Ah, the washing machine. Hands down one of the greatest inventions of our time, it not only frees you time but saves you energy too. Homeowners are used to washing their clothes with hot water that they can’t imagine using cold water.
What happens when the hot cycle fails, and you can’t find a washer repair professional? Can you run a washing machine with just cold water?
The answer to this question is a resounding YES. Studies have shown that most of the clothes come out just as clean with cold water.
For you to get ideal results, you should put these tips into consideration:
- Always sort the whites, lights, and dark colors out and wash them separately.
- Always use high-quality detergents, preferably those made to be used in cold water. When using the detergents, ensure you use the right amount. Remember, when you use too much of it, most of it will build up in the clothes leaving too little for cleaning.
- Consider adding additives to the detergents to boost the cleaning power of the detergent.
- Like when cleaning using hot or warm water, take care not to overload the washer. Loading the washer properly ensures that it optimally which not only saves you time, it also extends the life of the appliance.
- Before you begin cleaning, search for stained and extra dirty pieces of clothing and pre-treat them.
- If cleaning many too dirty items, you will find some of the clothes still dirty after running the cleaning cycle. Before you remove the clothes from the washing machine, inspect them and if still dirty, repeat the cleaning.
- In winter, be ultra-cautious and ensure the water is not below 60f as the clothes won’t clean well at this temperature.
- For clothes that are heavily soiled and grease-stained, clean them with warm or hot water.
When does it make sense to clean with cold water?
Dark clothes: Washing clothes in cold water is an excellent way of preserving color. Studies also show that dark clothes clean better in cold water. Killing two birds with one stone, you might say.
Delicates: Clothes made from lace or silk can easily get damaged by hot water, which makes it logical to clean them with hot water.
Clothes that wrinkle or shrink easily: Hot water is known to wrinkle and shrink clothes, which gives them a cheap look. If you have clothes where wrinkles could be a problem, you can solve the issue by washing using cold water.
Lack of care label: To avoid damaging your precious clothes, it’s recommended you look out for the care label that guides you on the best way to handle the clothes. If you are getting ready to wash the clothes, then you notice you are missing the care label, don’t fret. Clean them with cold water, and you won’t have to worry about causing damage.
Situations when it doesn’t make sense to clean using cold water
While cold water has its perks, there are several situations when it doesn’t make sense of cleaning with cold water. Some of these situations include:
When you need high levels of sanitation: Some of these situations include when you are washing undergarments, sheets, and sick person’s clothes. Although laundry detergent does a great job of cleaning the clothes, hot water works excellently at killing the germs.
When using powdered detergents: Powdered detergents don’t dissolve easily, and in most cases, you need hot water to dissolve them completely. Using cold water with powdered detergents causes streaks on the clothes, which gives the clothes a cheap, ugly look.
When using a cheap detergent: When you are looking to save on detergents, you are better off using hot water. According to appliance repair Northern VA professionals, cheap detergents don’t have enough cleaning power to properly clean the soil and grime. Hot water comes in handy at helping in getting rid of the dirt.
When you have lower groundwater temperatures: In areas such as Alaska and Maine, where the temperatures are usually too low, the cold water might be too cold for cleaning making, it sensible to use hot water.
