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Cold Washing your Laundry

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Comments

  • MadDogWoman_2
    MadDogWoman_2 Posts: 2,376 Forumite
    Hi Trigger,

    I've not tried it, but it may be similar to Napisan.

    I have to soak DD's clothes etc in cold water and Napisan helps lift the stains.

    I had a muslin last week covered in strawberry, brought it all out. :j

    I'll have to have a look as Napisan in £1.69 and it only lasts about 10 days.

    MDW
    Proud to be dealing with my debts
    DD Katie born April 2007!
    3 years 9 months and proud of it
    dreams do come true (eventually!)

  • trigger2
    trigger2 Posts: 360 Forumite
    DO you use Napisan in cold water too ? I struggle sometimes getting stains out of kids clothes, so I may try this. Thanks
  • zarazara
    zarazara Posts: 2,264 Forumite
    Are there any biologists or peeps who know about germs on here please? As I understand it it needs 60 degrees C to kill house mites in bedding and bugs and germs generally. Wth this in mind I now wash everything on a cold wash [unless its bedding] as I cant see what the pint of 30 or 40 degrees is. if stains dont come out then those items go back in the laundry bin until I ave a load to wash at 30 degrees.---!!'m learning just what cold will and wont wash so in future this shouldnt happen}.So , does 30 or 40 degrees C kill germs and bugs? I've tried washing DH really smelly socks in cold or 30 or 60 and they still smell no matter what.
    "The purpose of Life is to spread and create Happiness" :j
  • champys
    champys Posts: 1,101 Forumite
    zarazara - I believe there is quite an extensive thread on this somewhere. Question: when you wash your hands (with soap) at the wash basin, do you wash them at 60°? I bet not. Even if you wash your hands with cold water, you still come away with the feeling they are clean and free of germs and bugs. Most washing detergents will wash clean even if you don't get to 60°. If in doubt, you can always add some soda crystals or use the stuff for nappies. However some detergents only start being active at 30° so that needs checking.
    "Remember that many of the things you have now you could once only dream of" - Epicurus
  • System
    System Posts: 178,093 Community Admin
    Photogenic Name Dropper First Post
    I must admit i have never washed anything above 30 or 40 degrees. It only gets 40 degrees if I think the marks might not come of children's clothes etc. This is going back 8 years and is just through ignorance :eek: I didn't know you were supposed to use higher temps (in fact i thought it might just damage clothes or shrink stuff lol). anyhow it has not done me or the kids any harm!
  • Gangstabird
    Gangstabird Posts: 1,920 Forumite
    Zara, I doubt very much if anyone has died from mites or bedbugs and I truly believe that this was dreamt up by someone trying to sell either washing machines or matresses.

    You could try putting the socks in a pail of soda first (a covered one cos of stink). Also adding bicarbonate of soda to his boots helps. Leave in over night and pour out the next morning.

    Is he wearing cotton socks and do his boots have ventilation. If he wears safety boots, as I do, I find Magnums are pretty good with ventilating the feet. I am a woman and my feet smell horrid if I wear trainers without socks etc. Oh God, I am admitting to smelly feet whereas my DH can wear the same pair of socks for days without them smelling.
  • SuziQ
    SuziQ Posts: 3,042 Forumite
    The higher temps are needed for bed bugs and mites but for ordinary washing and hands the 30-40 degree water plus soap is sufficient to kill germs.
    Tomorrow is always fresh, with no mistakes in it!
  • zarazara
    zarazara Posts: 2,264 Forumite
    Thanks all. the 60 degrees thing is def needed for bed mites, DH is asthmatic and clinic says to wash bedding at 60.
    re the cooler temps,[30 or 40 degrees] what I am wondering is ,is is there any point to them? ie should I just not bother with them but wash stuff on cold wash and so save oil? [ we have oil central heating and hot water boiler.
    Is there a health reason for 30 or 40 degree wash or is it just a soap powder manufacturing thing as at those temps the powder works better? coz if it it I might as well just make my own powder or liquid [there are recipes for same on this site] and wash nearly everything on cold UNLESS I have to wash it on 60 for health reasons. Hope this makes sence, I'm trying to save fuel.
    "The purpose of Life is to spread and create Happiness" :j
  • Teria
    Teria Posts: 204 Forumite
    Ohh...I'm getting a bit worried about bed mites now. I never wash anything over higher than 30 - not even washing up sponges/cloths - I just steep those in bleach for a bit before I throw them in with the whites. (never use tea towels, I think they're unhygienic anyway)
    Maybe soaking in disinfectant or something might kill off the mites?
  • Dill
    Dill Posts: 1,743 Forumite
    I think biological washing powder works best with hand-hot water, which I guess would be roughly 35-40 degrees. It's something to do with the enzymes in it (Sorry, that's the limit of my chemistry knowledge:rotfl: )

    For non-bio detergent I'm not sure it would make much difference.
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