washing at 30 degrees

[bonzo77]

Anyone else do it? I've got into the habit, but I've also noticed that some stains (poo and tomato based sauces) don't always shift, even with vanish / shout. I'm using Surcare liquid. If I washed hotter would things be cleaner? And how hot? My mum swears she does everything at 90, apart from delicates. I keep re-washing things, so it'd probably be more economical / ecological to do it once but hotter. I always do towels and bedding at 60 with bio powder and they come out clean every time, though they tend not to have poo or sauce on them....

"Unless she does the occasional service wash her machine must be stinky and mouldy."

Why? My washing machine is clean and odour free and I only do cold washes.

I wash at a anything from cold to 90, depending on what I am washing.

However, many care instructions say to wash at 30 to avoid shrinkage. (From experience, I know this is true…)

If you always wash above 40, I am assuming that either

1. you are happy to hand wash below 40

or

2. you don't wear clothes made out of wool.

pretty much all the care instructions on the labels of our clothes say 40.

what can safely be washed at 60 with shrinkage? I am happy to do 100% cottons at 60, but lots of our stuff is viscose, lycra, or a cotton/poly blend.

It is a common problem if you use non bio and cold washes. My washer smelt awful when I was using non bio and low temperature washes and thanks to advice on MN - doing the occasional high temp wash with bio powder it soon stopped being whiffy.

I wash everything on cold. Have done for years.

My machine doesn't stink. Everything looks and smells clean, and I haven't got sick or had skin problems. Stains get a quick spray with Vanish pre-wash before they go in, and it does the trick.

I used to live in a place where nobody had hot running water. They get everything nicely clean with a bar of soap and a river, so I don't see why my quite expensive washing machine wouldn't.

My sister lives abroad. She thinks we are bonkers for using hot water to wash clothes. All the powder in her country is specially formulated for cold washes.

combust, yep, I use a powder called Cold Power - the name says it all!

@KoalaDownUnder, detergents in Oz and a lot of other countries over sea's including China, South America and South Africa are specially formulated to work in cold water, but that is not the case in the UK. ALL laundry detergents here are designed to be heated up slowly, they don't have the ability to wash in cold water.

I wash nearly everything at 30, run a 90 wash with no powder and clean the drawer , seal about once a month. My machine never smells. Btw I use non bio and don't use fabric conditioner. I don't have problems with stains but my dc are a bit older now.

Your posts are fascinating rabbit123. Can I ask something? I have used Ecover for ages and generally go for the liquid. Would you say the powder would be better for the reasons you've given earlier, or does this not tend to apply with eco brands?

I am getting a bit frustrated with stains so might try hotter washes. Usually use 40 but do towels and bedding at 60, or 90 if it seems to need it.

cold water in Oz is not as cold as cold water in UK.

@EverythingCounts

To be honest, I think so-called eco products are a bit of a waste of money. They're considerably more expensive and when you look at the list of ingredients, it's pretty much the same as Persil or Ariel.

I would deffo say the Ecover powder will out-clean the liquids. The bio will be better for use at 30 and 40. Non-bio powders are great for boil washing as they have a high bleach content, but not so good for cooler washes where the enzymes in bio detergent will be needed to shift stains.

Just be careful with the Ecover powder. In my experience, it suds up quite a lot which makes it difficult to rinse out, so use it sparingly

I wash towels & bedding with bio powder at 60. Colours at 40 with colour powder & only delicates at 30. Only way I get stains out is by line drying. This is a recent thing for me as I used to tumble dry everything. I now hear myself saying ooooh,it's a lovely drying day.

@Fluffycloudland77

It is true, we do always have bacteria on our bodies. It is all around us. But by washing in cold water and not using proper detergents, you're creating a bacteria breeding ground within your machine, which ends up all over your washing. Within a a few days, this could be up to 4 times the average level of bacteria found on a clean person, so imagine what it's like over a few months. Whilst it's fine to have a certain level of bacteria on your clothes and body, there is a limit for a safe/healthy amount that is maintained by regular cleaning. I mean, you're never going to eradicate all bacteria no matter how much you wash, but by killing bacteria as part of our laundry we are maintaining a healthy level.

A recent study found that constant cold and warm washing can result in excessive growth of E. Coli, salmonella and norovirus in the machine, which cross-contaminates wit h towels, dishcloths clothes etc. Washing at 30 also proved to leave behind a much higher percentage of faecal bacteria on underwear which unavoidably transfers to your machine and other laundry. Do you really want to be throwing your kids clothes into a bacteria breeding ground with poo all over it?

I mean, think about it:

You wipe your kitchen sink down with a dishcloth and throw it on the washing basket.

Your last wash, on cold, had underwear in if that contained tiny, unavoidable particles of poo.

Your dishcloth goes in the machine and gets all the bacteria from those particles that weren't killed in the cold wash all over it. Even washed on 20 or 30 degrees, that won't shift it. Warm and damp, perfect bacteria sex pit.

You then use that cloth again to clean your kitchen or wash your dishes and transfer all that bacteria to your worktops and dishes which continues to grow.

No offence, but I wouldn't let you do my washing.

I grew up in NZ and my mum always washed in COLD water (the options were cold, warm or hot). Never washed in hot at all. Our clothes were always sparkling.

I wash most things at 30 or 20, though occasionally wash towels at 40. Doesnt' everything shrink at higher temperatures? When I used cloth nappies I used to do them at 90 however! I love these washing machines that give you all these temperature options!

I find sunlight fades tomato based stains. Mud can be removed with a vanish bar (I use a NZ equivalent which I stock up on when I go home - Sard's Wonder Soap) and liberal use of elbow grease and a nail brush before washing in Bio.

I use Lidl Formil concentrated washing liquid and it's excellent, gets everything out.

My washing machine has never smelled.