When it comes to doing laundry, one of the most important decisions is choosing the right washing machine temperature. The water temperature you select can make all the difference in getting clothes clean, preventing damage, saving energy, and more. This comprehensive guide will examine the key factors to consider when selecting the ideal washing machine temperature for any load of laundry.
How Water Temperature Impacts Cleaning
The temperature of the water is crucial for activating laundry detergent and loosening dirt and stains from fabric. Here’s an overview of how different water temps function:
Cold Water
Washing in cold water, around 60°F/15°C, can be effective for lightly soiled items. However, cold water does not provide enough heat to dissolve and activate most detergents properly or allow them to penetrate fibers and remove heavier soils.
Warm Water
Warm water is usually around 80-100°F/25-38°C. This temperature range will activate most laundry detergents to work effectively at lifting away light to moderate dirt and oils without damaging fabrics. Warm water provides a happy medium temperature.
Hot Water
Hot water temperatures start at 105°F/40°C and above. This much heat enables detergents to activate fully and become much more effective at cutting through heavy soils, grease, and challenging stains. However, hot water can fade colors and deteriorate fabrics over time.
Sanitize Cycle
Some washers feature a high-heat sanitize cycle that safely kills 99.9% of bacteria at temperatures around 160°F/70°C. This can be beneficial for disinfecting items like kitchen towels, baby laundry, workout wear, cloth diapers, and for eliminating odors. The cycle uses extended heating and soaking to sanitize laundry.
As you can see, temperature makes a big difference in providing the desired level of cleaning. Matching the wash water temperature to the types of fabrics and soils in your load is one of the best ways to maximize cleaning effectiveness.
Factors to Consider When Choosing Wash Temperature
Choosing the optimal washing machine temperature depends on several factors:
1. Fabric Type
- Delicates like silks, wools, spandex, rayon, and lingerie require cool water to prevent damage from heat.
- Cottons, linens, and most synthetic fabrics can be washed in warm or hot water safely.
- Heavy-duty fabrics like microfiber cloths, towels, jeans, and performance wear can tolerate hot water washing.
2. Dirt and Stain Level
- For light soils, cold to warm water will sufficiently lift away dirt.
- For moderate to heavy dirt or tough stains, hot water is ideal to power through soils.
- Sanitize cycles reach high temps needed to kill germs and bacteria when laundry is heavily soiled.
3. Color Fading Risks
- Brightly colored fabrics and darker cottons and linens hold their dyes best in cool to warm water.
- Whites and colorfast items can be washed in hot temperatures without worry of fading.
4. Energy Usage
- Washing in cold water conserves the most energy and electricity.
- Warm water uses moderately more energy to heat up.
- Hot water uses the most energy to heat water to high temps.
Considering these factors will ensure you select the best temperature for optimal cleaning, fabric care, stain removal, hygiene, and efficiency.
Recommended Wash Temperatures
Here are the recommended washing machine temperatures based on common laundry types and soil levels:
Delicates/Silks/Woolens
Best Wash Temperature: Cool or cold water, around 60°F/15°C.
The gentle agitation in cool water can lift light perspiration and body oils from delicates without risk of damage from heat. Turn garments inside out to better preserve decorations and prevent snagging.
Everyday Casual and Work Clothes
Best Wash Temperature: Warm water, around 90°F/30°C.
The warm water optimally activates detergent to loosen and remove typical dirt, oils, and light sweat from everyday clothes like t-shirts, button-downs, pants, and skirts without excessive wear.
Heavily Soiled Workwear and Muddy Items
Best Wash Temperature: Hot water, around 140°F/60°C.
The highest heat helps power through ingrained dirt, oil, grease, and mud stains on heavily soiled work clothes, kids’ play clothes, mud-worn jeans, dingy dishcloths, or filthy shop rags. Use hot water to maximize cleaning.
Athletic and Performance Wear
Best Wash Temperature: Warm or hot water, around 105-140°F/40-60°C.
Performance fabrics allow using warm or hot water to remove sticky sweat, body oils, and potential workout bacteria without damage. The high heat ensures gear gets fully sanitized.
Towels and Bedding
Best Wash Temperature: Hot water, around 130°F/55°C.
The heavy-duty fabrics of towels, sheets, and bedding can withstand hot water. The high heat effectively removes body oils, lotions, and accumulated grime from frequent use. Sanitize cycles kill germs and freshen laundry.
White Fabrics
Best Wash Temperature: Hot water, 140°F/60°C.
Whites like t-shirts, towels, and sheets can be safely washed in hot water without risk of fading. The high heat will keep them looking bright and prevent graying from oils and dirt building up. Adding bleach is also safe for whites.
Diapers and Soiled Baby Items
Best Wash Temperature: Hot water, 140°F/60°C.
