Do You Wash Your Clothes With Hot/Warm Or Cold Water?

[bakechef]

I am part of the cold water crowd.

We have front loading high efficiency machines in the apartment complex where I live and they work great at washing the clothes and removing the excess moisture prior to placing them in the dryer. The issue we have with some of the machines is that over time they develop a very unpleasant odor. I have been told that this is due to the fact that some water remains in the machine after a wash is completed and if the door to the machine is left closed a mold develops. This plus the fact that the door seal on these machines is waterproof means that no air circulates in the machine when it is sitting idle. I have been told that it is best to leave the door open when the machine is not in use. This issue may be more pronounced in an apartment complex like the one I live in because so many different people are using the machines and using different laundry soaps and fabric softeners.

That seems to be an issue with front loaders in general. It has happened to my friend, she now makes sure to leave the front door propped open.

I wash in cold. The only time I use hot, is if I need to brighten whites in a bleach cycle.

I also only use 1/2 the recommended amount of detergent (liquid) and I see no difference in how clean the clothes get.

 

[justplainbill]

Wash @ 40C, rinse @50C. Prefer outdoor clothes line drying but birds can be a problem. Do not like soft / limp fabrics (except wool).

 

[pacanis]

It all depends on how the creek is running...

 

[Hoot]

Somebody stole all the rocks down to the creek nearby here.....guess I will have to beat the clothes with a stick from now on.

 

[justplainbill]

Somebody stole all the rocks down to the creek nearby here.....guess I will have to beat the clothes with a stick from now on.

Get yourself a glass or galvanized washboard.

 

[Aunt Bea]

I was told that modern day cowpokes fill up an old milk can with water, soap and dirty duds. Then they let it rattle around in the back of the pickup for a day or two. The vibration and the heat of the sun seem to do the trick.

I myself would probably fill my pockets with soap and take a long walk on a rainy day!

 

[justplainbill]

I was told that modern day cowpokes fill up an old milk can with water, soap and dirty duds. Then they let it rattle around in the back of the pickup for a day or two. The vibration and the heat of the sun seem to do the trick.

I myself would probably fill my pockets with soap and take a long walk on a rainy day!

Should be able to get up to around 60C if milk can is painted black.

 

[CWS4322]

Cold water here. I use liquid homemade laundry soap (it doesn't create suds) and add white vinegar to the rinse cycle. I am allergic to most laundry detergents/soaps, so have done this for years to get all the soap residue rinsed out. I then run a 2nd rinse cycle. Doing laundry is a time-consuming task in my world, but it beats breaking a hole in the ice in the winter and washing them in the creek. All my clothes are line-dried. I have a dryer, but I use it about 2x a year, if that, and only because it has been raining and I'm out of towels or other things.

The only time I use hot water is when I bleach whites.

 

[Katie H]

Cold water wash here, too. Except, as others have stated, I use hot when I'm brightening/bleaching whites.

I use the dryer as little as possible. I just can't see removing part of our clothes, etc. from the dryer trap every time I empty it. That lint has to come from somewhere.

Glenn put lines on the clothesline supports for me. Said he'd never had a wife who actually "liked" to hang laundry. I love it, if for nothing else, the wonderful fragrance that comes inside on the dried items.

I've been washing with cold water for more years than I can remember and for nearly the same time I've used homemade laundry detergent. Every time I walk down the laundry detergent aisle in the market, I'm reminded how cost-effective the homemade stuff is.

 

[PrincessFiona60]

I'm one weekend away from making my own laundry soap. Have all the ingredients and have an empty jug for it. I think that is the longest a jug has lasted me, waiting to get rid of it. I have both Fels and Zote...haven't decided which to use first.

The main reason I use warm water is the job I have, just feel better washing the germy scrubs in warm water. I use warm water and soap when I wash my hands, too. Don't wear my work shoes into the house or car.

 

[CarolPa]

Since we are retired, my husband "helps" with the laundry. He remembers the old days when his mother washed everything in hot water. Let me say, he is not allowed to wash any of my shirts, tops etc because of that! I don't like to complain because they he won't help, but I try to keep his washing to towels, sheets and jeans. I certainly don't want my underwear shrinking! LOL He also likes to use the dryer on hot because it doesn't take as long. I am gradually breaking him of that habit!

Carol

 

[Snip 13]

I use cold only but spray all stains with pre wash spray.

 

[justplainbill]

I'm one weekend away from making my own laundry soap. Have all the ingredients and have an empty jug for it. I think that is the longest a jug has lasted me, waiting to get rid of it. I have both Fels and Zote...haven't decided which to use first.

The main reason I use warm water is the job I have, just feel better washing the germy scrubs in warm water. I use warm water and soap when I wash my hands, too. Don't wear my work shoes into the house or car.

You might want to give Colgate's Octagon a try.

 

[PrincessFiona60]

You might want to give Colgate's Octagon a try.

What is that? Never seen it.

 

[justplainbill]

l

What is that? Never seen it.

Below is a link to a write-up about Octagon
Back to basics: Colgate's Octagon Soap | MNN - Mother Nature Network
It's my go to for poison ivy and for washing up my boar bristle pastry brushes.
We can still buy it at our local IGA supermarket, a darn bit cheaper than from Vermont Country Store.
As to availability-
http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf90928994.tip.htm

 

[Aunt Bea]

Ya better pickup a soap saver for the dishes!

 

[PrincessFiona60]

l
Below is a link to a write-up about Octagon
Back to basics: Colgate's Octagon Soap | MNN - Mother Nature Network
It's my go to for poison ivy and for washing up my boar bristle pastry brushes.
We can still buy it at our local IGA supermarket, a darn bit cheaper than from Vermont Country Store.
As to availability-
http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf90928994.tip.htm

I'll have to check Vermont country store. I have to go to Lehman's to get Zote and Kirk's Coco Castile on a regular basis, can't count on the stores here having it. Fels I can get at Wal-mart.

 

[GotGarlic]

We wash everything in cold water, using a liquid detergent formulated for it. We also use dryer sheets.

 

[justplainbill]

I've been wanting to buy one but cannot find the wire mesh type.

Ya better pickup a soap saver for the dishes!

 

[Aunt Bea]

I've been wanting to buy one but cannot find the wire mesh type.

I see the old ones on Ebay fairly often.

I have not seen any new ones.

When I was little my grandmother used one to finish off all of the old bits of hand soap. She would shake it in the water until she got a soapy froth and then hand wash a small amount of clothes. In the winter she always had a folding wooden rack in the kitchen for the hand wash! She would be amazed by the granite, stainless steel, hardwood kitchens in new homes today!