Washing temp question.....is 30 the almost the same as cold?

[permaquandry]

I wash a lot of darker coloureds on cold as I worry that anything above will fade them. Even when the instructions say 40.

I'm trying to do bigger wash loads and am wondering if I put my 'colds' in with my '30s' will it make much of a difference?

I'm guessing that a 'cold' wash is 15 degs?

I'm sorry for the very boring question, I love my life but it's not very glamorous.......ð???

I thin the detergent you use will have more impact on the fading than the temperature, so long as you don't do them much hotter than the label says. You can get some that are meant for dark colours - I think theyjust don't have the ingredients that whiten your whites rather than anything that magically keeps things dark.

'Cold' will just be whatever temp it comes out of your cold tap, and 30 is just 'with the chill off' so I don't think it will make any difference.

Colour fade also depends on what the clothing is made off - cottons will be liable to fade than synthetics. I agree the washing powder, etc will play a bigger part than the temperature - towels should be washed on a hot wash and coloured towels don't fade ime.

I use washing powder for coloured clothes as it doesn't contain the same brightening (i.e. bleaching) agents. I am also careful not to use too much.

Btw, if you actually test water at 30 degrees C it will feel warm.

More liable to fade

A cold or cool wash will not dissolve soap properly so you will get sludge in your machine, which will go smelly.

If you also do hot white cotton washes, or service washes with washing soda crystals, the smelly sludge will slowly wash away.

Liquids are better for cool coloured washes as they do not contain bleach, which powders generally do. Towels, flannels and undies need a hot wash for hygene.

Use a detergent made for coloured clothing otherwise they will likely contain optical brighteners which is what causes colours to change/fade.

I don't like 30 degree washes because I don't think they're hot enough to kill germs/bacteria and I think there is research out there to back that up.