Baby laundry and cloth diapers require hot water and a sanitizing cycle to thoroughly remove urine, feces, food stains, and milk without chemicals. The high heat eradicates germs and bacteria for baby’s sensitive skin.
Heavily Stained Items
Best Wash Temperature: Hot water, around 130°F/55°C.
To maximize stain removal, wash heavily stained items in the hottest water recommended for the fabric. Hot water provides the cleaning power needed to tackle set-in stains like grease, blood, food spills, makeup stains, grass, and craft paint.
Matching the appropriate water temperature to the laundry type and soil level is the most efficient way to optimize cleaning effectiveness. Consult fabric care labels as well for the best wash temperatures. With some simple sorting, you can remove stains, eliminate odors, prevent fading, and prolong the life of all your garments and linens.
Hot, Warm, or Cold – Which Should You Choose?
So when looking at the temperature dial on your washing machine, how do you decide between hot, warm or cold water for the best wash? Here are some tips:
Choose Hot For…
- Whites, colorfast fabrics, and heavy-duty items that can withstand heat
- Very dirty, greasy, or heavily stained loads
- Towels, sheets, rags, dishcloths to sanitize
- Workwear, muddy jeans, dirty athletic gear
- Disinfecting baby clothing, cloth diapers, and soiled items
Choose Warm For…
- Most everyday loads with moderate dirt like t-shirts, pants, dresses
- Casual and workwear with light staining
- Synthetics, polyester blends, spandex athletic wear
- Brightly colored clothing prone to fading
- Loads with varied fabric types and colors
Choose Cold For…
- Delicates like silk, wool, lingerie, swimwear
- Items at risk of shrinking like rayon or spandex
- Dark fabrics prone to fading like black jeans
- Lightly soiled items or pretreated stains
- Reducing energy use and utility bills
Taking a few seconds to think about the soils, fabrics, and colors in your load will ensure you select the ideal wash temperature every time for optimized laundry results.
Answering Common Laundry Temperature Questions
Laundry novices and pros alike often have questions about how to utilize their washer’s temperature settings. Here are answers to some frequently asked questions:
Is it okay to wash everything in cold water?
While cold water conserves energy, it often does not clean as effectively as warmer temperatures. However, if you use a detergent formulated for cold water washing, and only launder lightly soiled items, washing in cold can be successful.
Does hot water kill germs and bacteria in laundry?
Yes, hot water around 140°F/60°C effectively kills most bacteria, viruses, germs, dust mites, and parasites in laundry, especially when using a sanitizing cycle. Hot water is recommended for disinfecting heavily soiled items.
Should white linens be washed in hot or cold water?
It’s best to wash white bed sheets, towels, t-shirts and linens in hot water around 130-140°F/ 55-60°C to keep them looking bright and prevent graying over time from oils and dirt. Whites can withstand the highest heat.
Will hot water cause clothes to fade?
Unfortunately, yes. The heat from hot water can cause fading,running dyes, and breakdown of fabrics over repeated washes. Unless the items are heavily stained, it’s usually best to wash bright or dark colored fabrics in cool to warm water.
Can you wash workout clothes in cold water?
For workout wear, it’s recommended to wash in warm or hot water, around 105-140°F/40-60°C, to effectively remove odors, bacteria, and sweat residue from the technical fabrics. Cold water won’t fully purge the germs.
Should you use cold water for delicates?
Yes, washing delicates like silks, wool, lingerie, and swimsuits in cold water around 55-65°F/15-20°C is ideal to prevent damage from high heat, friction, shrinking and fading. Turn items inside out and use a delicates detergent as well.
Is warm or hot water better for heavily stained laundry?
For tough stains, the hottest water recommended for the fabric type is best. Hot water around 130°F/55°C provides the intense cleaning power needed to tackle set-in stains like grease, blood, food dye, grass, makeup smears, etc.
Can hot water shrink clothes?
Yes, hot water can shrink fabrics like cotton, rayon, wool, and spandex. Use cold or warm water for anything prone to shrinking. Pre-treat any stains first in washable items before washing in warm or cool water.
By matching the proper water temperature to your laundry, you can maximize cleaning, prevent fading, save energy, and safely wash every type of fabric.
Advanced Laundry Washing Tips
Beyond choosing the right temperature, there are some additional tips and tricks to ensure optimal laundry results:
- Pre-treat any stained or heavily soiled areas with a paste of detergent, let sit for 30 minutes, then launder. This loosens soils so the main wash can remove them more easily.
- Use the highest suggested temperature listed on the fabric’s care label for enhanced cleaning.
- Wash new dark clothes separately the first few washes as they often bleed excess dye initially. Washing in cold water will also help retain the vivid color.
- Turn delicate fabrics inside out during washing to protect decorations and prevent snagging on other laundry items.
