According to the NHS you should wash household linen, towels and underwear at a temperature of 60°C to prevent any germs spreading. There is a misconception that you must wash clothes on the highest setting possible to kill bacteria, but it is proven that 60°C is adequate.
Experts at Dr Beckmann advise regular washing of clothes at 60 degrees to help eliminate the spread of bacteria & viruses.
A good temperature for washing towels and sheets is 40 degrees, but a 60 degreewash will be better at killing germs. Changing your sheets and towels once a week can help to keep them fresh and clean**.
Hot water is typically about 130 degrees Fahrenheit or warmer. Between 90 and 110 degrees is considered warm water. And water temperature between 60 and 80 degrees is cold. If your cold water is below 60, it's likely too cool to wash your clothing well.
If you're just washing your own bedding, it should be fine to wash it at a lower temperature of 40°C. If the bedding is particularly dirty, 60°C will be better for killing germs. Using a cooler temperature can be more effective when using a stronger detergent or a brand that has antibacterial properties.
According to the NHS you should wash household linen, towels and underwear at a temperature of 60°C to prevent any germs spreading. There is a misconception that you must wash clothes on the highest setting possible to kill bacteria, but it is proven that 60°C is adequate.
Washing at 60°C will not shrink every type of clothing, but may shrink items made of natural fibres such as cotton and wool.
The reason that the machine takes so long to run a 60°C wash is that the cycle is designed to save as much energy as possible while also fully eradicating germs and stains from your clothes. If the cycle is running for longer then it will require less energy to heat less water.
A 30-degree wash is fine for clothes that need a general wash rather than targeted stain removal. However, the NHS website says that underwear, towels and household linens should be washed at 60 degrees to prevent the spread of germs.
90 degrees is usually the hottest wash setting and is often known as a 'very hot wash', while 60 degrees is a 'hot wash'. Both cycles will take longer than cold wash cycles, but the 90-degree cycle will be the longest of all possible cycles.
According to Testex study, reducing the washing temperature from 40°C to 30°C results in an energy saving of 30% (0.06 kWh/kg of laundry). Otherwise, the tests indicate that higher washing temperatures, such as washing at 60°C, increase energy consumption by more than 50% (0.10 kWh/ kg of laundry).
Hot water is generally 130 degrees Fahrenheit (54 degrees Celsius) or above. Warm water is generally between 90 and 110 degrees Fahrenheit (32 to 43 degrees Celsius). Cold water is generally between 60 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit (16 to 27 degrees Celsius).
According to Speed Queen, anything below (60°F) can prevent your detergent from providing a proper clean. Cold water is the preferred choice to prevent color bleed. Also, choosing cold water can make your clothes last longer by reducing wrinkling, reducing fading and preventing shrinking – all while saving energy!
Wash darks separately. To help preserve dark items' original colors and prevent bleeding onto lighter clothes, wash darks together using the cold-water cycle (60 to 80 degrees).
When washing bedding you want to wash at 60 degrees on a long wash ie 2 hours plus to make sure that any sweat, dander, dust or other nasties are killed and then removed. Wash all bedding on a full cycle 60-degree wash. Colder temperatures may not kill all the bacteria or remove sweat as effectively.
When to Use Warm Water – For man-made fibers, knits and jeans, use warm water (90°F). Most of your clothes can be washed in warm water. It offers good cleaning without significant fading or shrinking. When to Use Cold Water – For dark or bright colors that bleed or delicate fabrics, use cold water (80°F).
Most fabrics can be washed at a warm temperature of 40° as this helps to remove dirt, natural body oils and takes care of germs. Silk bed sheets should be washed at a lower temperature of 30° with a mild, non-biological detergent, or a silk specialist washing detergent.
30°C washes softer fabrics better than 40°C, which is why 40° is better for your everyday clothing, and fabrics that are harder e.g. wool. This is the temperature that most consumer testing boards use to measure the performance of the machine. materials at 40°C and the results will be just as good.
Machine washing at 40 degrees Celsius is likely to shrink natural fibres such as cotton, wool and silk, unless they have been pre-shrunk. Once cotton clothes have been shrunk the first time, they will not shrink much in subsequent washes.
Wash with a cold cycle
This is the easiest way to reduce electricity use, regardless of kind of washing machine you have. Washing with a cold cycle can save you more than 80% of your energy consumption and cost. This is because most of the energy is used just to heat up the water in warm washes.
Generally, warm or hot water is recommended for washing towels. Use a cycle specifically for towels or a normal/regular cycle. A sanitizing cycle can also be used, but may not be recommended for every wash, depending on the towel fabric.
If the items in question are only lightly soiled, a 30-minute wash should be able to spruce these items up. But if there are bad stains, or very dirty patches, on these items a 30-minute wash won't clean these clothes effectively.
For perfect washing in a washing machine, it is important to know that white cotton can be washed at up to 95°C, while the temperature for coloured cotton should be no higher than 60°C, with a short rinsing period and the minimum possible spin cycle.
If you are in a hurry and want a quick wash and rinse setting, perhaps the hot cycle is not the best choice as it runs longer due to the heating time. Colours are best to be washed on cool or lukewarm temperatures, as the hot water might cause the colours to fade or run and also may cause the fabric to shrink.
Always run socks and underwear at 60 degrees, otherwise the bacteria won't die. “Many bacteria don't die at 60 degrees; it requires both a higher temperature and a longer washing time, which many textiles can't handle.