However, hot water can also set protein-based stains like blood or sweat, making them harder to remove. Cold water is better for preventing colour bleeding and setting stains, especially for delicate fabrics. It's advisable to refer to the garment's care label and treat stains promptly.
Typically, cold water works great on blood, as well as food, beverages and water-based paint, while hot water works best on protein-based stains. Unfortunately, there's no golden rule to stain removal. For example, most food stains should be soaked in cold water, unless it's egg, mustard or a tomato-based product.
Cold water is fine for most clothes and other items that you can safely put in the washing machine. It can remove many stains from clothing, including grass on your kid's jeans or makeup smudges on a sweater. Delicate fabrics (lace and silk) and dark, colorful fabrics actually do best in cold water.
Washing heavily soiled articles with hot water can set stains. For heavily soiled clothes, prewash them in cool water, then wash them again in water that is 130°F or higher. The rinse water can always be cold without any harmful effects on the wash load.
Is hot or cold water better for removing stains? Oils and greases are semi-solid at room temperature, meaning that it needs to be liquefied to be fully removed. The best way to liquify grease in fabric is to use warm or hot water when washing.
Grease Stains
As soon as you identify a grease stain, you will want to rub enzyme detergent into the stain and let it sit for 10 minutes. Once the time has elapsed, machine wash your garment in hot water or the warmest setting recommended on the care tag to remove the stain.
Protein stains such as dairy, blood, egg, glue, and white deodorant marks should always be washed in cold water. Hot water can actually cook the protein, causing it to absorb into the clothing fibres, and making it almost impossible to remove. Cold water helps lift the stain without setting it.
Ink can be challenging to remove from clothing. You don't want to rub the stain as it can smear. Hot water is best, but warm water will also work. You'll also need a microfiber cloth to blot off as much ink out as possible, detergent, and rubbing alcohol to get the job done.
If you have overloaded the washer, the clothes won't be able to move around as freely, and therefore it's less likely to eliminate dirt and grime from all the surfaces. In order to avoid overloading, make sure the clothes aren't packed in too tightly and that the washer tub is no more than three-quarters full.
“Staining wood usually works between 50 and 90 degrees Fahrenheit,” says Phillip Ash, the founder of Pro Paint Corner, “but the best temperature would be at around 70 degrees Fahrenheit.” Some brands or types of stains may work outside that range, but it's the generally accepted best temperature for staining wood.
DON'T Use Water
Soap and water is the best way to clean any stain, right? Wrong. Water will damage certain fibers, making the stain appear even worse than it does right now. If your carpet or rug is wool or a wool blend, this is especially true, but water can even damage certain cotton fibers often found in carpet.
1. Apply white vinegar directly to the stain, let it soak in for a few minutes (don't let it dry). 2. Wash the garment in your machine using the hottest water the fabric can tolerate.
A washing machine is normally connected to the cold and hot water systems, but quite a few will work with just a cold supply while dishwashers usually only need a cold supply. If your machine is supplied from the pipe that feeds your kitchen tap, the water will be at mains pressure.
Most care labels on towels say to wash them in cold water on a delicate cycle. Jones and Dowling second this, and in our towel testing, I do the same to accurately compare the feel, shrinkage, absorbency, and color fading.
Removing stains
Hot water may be best for disinfecting and removing bacteria, but cold water is actually more effective in removing certain kinds of stains. A cold water soak and cold wash cycle will help fight tough food, coffee, or sweat stains more effectively than hot water.
OxiClean™ Versatile Stain Remover works in any temperature water, but best in warm to hot water. Do NOT use boiling water.
Unfortunately, some stains are permanent, and not even the best cleaning methods can remove them. If you notice a stain on your clothes, do not try to remove it yourself. Washing a stain or attempting to remove it with a home remedy can actually ingrain it further into the fabric and make it permanent.
Yes, you should be able to. Soak the item of clothing in warm water, then apply a few drops of dish soap on the stain. Hold the material around the stain and start rubbing the sides against each other to work up a lather. This will help the fabric absorb the soap.
Old Stains There is often the effect of time upon a stain: the older the stain, the harder it is to remove. Drycleaners who are trained in stain removal prefer to work on fresh stains which have not had time to "set" or react with the fabric, dyes, finish, or atmosphere.
Stick with warm if that's best for the fabric. Hot water should be between 120 and 140 degrees F, warm water between 85 and 105 degrees F and cold water between 65 and 75 degrees F. Water below 60 degrees is too cold for many detergents to be helpful in removing oily stains.
Water stains can be removed relatively easily from washable clothing.
Removing Ink and Marker Stains with OxiClean™
With 5 in 1 Power, OxiClean™ Max Force™ Spray can tackle tough marker stains so you can leave your mark but not on your fabrics. OxiClean™ Max Force™ Spray directly onto the marker spot or stain on your clothing until it is fully saturated.
With an increased amount of solvents, hot water can dissolve more material than cold water. This is why hot water is the first choice for cleaning hard-to-wash stains such as dirt, grease, and oil. Besides that, hot water transfers heat when it comes in contact with anything.
Yeah, white vinegar is also used for brightening clothes, bleaching and reducing stains, losing soap buildup, deodorizing, preventing colors from fading, cleaning washing machines, and softening fabrics. Indeed, a lot it does! What else do you need? Just pour some vinegar, rinse, and wash off the clothing, and voila!
Sponge the stained area with a dry-cleaning solvent; let it air-dry. Soak the stain in a solution of one cup of liquid laundry detergent and a few drops of ammonia (Caution: Never mix chlorine bleach and ammonia - the resulting fumes are hazardous) for at least 30 minutes. Launder using liquid laundry detergent.