How to Sanitize Laundry in Cold Water?
It is the only way to clean and rid bacteria that hot water and detergent are used in professional laundries. What if that’s not entirely the case? How to Sanitize Laundry in Cold Water?
Hot water was required to make laundry detergent a few years ago. However, that’s no longer true. In some circumstances, cold water can even be more effective. Furthermore, if you wash your clothes in cold water, you save on your electric or gas bill.
Colors won’t fade or shrink with Coldwater. Using less energy reduces your carbon footprint, and you save money on your water heating bills.
Washing at Cold Temperatures
In most machines, you can set the cold water setting to 30°C, but some can operate at as low as 20°C. If you choose a wash temperature of 30°C compared to a 40°C wash, you will save approximately 57% on operating costs.
Saving money and energy is huge, but cleaning power does not drastically decrease because of the lower temperature. If you have a garment with stains, treat the garment before washing it to get better stain removal results. Using a detergent for cold wash can remove stains even in a cold wash, saving energy and caring for your clothes.
Can Cold Water Remove Stains?
Stains are generally easier to remove with cold water. Bloodstains, for example, are sometimes set by hot water. For the occasional grease stain on your hands, hand-washing works fine.
For grease stains that require hot water, you can use hot water. Pre-treat the area with it before you wash the garment with a regular load of clothes, or completely wash the stained area before washing it.
There are detergents created for cold water, but many people don’t use them. It is sometimes difficult to understand the difference between cold water and regular versions from the same brand. So, just get a good detergent for your laundry.
Can you Sanitize Laundry with Cold Water?
It has been reported that cold water cannot sanitize laundry. However, you do not have to sanitize clothes to remove bacteria. It is only appropriate to sanitize clothes if you are washing someone who is ill or a possibility of contagion.
Hot water will not be able to sanitize your clothes either due to the cold water’s inability to sanitize. Sanitized clothing should be washed in a washer with an antibacterial setting or by boiling the laundry in water or using a no-bleach laundry sanitizer. You can also use chlorine bleach or a boiling container of water to sanitize the clothes.
Tips for Cold Water Washing
- You should follow the detergent’s instructions regarding the amount of detergent to use. Less is better.
- Liquid detergent should always be used. There is a possibility that powders won’t dissolve completely in cold water.
- Let the clothes move around in the wash. This allows the detergent to reach all the places it needs to reach.
Even more, energy can be saved by not washing your clothes every time you wear them.
When to Use Cold Wash?
Getting started with cold wash may be a good idea if you’re not already washing bright colors in this manner. If you wash your clothing at temperatures between 20°C and 30°C, you’ll protect the colors from fading and minimize shrinkage risks.
The cold wash setting is recommended for most quick wash cycles as well:
- Refreshing clothes that are not too dirty, like your seasonal clothes you want to freshen up.
- Lightly soiled everyday clothes.
- When you need a garment in an emergency for the next day, however, if your garments are highly soiled or need stains or malodor removal, they should be washed at warm temperatures for effective results, but if you are in a hurry, increase your detergent’s dose to compensate for the short wash or cold wash cycle.
Many people avoid selecting the cold cycle on their washing machine, either because they are unsure it will get their clothes clean or afraid it won’t keep them clean.
A cold wash cycle is more than up to the challenge of everyday washing thanks to advances in washing machine technology and detergents that have been specially designed for cold washes. Aside from saving energy and maintaining the brightness of the colors, cold-water washing also keeps the clothes the way they were intended to be.
When Shouldn’t you Wash in Cold Temperatures?
Warm wash temperature settings are better for washing less delicate fabrics, such as cotton, and lighter soiled bed linen, than cool wash temperatures for more durable fabrics.
As an example, for washing towels, the ideal temperature is 40°C. For everyday items, hard-to-remove stains, and for heavily soiled garments, 40°C is a popular temperature setting that you can use.
Wrap Up
Although most people prefer hot water washing, people are opting for cold water washing as well. We recommend cold washing because it is as efficient as it saves money and saves water.
We tried to provide as detailed knowledge as we could to answer the question under discussion. We hope it was helpful and informative. Do enlighten us with your opinions in the comment section.
Read Also: What Temperature Kills Bacteria in a Washing Machine?
