When to Use Warm Water – For man-made fibers, knits and jeans, use warm water (90°F). Most of your clothes can be washed in warm water. It offers good cleaning without significant fading or shrinking. When to Use Cold Water – For dark or bright colors that bleed or delicate fabrics, use cold water (80°F).
Warm water can help to loosen and remove dirt and stains from clothes more effectively than cold water. This can be especially useful for heavily soiled or dirty clothes.
It helps remove stains more effectively while still being gentle on many fabrics. In summary, use 30 degrees for delicate or lightly soiled clothes and 40 degrees for regular loads with moderate soiling. Always check the care labels on your garments for specific washing instructions.
A warmer wash is better at removing tougher, heavier stains that are harder to get rid of. Generally 40°C and above can be classed as a warm wash and most clothing can be washed at these temperatures.
What temperature to wash delicates at? While some washing machine temperature settings go as low as 20°C, most cold washes start at 30°C. A setting of 30°C is usually recommended for washing delicate clothes when combined with a delicate cycle, and not on quick wash.
If you're particularly worried about some garments, you can always wash and dry them on a lower heat, say 30 °C. While lower temperatures won't prevent all shrinkage, it will significantly reduce it. One other thing you might see on a garment label is the phrase “preshrunk”.
Everyday lightly soiled clothes – for most garments you've worn in everyday life which simply need a refresh, it's not necessary to wash at high temperatures or for longer than 60 minutes. We would recommend a cold wash at 30 degrees or lower, to keep your clothes clean and fresh, while caring for your clothes too.
While a 30-degree wash might not remove all bacteria, it is effective for lightly soiled items when combined with the right detergent.
Bacteria stops growing at 8°c and below, and at 63°C or above. You should store food at these temperatures. Bacteria is killed at 100°C and above (boiling point). Bacteria definately won't grow at -18°C (freezer temperature), but might still stay live.
Cotton can be put in the dryer, but keep in mind the temperature. Do you want to prevent shrinkage? Then set the dryer to a maximum of 40 to 60 degrees. Higher temperatures lead to more shrinkage.
Some people advise 30˚C, saying anything hotter will make towels stiff and scratchy or fade their colour. Others believe hotter temperatures between 40˚C and 75˚C are the only way to kill bacteria. We recommend washing coloured towels at 40˚C and white towels between 60˚C and 75˚C.
Avoid hot water – high temperatures will cause cotton to shrink, so opt for a delicate cycle or a cold wash to avoid your favorite cotton items from shrinking. Flip them inside out – to protect the outside of the garment from the abrasive agitation of the washing process, turn them inside out.
When choosing the wash cycle, stick to the following formula: Short and cold. The washing temperature should not be more than 30 degrees and the wash cycle should be over as quickly as possible. You should specifically tackle strong stains before washing.
When to Use Warm Water – For man-made fibers, knits and jeans, use warm water (90°F). Most of your clothes can be washed in warm water. It offers good cleaning without significant fading or shrinking. When to Use Cold Water – For dark or bright colors that bleed or delicate fabrics, use cold water (80°F).
Hot water also uses more energy than a cold wash cycle, without any real benefits. However, there are times when you should run your washing machine with hot water. If clothing is seriously soiled or needs to be sanitized, hot water is the best option.
For light soiling, you can safely wash your laundry on a 40-degree cycle; most stains will disappear with the right eco-friendly washing powder even in a 30-degree wash. You should only choose 60 degrees if your clothes have stubborn stains or are heavily soiled.
Food held between 5oC and 60oC for less than 2 hours can be used, sold or put back in the refrigerator to use later. Food held between 5oC and 60oC for 2-4 hours can still be used or sold, but can't be put back in the fridge. Food held between 5oC and 60oC for 4 hours or more must be thrown away.
"The higher the temperature, the better the cleaning.” Hot water works best to remove stains, dirt, and germs from whites, diapers, and heavily soiled clothes, like uniforms or athletic wear. However, it can also cause some fabrics to shrink or fade.
However, in general, 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit) is considered a warm temperature. It may be perceived as hot in some moderate climates but relatively pleasant in hotter regions.
Whilst it is true that the water temperature won't kill bacteria on a 30 degrees wash, using a good detergent and hygiene rinse can combat this, and you can still save energy by not ramping up the temperature.
Don't wash those clothes
This is an odd one. According to folklore, if you wash clothes on New Year's Day, you'll be “washing for the dead” or washing a loved one away -- meaning someone in your household will die in the coming year. Get your laundry washed, dried, folded and put away by New Year's Eve.
In some instances, yes. However, a 30-minute wash is enough for your clothes depends on a few factors: Soil Level: Heavily soiled clothes from exercise, outdoor work, or greasy messes likely won't get fully clean in a 30-minute cycle. These clothes require a longer, more thorough wash at a higher temperature.
Both washing temperatures that are too high and drying that is too hot will cause your clothes to shrink. It is therefore advisable to wash at low temperatures. Many items of clothing can only be machine washed at 30 degrees Celsius, while delicate fabrics such as silk can only be washed by hand.
However, generally speaking, most bedding can be washed on a cool wash (around 30°C). This temperature is suitable for most fabrics, including silks and satins, and helps keep colours from fading. If you have very dirty bedding or want a deeper clean, you can opt for a warmer wash, between 40-60°C.
The numbers 30, 40, 50 and 60 reference water temperature in degrees Celsius. A cold wash is around 30°C (85°F), warm is 40°C (105°F), warm/hot is 50°C (120°F) and hot is 60°C (140°F). These temperatures should be considered the maximum recommended for safely washing that garment.