There are many advantages to using hot or cold water for your washing machines. One of those benefits is that it is less damaging to your clothes. You don’t want to ruin your expensive iron or washing machine by trying a cold rinse when you really should be washing in hot water. It can also damage your clothes and the fabric itself. Coldwater can actually help clean those stubborn stains as well.
If you already have an iron or a washing machine, you may need to find a way to adjust the settings on the machine so that it is more friendly with hot water. The settings are usually in the bottom or side switch of the machine. Check your washing machine’s instructions on the label for the right temperature. Once you have the temperature just right, you will notice that your clothes seem to come out a little crisper and drier.
On the other hand, if your laundry is especially delicate fabrics, you should probably use hot water for stain removal. If you’re sensitive to hot water, then cold is probably a better choice. It won’t dry your delicate fabrics as quickly. However, you will notice that the colors in your clothes will come out a bit lighter when you wash with hot water. That is a small benefit, but it may be enough to offset the change.
If you have a stubborn stain such as coffee, mustard, or chocolate, you may need to use both hot and cold water for stains. Using hot water will loosen the stain quicker, which will make it easier to remove. In addition, hot water helps get rid of more stains. Coldwater will not loosen as easily, but it also does not take the stain very long to loosen.
You can also use white vinegar for laundry. This works well with lighter stains. Just be sure that you are using the correct type of white vinegar. If you have black or dark-colored stains, you may want to try something stronger such as vinegar and baking soda or even lemon juice.
However, if you have white vinegar or baking soda on hand, you may want to try washing with hot water first. This may take a bit longer, but it will loosen up more stubborn stains. After you’ve done several washes with hot water, you can rinse with cold water. This will keep you from adding too much bleach to your clothes, which can discolor them even further.
Another way to kill germs without using hot water is to add an extra dose of bleach to your wash load. You can add a tablespoon or two depending on how dirty the clothes are. However, be careful that you don’t go too high. The idea is that you are just adding a little bit of extra protection so that they don’t end up getting destroyed before you even wash them again. Be sure to use white vinegar to soak up the bleach so that it doesn’t run.
Another option for those who don’t want to risk their clothes getting stained is to add some liquid laundry detergent to your washer load. This works great with heavier stains, but you may need to make some changes in the way you wash your clothes in order to get them clean with this solution. Wash white clothes first and then add the laundry detergent to them. Then rinse, and then do the same with color clothes. You can actually use hot water for this solution as long as it’s not quite as hot.