- Wash heavily soiled work clothes and muddy jeans inside out as well to maximize dirt removal from hidden inner layers.
- Use liquid chlorine bleach only with whites and colorfast fabrics as the chemicals can damage colors. Avoid using bleach with delicates.
- Clean the washing machine detergent dispenser and door gasket monthly using hot water and bleach to prevent mold, bacteria, and detergent residue buildup.
- Replace washing machine hoses every 5 years to prevent leaks and bursting from wear. Ensure hose fittings are tightly secured.
- Inspect the drain pump filter monthly and remove collected coins, buttons, hair, and debris, rinsing thoroughly before replacing.
- Use high-efficiency (HE) laundry detergent formulated specifically for HE washers, as it produces fewer suds and rinses cleaner to prevent residue.
Following these pro tips will take your laundry skills to the next level for stain-free, fresh, hygienically clean clothes with each wash.
The Takeaway on Water Temperature for Laundry
Choosing the ideal wash temperature may seem complicated, but just requires considering a few key factors:
- Check fabric care labels for the max suggested water temperature to prevent damage.
- Match cool water for delicates, warm for casual everyday clothes, and hot for whites, linens, and heavily soiled items.
- Use cold only for lightly soiled fabrics to conserve energy and prevent fading.
- Wash workout wear, towels, and bedding in hot water to kill germs and bacteria.
- Pre-treat stains, then wash in the hottest water safe for fabrics to maximize removal.
- Follow advanced tips like washing new items separately and learning tricks to optimize results.
With this comprehensive guide, you now have an expert understanding of how to select the perfect washing machine temperature. Just choose the right setting for the laundry type and soil level, and enjoy fresh, clean clothes with each wash.
FAQ About The Best Washing Machine Temperature for Laundry
What is the best temperature to wash clothes?
The ideal washing machine temperature depends on the fabric type and soil level. Hot water around 130-140°F/55-60°C is best for very dirty laundry, linens, towels, and whites. Warm water around 80-105°F/25-40°C works great for most everyday loads. Cool water 60-70°F/15-20°C is safest for delicates and lightly soiled items.
Should you wash clothes in hot or cold water?
For whites, towels, sheets, and very dirty clothes, use hot water around 130°F/55°C to maximize cleaning and kill germs. For everyday items or colorful clothes prone to fading, use warm around 90°F/30°C. For delicates, lightly soiled, or items prone to shrinking, only use cold water around 55-65°F/15-20°C.
Is washing clothes in cold water effective?
Washing clothes in cold water around 55-65°F/15-20°C can be effective for lightly soiled items and delicates. However, cold water does not activate laundry detergents as well or provide enough heat to remove heavy stains and soils compared to warm or hot water. Use a detergent formulated for cold water washing.
Should you wash dark clothes in cold water?
Yes, it is best to wash darker fabrics like black or red shirts and jeans in cold water around 55-65°F/15-20°C to help dyes retain their color and prevent fading over time from heat and agitation. Wash darks in cold water when new as well since excess dye may bleed at first.
What temperature kills germs in laundry?
Washing clothes in hot water around 130-160°F/55-70°C will effectively kill most germs, bacteria, parasites, dust mites, and other microorganisms living in fabrics. Using a sanitizing cycle maintains the highest heat needed to disinfect laundry.
Is it better to wash towels in hot or cold water?
For towels, it is best to wash them in hot water around 130°F/55°C to fully eliminate accumulated bacteria, odors, and oils from frequent use. The heat will sanitize towels. Cold water will not effectively eliminate germs or fully remove soils on towels.
Can you shrink clothes by washing in hot water?
Yes, washing fabrics prone to shrinking like wool, rayon, spandex, and cotton in hot water can cause them to shrink by tightening fibers. Always check labels and wash shrinkable fabrics in cold water around 55-65°F/15-20°C to allow them to retain their shape and size.
Should you wash delicates in cold or warm water?
It is best to wash delicates like silk, lingerie, wool sweaters, bathing suits, and other fragile fabrics in cold water around 55-65°F/15-20°C to prevent damage from heat or agitation. Turn delicates inside out as well and use a gentle detergent. Never wash delicates in hot water.
Why is my white laundry turning gray?
White laundry items turning gray is usually due to washing in water that is not hot enough to fully remove oils, dirt, and dead skin cell debris that accumulates over time. Wash white sheets, towels, t-shirts, and underwear in hot water around 130°F/55°C instead to prevent graying.
Conclusion
Selecting the right washing machine temperature for your laundry is one of the most important factors for getting clothes clean. Now that you understand how water temperature impacts cleaning and which settings are ideal for different fabric types and soil levels, you can confidently choose the perfect wash temperature. Matching the proper heat level to maximize dirt and stain removal will result in fresh, hygienic, and bright clothes with each laundry load.