What Temperature for the Washing ?

Oakdene

Towels & bedding on 90, everything else on 60...

trailingspouse

I always used to wash everything (apart from delicates/woollens) at 60, then we went all eco-friendly and I started to wash everything at 40. I noticed that the machine started to have a stale smell and the damp clothes didn't smell as nice as I would like (although they were fine once dried).

I've gone back to 60 for underwear, shirts, towels and bedding, reserving 40 for less robust items - and the stale smell has disappeared.

I never use conditioner, but I dry outside whenever possible which gives everything a lovely smell for free.

bellaboo86

40 degrees unless it is a delicate item. At 30 degrees the OHs shirts still whiff under the arms.

elsien

Most things 40 - I find a lot of clothes tend to shrink slightly on a 60
Wash.
If the germs have come off me in the first place, and they're the general bacteria we all have all over our bodies anyway, then I don't really see it as an issue. If I'd got recurring thrush or something nasty it would be different.

Owain_Moneysaver

DianneB wrote: »

I also run an empty wash with soda crystals if the machine gets a bit wiffy - I thought that was the generally agreed OS way!!

An empty wash? Can't you put the tea towels or hankies or something through with the soda crystals?

SpikyHedgehog

Towels, teatowels, dishcloths & DS1's chef whites boil wash, bedding at 60, everything else at 30/40 ( depending on whether I remember to turn the temp dial back down or not!).

When DS2 had a toenail infection, I added a splash of disinfectant to the wash with his socks, & found that DS1's stuffed in motorbike boots all day socks were coming up nicer than without it.

Lindlou

[QUOTE

We wash everything at 40 generally. Towels and bedclothes are washed at 60. Underwear and teatowels too where possible but if there's no 60 wash going they go in the 40.

Zip[/QUOTE]

Exactly that. I'm in my 50's and I haven't killed us yet!

SunnyGirl

Lights and bedding at 70 degrees although I use 90 as well if they're especially dirty or it's been hot. Darks at 50. All my towels, tea towels and underwear are light coloured or white so can take the hotter washing. I use Daz and Lenor - have done for years, it was the only powder that would get all the stains from 3 children out at one time!

ETA I don't use the higher temperatures to necessarily kill germs just to keep everything bright and white.

elf06

on a side note - my washing machine repair man told me that 30C wont kill any of the germs and that using a 30 wash with gel type washing products is THE worst for your machine. He also suggested running a 90C wash once a month with some special product he tried to sell me (I declined but I do follow the advice of a 90C wash monthly but I put vinegar in mine!). He was telling me all of that because my door seal wash incredibly mouldy despite regular cleaning. Since following his advice (mainly 40C washes unless I'm doing a freshen up which is 15 mins at 30c and the 90C monthly) I've got a pristine door rubbery seal bit

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

ukwmo wrote: »

What temperature do you folks do your washing at ? Only ask because I read an article in the Mail the other day which said that germs on your washing aren't killed until the temperature hits 60 degrees C. And I've never done a wash at that temperature *yikes*

Don't be disgusted, please, but I've only ever done the wash at 30, with a 90 degree wash once in a while, if the machine ever gets a bit whiffy (I put some soda crystals in the drum because, um, an old woman at the bus stop told me to do it) (honestly I believe anything !)

Seemingly the bedsheets, your underwear, sweaty shirts, tea towels etc are loaded with germs when you put them in the machine. And even though they look clean when they come out, the germs are still there and alive & kicking if you only wash at 30.40 degrees. Yuck. After reading that I felt like emptying the cupboards and drawers and washing everything again.

So. What temperature for what type of washing ? And do you ever put anything else in with your detergent to give it a boost ? What about conditioner ... do you use that or is there anything else which can be used that way to keep things smelling nice ?

:beer:

The article in question just happened to have a washing machine 'disinfectant' seller giving the information. So, more of a stealth advertisement, rather than a real story...


If it comes out white when it's supposed to be, it's fine. If visible dirt is no longer visible, it's fine.

Almost everything gets washed on 30 with ecofriendly non-bio. Only jumpers get fabric softener (again, eco-friendly - I prefer butterflies to lay their eggs on their food sources, not my underwear )

Teatowels, cloths and the like get a 60.

And the one thing I do that most people don't is to use a piece of kitchen roll and cleaner to wipe inside the door seal each time I do the kitchen countertops.


Everything looks clean, doesn't smell and I had to remove mould from the washing machine drawer when I used fancy powders just as often - it's because of soap residue and cold fill machines, nothing to do with needing to add disinfectant to eventually go down the drain into the watercourses of the country.