Cold wash, washing powder?

anon_ymous

PipneyJane said:

waqasahmed said:

-taff said:

I think you've been swayed by advertising here. Clothes washing liquid is just soap and water [ maybe with a bit of perfume here and there or other additives], no matter how thick or how thin. Make your own up and pour it in the washing machine if you do a simple wash, it'll be cheaper, cleaner for your machine.

Sure

I was more getting at that with hot water, it'd pretty much instantly go down the pipe instead of the water taking it as and when needed 

No it won't.  It'll drain into the drum with the rest of the water you use to wash your clothes.   Next time you use a powder, check out the drawer just after starting the machine.  All the soap is being washed down into the drum.  (My machine's drawer has two soap slots, but only one is ever used.  The other slot gets used if the machine is on the 90C cycle.)

Incidentally, I disagree with people saying not to buy a 10kg machine.  A larger machine will mean that you only have to do one towel wash, instead of two - or more - in order to get a family's towels washed.  Ditto for bedding.  

- Pip

Tbh I don't tend to need to do that, however. I'll be buying a house just for me tbh (+ a lodger)

The biggy for me is the ability to wash at 20C which despite it's B rated efficiency is still likely cheaper to run than the A rated washing machines that don't have this active care function.

In that sense, an 8Kg washing machine would likely save even more in running costs for me. Hotpoint also don't appear to have an A rated active care washing machine that also has a 1600rpm spin

General_Grant

GaleSF63 said:

YoungBlueEyes said:

Interesting.... Is there evidence that heat is truly unnecessary, and it's the chemicals that do the work?
Or is it more of a cultural difference?  

I think a great deal of the work is done by the agitation of the machine, whether hot or cold water, and whatever the detergent (or lack of).

water itself is a detergent

comeandgo

Been to parts of Africa where they only have cold water to wash clothes, ie stream, and bar of soap but their clothes are still coming out clean.  Not that I’d like to do that every day.

Northern_Wanderer

BioD have recently reformulated their laundry liquid to work with low temperatures. Great British made product, kind on the environment. I would say you have to do your 90C maintenace wash, but you should be doing that anyways from time to time.

I am a 60C-er for towels and bedding. Had my towels for years and they never get musty, I do remember minging smell towels when I was younger having only washed them at 40C, it just doesn't kill the bacteria and I had to chuck them out.

Longwalker

All thats needed to clean clothes is water agitation and soap

So cold washes are fine -  but if you are adding soap, you need one that dissolves and clears your pipes on a cold wash

I now only use powder, we have a septic tank and when liquids and pods were used we had serious problems with blockages. Now its only powder we dont have a problem. Clothes are clean ( I always spot clean anything Im concerned about ) and wash at a 30 short wash unless its bedding, towels, t-towels )