Does washing at 30 degrees clean the clothes?

[krisskross]

Just wondering really. I normally wash colours and darks at 40 and whites at 60.

If I change all except whites to 30 will it make any difference?

boring thread if the day winner

"What really pisses me off about these kinds of threads are those posters who insinuate you must be a dirty cow with smelly clothes unless you boil wash everything daily with bleach."

Well that's a very daft over reaction isn't it?

I'm not insinuating anything. I'm saying outright that I don't feel clothes get properly clean at 30 deg (apart from silks and woollens) and so I wash my clothes at 40 and cottons like towels and bed linens at 60.

It's really not worth getting worked up about!

I'm going to have to repeat myself here - it is bacteria that causes the smell. You know when a dishcloth goes smelly? that is bacteria. Bacteria in the sludge that builds up in a machine that doesn't get properly washed through with a hot wash (see PigletJohn's extremely helpful post) also smells.

I am not worried about everyday bacteria and am vehementaly not an anti-bac or bleachy person. I don't want my socks or dh's gym gear to still hum slightly having been washed at 30. Tis all.

A very daft over-reaction? Wow how patronising your latest posts are Mintyy.

Tis amazing how we all survive.

I wash socks and DH's running stuff at 30. None of it smells.

Hissyfit away all you like wowfudge. No one, precisely no one on here, said anything like "you must be a dirty cow with smelly clothes unless you boil wash everything daily with bleach."

It doesn't reflect the intelligent points made on the thread. You appear to be stamping your feeties over someone having a different pov and think you can discredit them by posting a load of made-up bilge.

Pisses me right off when people seek to strengthen their argument by making things up!

If pongy socks belong to somebody with no sense of smell, do they still reek?

Am I the only one who washes according to the labels on clothes etc? They usually say 30 (at best). I dare not disobey . Really though - do the clothes not shrink and fade etc.?

Well I haven't made anything up Mintyy - snark away all you like.

But you have! you have! you just don't see it.

Hello Mintyy,

I think you mentioned on prev page that people from Australia and Japan have told you they are cold-water-only washing countries.

Having lived in both countries and very reluctantly taken on occassional laundry duty, I can confidently confirm their reports are false.

When you can still faintly smell sweat in the armpit of a washed shirt - that is bacteria. Innit.

Not really. Just the compounds they produced and that are stinky.

For a good wash you need lots of water and a soap to remove stuff that doesn't dissolve in water (hydrophobic), such as grease.
Higher temperatures are more useful to kill (in addition to removing) harmful bacteria, from for example, soiled nappies or when a person is ill.

I wash at 30 or 40 depending how dirty. Towels and sheets at 60.

I am always confused by these threads. How are so many people washing clothes at 60 without wrecking them. All mine are 40 max (and most of a load were destroyed by an accidental 60 once)

I have family who lived in Japan. Their machine was cold only. Top loader.

Thank you Libraries (great username btw) - I hoped I hadn't dreamed it!

Sample size = 1 doesn't exactly extrapolate to a national generalisation

No International. I am aware of the concept of statistics.

My comment was simply meant that they had a cold machine and it was locally perfectly normal. Not that no hot wash machine was ever permitted inside territorial waters.

Mintyy - thanks. This was a few years back. But it was the norm in their area. They asked around when they arrived as they found it so odd.

I struggle with the attachment other counties have to top loaders too.

I know what you meant (and agree with you completely). My comment was not directed at you...

Oh
Sorry.

Unfortunate alignment of posts.

My mother washes almost all clothes in the cold setting during summer. They are fine.

I wash DS's football kit (not muddy) in the quick wash (he needs it overnight - don't ask) at 30ºC and it's also fine.

I've never received so many responses to a thread I started!

the thing is, if you want to know if washing at 30 works for you, then
Just Try It. No need to contribute so many untested and testy opinions.

And get experimenting (or googling) in the way of a good thread?

What would MN come to?

I only use 30 for anything that's supposed to be handwashed, or is very delicate. I like to get 2-4 wears, up to a week for jeans and bras, out of everything, so 40 and 60 for towels (changed weekly) and bedding (every 2-3 weeks) gives me peace of mind.