Use cold water for any load you’d typically use warm or hot water for, including whites. Fun fact: dark colors, bright colors, and colors with a tendency to bleed actually prefer cold water. Delicate fabrics such as lace and silk also favor cooler, gentler temperatures. Colder temps protect clothes from fading, shrinking, and transferring color to other garments while washing.
A detailed study by researchers at the University of Kentucky found that cold water resulted in the lowest degree of pilling, too. Colorfastness of jeans and khakis is highest in cold water, and cold-water loads exhibited the highest degree of smoothness for reduced wrinkles.
Does cold water get rid of stains?
You might be surprised to learn that not all stains respond well to warmer water. Warmer temps often set stains into fabric, making them impossible to remove. Enter our eco-friendly hero, cold water. It removes all kinds of stains including grass, blood, sweat, and makeup. Cold water also prevents stains from setting in and becoming permanent.
Does cold water kill germs?
The cold-water process will remove dirt, stains, and some bacteria from a load of laundry, but it doesn’t kill germs. Don’t give up on cold water just yet! Most water temps — even hot water cycles — don’t kill the molds and organisms responsible for respiratory infections, colds, and the flu. Running your dryer on a high-heat setting for at least a half an hour is the best way to kill all those icky microorganisms. This method also kills dust mites as well as lice.
You’ve got stains, we’ve got solutions. Check out our collection of stain cleaning guides to get the grime out once and for all.
