Cold water wash challenge

[tinapbeana]

bluing was used to make whites look whiter: a blue hued 'white' is seen as a truer white by the human eye than a yellow hued 'white' (which just looks old & dingy).

related to why grey haired ladies used to use a lavender rinse on their hair and hence the term "blue haired old lady"!

[baking23]

Exactly, I'm not a great writer so that's what I meant by covering up stains. I could have used camoflauged instead I guess.

[januarymarch]

Originally Posted by DivaJen

Per today's challenge, I am trying two loads using cold water only. These are my daughter's clothes mainly, so in many ways this will be the true test around here! Noramlly I use warm for wash and cold for rinse.

Actually, I've found that cold water cleans better in most cases and doesn't wear out the clothes as fast. Bedding I ususally wash on hot. Other than that I always use cold.

I also dry on the lowest setting in most cases. While it takes longer, again everything lasts much longer.

[sparkysgirl]

i've always washed in coldwater with the exception of sheets and pillows

[pjmama]

I've always washed in cold, as my mom has. The colors dont fade as fast... and adding to someone's suggestion of using less than the reccomended amount, I entirely agree. Not only does it incur the extra cost of having to buy more, but it also wears your clothes. I always use a half- 3/4 of the reccomended amount...

[genmed]

I've also always washed in cold water, except for bedding.

[mom-from-missouri]

Being in teaching, you take these classes at school, and I just learned a new one about washing......Head lice, are not killed in the wash. They are killed in the dryer. We were told to instruct parents who may have this problem at home, to wash all bedding as usual -so if you normally use cold, continue to use cold, but dry it at high heat for as long as you can. Some items, such as pillows, wont hold up in machines, and they are best burned. This was from a tailgate class I just took a few weeks ago and the instructor was a RN from the department of health.

[tinapbeana]

Originally Posted by mom-from-missouri

Some items, such as pillows, wont hold up in machines, and they are best burned. This was from a tailgate class I just took a few weeks ago and the instructor was a RN from the department of health.

we were always told that items like stuffed animals/pillows should be double/triple bagged and left to sit for X time period (i guess the thinking is the buggers would either suffocate or starve to death). wonder if this works or if it's just something that makes folks feel better?

[mom-from-missouri]

Actually, she did mention it-and said it does work IF done properly. The problem with this method is a hole in the bag, or the bag is not sealed well, or its opened too soon. With the dryer method, its done right then.

[tinapbeana]

Originally Posted by mom-from-missouri

Actually, she did mention it-and said it does work IF done properly. The problem with this method is a hole in the bag, or the bag is not sealed well, or its opened too soon. With the dryer method, its done right then.

oooooh, bet 'Space Bags' would do just the trick! they should add 'lice killing' to their ad campaign

[thebetterlifenow]

I do this for towels and most colors, but some clothes just don't get as clean in cold water. Instead, I cut back the temp on the hot water heater. That has saved me $$$ in the past.

[LuxLiving]

I guess this is subjective-- 'don't get as clean in cold water.' I have never sat in a room full of people and thought 'oh, her clothes are LESS clean'??????

I mean, I have seen people in dirty clothes, as in they just got off work at a dirty job kind of DIRTY, but not in say, a variance of cleanliness level, no.

I wash all week on cold water w/a low amount of detergent. On Saturday I do an extra load of whites in hot water w/good old plain bleach. I do see where whites don't seem to get as sparkling in cold, but am wondering if scientifically it's more a matter of the heat of the water and the strength of the bleach plus the detergent that go together to make it more clean? I'm thinking it is the bleach that is doing more of the trick here than the heated water, but I could be wrong.

Back to my colored clothes I have failed to see 'less clean' so I've proceeded w/washing in cold. A laundress for a theater company told me that clothes last longer when washed in cold, so that's what I do.

Any of you brighter scientific brainiacs care to weigh in w/facts?? thoughts??

[tinapbeana]

Originally Posted by LuxLiving

I do see where whites don't seem to get as sparkling in cold, but am wondering if scientifically it's more a matter of the heat of the water and the strength of the bleach plus the detergent that go together to make it more clean? I'm thinking it is the bleach that is doing more of the trick here than the heated water, but I could be wrong.

ok, gross science peeking it's head in the forum!

cloth gets dirty because of two things: you, and the rest of the world. when you wear clothing, the rest of the world gets on the outside and you get on the inside. by 'you' i'm talking specifically about skin oils and skin flakes. eeewwww!

chances are that the stuff you encounter in the rest of the world typcially isn't oily or greasey, so water temp might not make that much of a difference. think trying to wash greasy dishes in cold water vs hot water: which is more effective? so, if you're washing clothes in cold water, the parts you see (the outside) are likely going to come out fine unless there was grease or oil involved.

now let's apply this to sheets and towels, especially whites. still cloth materials, but unlike your clothes, your sheets and towels are made dirty by you. again with the skin oil and skin flakes.... in this instance, the oils might not be dissolved as easily in cold water as in hot water. with colored sheets you likely wouldn't notice a difference, but with whites, every last thing is going to stand out...

[boomeyers]

I am a cold wash person. Occassionally I will do the towel in a warm/cold. They seem to come out smelling better that way. Maybe due to the thickness?

[nanamom]

I don't remember the last time I used hot water. I have washed and rinsed in cold for years, everything. I haven't use a dryer for along time and in fact just bought a metal drying rack (encased in plastic) cause my two wooden ones are in sad shape. A wooden one costs about 10 bucks. The new one was 20 but is much much bigger and has twice the number of places to dry. I can do two loads on it. Which is good since I never remeber to dutifully do one a day so I can fit it all and am usually scrambling to get things dry with 3 or 4 loads on the weekends.

[honeichild]

I also wash in cold...I use Shout for stains and have no problems. I think I will invest in a drying rack.

[th_tan]

Originally Posted by DivaJen

Per today's challenge, I am trying two loads using cold water only. These are my daughter's clothes mainly, so in many ways this will be the true test around here! Noramlly I use warm for wash and cold for rinse.

Sounds like a good idea to save some money, I rarely do loads with cold water, but it doesn't sound much different, just let it soak for more time. Goodluck with it

[mom-from-missouri]

I have now gone a full 2 years without doing a load in warm or hot water. I can't tell a difference at all.

All I have done in warm water is to rit dye some shirts for a craft project. The warm makes the dye work better. I could have done it in the sink, but its a cleaner job in the washer.

We have never washed clothes in warm or hot water and we too can't tell the difference. We also hang heavier quilts and blankets on a line to dry.

[Ima saver]

When I first moved here, I had my washer out in a shed and did not have warm water. Then I moved it inside and have not washed in anything but cold water for 23 years. I see no difference either.