Washing clothes in cold water?

purpleivy

It's not just the heat that will sanitise laundry (As the OPs have said, heat will fix stains!) but there is also the agitation and the detergent.  

Nelliegrace

I washed vintage Welsh tapestry on a cold wool wash using Dri Pac pure liquid soap with white vinegar in the final rinse.
I am pleased with the result.
It was worth the risk and considerably cheaper than dry cleaning.

littlemoney

@Nelliegrace Why did you use white vinegar in final rinse please

Nelliegrace

I use a little distilled (white) vinegar as a final rinse in all of the laundry instead of fabric conditioner. It leaves no vinegar smell when dry. I buy it from Aldi, a 35p bottle lasts a couple of months. It is supposed to remove residue and leave fabric softer.

Fabric conditioner is expensive and unnecessary. It leaves a horrible synthetic smell, ruins elastic, and leaves a mess in the dispenser.

PipneyJane

In summer, I use cold water, while in winter, we wash at 30C.  This is entirely because I’ve noticed an issue with our current soap powder dissolving when the water is too cold.  We buy industrial sized boxes of washing powder from C0stc0, which last us about 15 months.  Previously, we used Fairy - which always dissolved in cold water - but currently, we’re using Arial non-bio.  Had a similar issue when we bought a tub of C0stc0’s own brand a few years ago.  (NB: I’m only using a 60g scoop of the Arial for a full wash, which is the prescribed amount.)

With my machine, the “eco” cycle is all about water volume, not temperature or time.

HTH

- Pip

Savvy_Sue

DH has eczema and asthma so I'm keen to banish dust mite debris from bedding, hence I wash that at 60°. 

Everything else at 40°, because I've got a good programme for that on the washing machine - all the lower temp ones spin at lower speeds or take forever.

I'm a devotee of white vinegar instead of fabric conditioner. The last time I used conditioner, unscented, his socks ate his ankles.

QrizB

No fabric conditioner here, not white vinegar. Our washing machine has to make do with tapwater for rinsing!

Katiehound

I often use the 30' wash but it is a slow spin so just put it on the fastest spin  when the wash cycle has completely finished. uses very little electricity- in fact it's usually done when the solar is working. (But actually the rinse & spin cycles use very very little power)
hardly ever use conditioner unless it is fleecy / fluffy

I get given stuff washed in Lenor & it truly stinks for many many months!

Biotex used to make a cold water variant, I remember using it in Zimbabwe. it was very effective on whites.