Laundry Temperature: Should You Wash Clothes in Hot or Cold Water?

laundry temperature: should you wash clothes in hot or cold water?

What laundry temperature is best? Should you wash the clothes in hot or cold water?

If you've ever pulled a pink shirt out of the washing machine when a white one went in, or put on a fresh pair of jeans that are still sporting the signs of last week's lunch, you know that even a simple task you've done hundreds of times can get complicated now and then.

And choosing what temperature for laundry is the biggest wash day challenge of all.

This guide to choosing the correct laundry temperature for washing clothes can help sort things out.

why the right laundry temperature for washing clothes matters

How important is the right temperature? Washing machine temperatures directly affect the wrinkling of fabrics, the life span and color of your clothes, and the performance of your laundry detergent.

Sure, the quickest - and seemingly safest - way to get the job done is to wash everything in a single load with cold water. That way, you get it all done at once, and there's no color transfer between clothes, right?

Well, sort of. Washing everything together in cold will prevent color transfer. But unfortunately, it won't get everything clean.

Worse, you'll be sacrificing the whiteness of your whites, which need to have body soils and stains fully removed to retain their vibrant, white color.

You could, perhaps, wash all in warm water - but then you'd have a different but equally vexing problem - the dreaded color transfer between clothes. This, unfortunately, is permanent. So it really is worth doing two separate loads if you have a combination of whites, lights and darks. And especially important is choosing the right washing machine temperature settings for each.

Let your fabrics determine the water temperature if the label doesn't tell you: Sturdy fabrics, such as jeans and heavy cotton shirts, get the normal or regular cycle; combinations of synthetic and natural fibers needs the permanent press wash, sheer and gentle fabrics do best in the cold wash cycle.

when to wash in hot water

A hot wash (domestic hot water temperature is generally 130 degrees F. or above; 54 degrees C. or above) works well on ground-in and hard-to-remove dirt on sturdy fabrics. 

Generally speaking, you should wash white clothes in hot water. Washing colors in hot water is also recommended if the clothes are really dirty or greasy , and they're made of sturdy, color-fast fabric. (Wash them separately, of course.)

Use it to clean seriously soiled sturdy garments (gardening or children's clothing), and to regularly disinfect dish towels, washcloths, bath towels, bedding, and pillowcases. 

Light and dark fabrics should be separated as hot water may cause these clothes to bleed.

Delicate and coarse or sturdy fabrics should be separated to prevent abrasion and protect clothes from wear and tear. (Whites warrant the solo treatment no mater what the temperature.)

when to wash in warm water

Warm water (90 degrees F.; 32 degrees C.) (or permanent press wash setting) minimizes color fading and wrinkling.

It's what to wash light clothes in, as well as regular and sturdy fabrics, towels, jeans, 100 percent manmade fibers, and blends of natural and manmade fibers. It's also appropriate for moderately dirty duds that don't the extra power of a hot water temperature wash.

washing clothes with cold water: will cold water shrink clothes?

Washing clothes with cold water (80 degrees F.; 27 degrees C.) will protect most dark or bright-colored clothing from running and minimizes shrinkage. What clothes to wash in cold water?

Use the cold wash cycle for lightly soiled fabrics and clothes with blood, wine or coffee stains, dark or bright colors that may run or fade, delicate fabrics including washable silk, Spandex swimsuits, and active wear; and delicate lingerie. It's also okay for lightly soiled clothes.

Does washing clothes in cold water get them clean? Yes - if you make sure to up the detergent amount you're using to one- to one-and-a half times the recommended amount. 

This is because detergent is formulated for, and fully activated in, warm water. Cooler water won't fully activate detergent, which means you'll need to use more to make up for the temperature difference to get your cold wash clothes clean.

If you use too little detergent (or the recommended amount for warm or hot water washes), clothes can become dully and dingy, white items may turn gray or yellowed, body soils are left on cuffs and collars, and lint isn't held in the water until it is rinsed away. Instead, it's redeposited on clothes.

If you do lots of cold water washes, consider using a laundry detergent designed to work in all temperatures. That way you can go back to using the recommended amount - and know your cold-water washes will get clean.

always chill on the rinse cycle

For the rinse temperature, the cold wash cycle is excellent for all types of of loads. So use it! Another benefit: A cold water rinse saves energy per load by up to one-third, and helps minimize wrinkling in synthetic and sturdier fabrics.