNOW that if you have greasy hands, or spill something, or go to clean a work surface, that HOT water helps clean it so much better. So, why do you think that COLD water would do a better job

If you do think it's doing a better job then I'd be very fearful of the strength of detergents you must be using in your machine. I don't want them anywhere near me!

LOL Annanymous. You do take your washing seriously :).

I use OMO btw, as opposed to a cheaper alternative from Aldi with vinegar instead of a softener (acts as a softener and has good anti-bacterial properties). Washing comes up a treat. Perhaps you should try it.

BTW - there is a school of thought which suggests that cold water is much better for stain removal. www.newton.dep.anl.gov/askasci/gen01/gen01435.htm

PS: Born and bred in Manchester.

Padme - at least we agree on the vinegar: I've used that for years. Don't like chemicals (do like hot water though)

I would wash them all together, too, WtWTW. Some MN threads you just need to walk away from.

Is there really that much difference in cost between a cold wash and a hot wash?

heleninazombiecart
"...Tea towels - separate wash 60C..."

Ugh! You use tea towels? Surely you know they are reservoirs of infection? And you smear them over freshly-washed plates and eating utensils?

BBC says (quoting from Ariel, I think) that washing at 30 degrees "saves a tenner" in energy costs, but I'm not sure what that's compared to!? 40 or 60? And that a 40 wash uses half the energy of a 60 wash, apparently, so a 30 wash must use less than a third the energy of a 60 wash..(?)

I heard that if you put Napisan powder in the machine (mix it with the normal washing powder) then you can wash at low temp and still kill germs. Having said that my parents always washed at low temp and I am still alive.

Napisan bleaches colour out, so be careful of that! it does whiten your whites though!

So it saves a tenner a year? That site is really confusing!

WRAP and the environment agency say that lowering temp isn't the best way to be more eco friendly, full loads is a much better way to do it

hot water does cook in stains though, for very stained stuff I do a cold rince first

PigletJohn - they aren't 'reservoirs of infection' if you use them once and wash them on a very hot wash. Only if you let them fester for days on end and don't wash them properly.

might have been mentioned before, but ironing kills a lot of germs on clothing I believe.

I prefer giving my clothes a warm wash to getting the iron out which never ever happens in this house if I can help it

Iron? you must be kidding?!?

40 degrees for standard clothes, 60 or above for bedding and whites on a 95, boil wash, tea towels, dish cloths etc 95, boil wash - hubby's white shirts - scrub collar and cuffs etc. Guess I was taught the old fashioned way! Most people wash things their way anyhow, my hubby gets annoyed if laundry laid around for too long - not ironed and put away asap - neighbour has laundry all over the place 24/7!! Sometimes I feel I have more work on than the staff of 'Downton'!! It's MN that keeps me going sometimes!!

Ironing? Er... creases straight down the middle on dress trousers, bedding folded and ironed in the correct way, shirts with the creases in the right place, towels folded and racked in the bathroom correctly - said I had more work than Downton - I'm a full time mum though - how do you people cope with full time jobs and housework - there's enough to keep me going 24/7 if I wanted to get everything done I have to do. Hubby the old fashioned type though - the wife stays at home and he goes out to paid work - don't anyone say to me 'you don't work then'!! Agh!! Anyone else agree that housewives/homemakers work their backsides off?? Anyone any idea what our weekly wage might be??

The annual salary for everything a domestic engineer has to do |is £33000 per annum. And the medal for the moaning husband to boot. I suggest he takes a fortnight off to do your job while you are bedridden and 'ill'!

I rarely iron, only summer linen clothes, I fold straight from the drier or in the summer hand tops up on hangers on the line.

boss I am sure if I were a sahm I would do more in the house, but as I'm not we both do our fair share. if he nags and moans he can do it himself.
and I am really lazy and economise wherever I can and have a cleaner every other week