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Modern detergents are capable of doing these jobs in cold water.

bee_rider 3y ago
Not commenting to argue either way, as I have no idea what the truth is. But, I’m surprised that there can be such strong, confident, and basically contradictory opinions on this topic which seems to me like it ought to be a simple matter of fact.
- cooper_ganglia 3y ago
  As someone who has done laundry before, I feel confident in chiming in here: Anecdotally, hot water is almost always better for reducing smells in my clothing. It helps some fabric types more than others, but it doesn’t hurt any of them. If you can afford a home, electricity, water, detergent, and clothing, I personally cannot imagine a single reason not to use hot water.
  - bee_rider 3y ago
    I’ve also done plenty of laundry, of course, but I never bothered varying the water temperature as an independent variable.
    - cooper_ganglia 3y ago
      I had a girlfriend years ago who insisted that cold water worked just as fine as hot water. While I didn't write down any observations, I did do several loads of laundry over the next couple weeks where I adjusted water temp as a variable, and found that things typically smelled more fresh when they were washed in hotter water. Maybe it's placebo, maybe it's my detergent, maybe it's something else, but for me, personally, I always wash non-delicate laundry with hot water because at the very least, I feel like I smell better, and that's worth it to me! :)
  - IggleSniggle 3y ago
    The specific detergent does matter quite a bit here, as well.
    - alchemist1e9 3y ago
      If you really want to get something very clean then add 1/4 cup of Borax and use Extra Hot if your washer supports it. Source - me - I wash household blankets the kids make super dirty sometimes. If the material can handle the heat (no shrinking or delicate materials issue) then the Borax really does super charge the detergent effects somehow. I don’t doubt there might be something environmentally problematic with Borax but I just am not aware myself.

Not commenting to argue either way, as I have no idea what the truth is. But, I’m surprised that there can be such strong, confident, and basically contradictory opinions on this topic which seems to me like it ought to be a simple matter of fact.

cooper_ganglia 3y ago
As someone who has done laundry before, I feel confident in chiming in here: Anecdotally, hot water is almost always better for reducing smells in my clothing. It helps some fabric types more than others, but it doesn’t hurt any of them. If you can afford a home, electricity, water, detergent, and clothing, I personally cannot imagine a single reason not to use hot water.
- bee_rider 3y ago
  I’ve also done plenty of laundry, of course, but I never bothered varying the water temperature as an independent variable.
  - cooper_ganglia 3y ago
    I had a girlfriend years ago who insisted that cold water worked just as fine as hot water. While I didn't write down any observations, I did do several loads of laundry over the next couple weeks where I adjusted water temp as a variable, and found that things typically smelled more fresh when they were washed in hotter water. Maybe it's placebo, maybe it's my detergent, maybe it's something else, but for me, personally, I always wash non-delicate laundry with hot water because at the very least, I feel like I smell better, and that's worth it to me! :)
- IggleSniggle 3y ago
  The specific detergent does matter quite a bit here, as well.
  - alchemist1e9 3y ago
    If you really want to get something very clean then add 1/4 cup of Borax and use Extra Hot if your washer supports it. Source - me - I wash household blankets the kids make super dirty sometimes. If the material can handle the heat (no shrinking or delicate materials issue) then the Borax really does super charge the detergent effects somehow. I don’t doubt there might be something environmentally problematic with Borax but I just am not aware myself.