Gist that I hear from cold-water mavens is "non-cold" water shrinks clothes and ups the electric (or gas) bill.

Then they toss the cold-washed items into a 160°F dryer, LOL.

I've been lectured I don't know many times, going back to the 1990's about how I should be washing our laundry in cold--everyone does it for the sake of their clothes, they would say.

I've not ever been one to wash in anything cooler than 'warm'.

Anyhow, I've had to politely let people know when this topic comes up (and boy, does it come up often) that I do my laundry with warm or hot water, thank you very much, so let's not talk about this anymore. I have one friend who kept pestering me until recently about this--going on since the 1990's...I'm patient, but geesh. This same friend, who owns a first generation HE top loader recently went on a rant about how "It's only white towels and sheets for me from now on!! Every linen now gets a large dose of chlorine bleach!!" I didn't want to say anything (lest the cold water washing lectures start up again), but it sounds like she got a case of the moldy washer and smelly sheets and towels from washing in cold water with liquid detergent. She did mention in passing about a year ago how, "you know when you use a towel more than once it smells moldy?" I said I used to, when I had my crummy washing machines, but not anymore, plus I only wash towels in powder since finding this group.

Pick up just about any magazine, facebook posts (just read two FB posts from magazines today about cold water washing virtues, and all the comments to those posts were about how they ONLY wash in cold and they are glad to see this article), TV programs, etc...it's all about the virtues of cold water laundering. It will save the planet (exaggeration, but the slant is present), it will save your bank account, it will save your clothing. The message tends to run: you are an earth hating nut if you wash in warm or hot, unless you are washing cloth diapers, then you get a pass to 'fire 'er up'.

I remember the steam coming out of the faucets and the washing machines from my long ago past. I guess I haven't had a hot water heater that gets that hot in eons. My top temp is 126F. I borrowed an instant read thermometer just so I can find out exactly how hot my hot is. I was disappointed to see I max out at 126F. Oh well.

Forgot one of the virtue-points ... cold water doesn't fade colors (which factually it can have an effect, but detergent has much more of an effect).

My water heater tops-out at 140°F.

It also always strikes me that the cold-promoters say "Wash in cold water, don't use hot! .... as if hot and cold are the only choices, which I suppose realistically warm has gone NLA with the newfangled HE machines technically providing cool as the labeled warm and warm as the labeled hot.

Very true Dadoes. I believe after reading and learning here that my old front load washers had cooled down water temps because I did get that unfresh/musty odor hcbm mentions in his/her post in our laundry using those machines even using only warm and hot cycles--and liquid detergent. Washing in warm and hot was really a mis-labeled dial. It must have been cold and coolish warm at best. The liquid detergent sealed my outcome...

It is true that blacks and very dark clothes can fade with time and the wrong detergent. I learned here about OB's and oxi's in detergents. As soon as I stopped using detergent with ob's on my black pants, the "fading" went away. I have several pair of black trousers I wear in a professional environment that are 10 years old and are still wearable and not shrank or faded. I wash in what in my machine passes for hot water and damp dry then hang to finish drying.

...and here's yet another article that just showed up while I was not looking for it.

why-you-should-stop-washing-your-clothes-warm-water

People read things like this at just about every turn and feel a sense of confirmation about cold water laundering. Yet, in these prolific articles, there is never any mention of the bio-film that builds up not only inside the washing machine, but on the laundry itself, i.e., the musty smelly workout clothing and towels.

MamaP I was just half joking with a family member that I wish I could own a Laundromat. I would be awful and set all the machines to hot even if they said cold. LOL

Liquid detergents tend to suds-up in *hot* water (particularly heated sanitary/allergen cycles). That does not indicate overdosing, it's just the nature of the liquid formulas.

These friends I speak of who are quite zealous about cold water washing are aged late 50's. One over 60. I know. Shakes head.

You were lucky you had an attendant at your laundromat to remedy the situation.

Generally I wash one load per week in cold. About 2 loads are warm. All the rest are hot. I couldn't imagine washing a majority of loads in cold as I am sure most Americans do today. My hot water heater is directly next to my washer and is set to 145F. That is not the highest setting. I am tempted to raise it while it is summer.

I ran a set of sheets this morning at 140°F. Checked diagnostic mode on the washer while it filled, it confirmed the incoming temp (60°C).

Erica by drying they are getting hotter than any hot water a washer would have. I do not wash anything with rayon on hot or dry it. It shrinks. Wool I wash in warm on a wool or delicate setting and usually flat dry. I excersise and sweat so my bras, t shirts, shorts, or pants are washed on hottest I have and they are fine. My work blouses get underarm deodorant build up. So I pre treat often and hot wash. I do delicate cool on scarves, dressy bloses with beading, etc. and occasionally some particularly lovel lingerie that are antiques.

Bleeding is a concern sometimes, but that to me is a manufactures problem and the item would be returned . I have several dark and white striped t shirts and they have never run. Though I think reds can be a problem.

i do wash new jeans and darks at least once with only darks. But I sort my loads by colors almost all the time.

if you wash your sheets, underwear and sweaty clothes on hot and the rest on warm I bet you will notice a difference in odor and feel.

I wash all polyester Nike and other branded athletic wear in hot because they are more soiled and hold odor. Cotton items are a complete mix of temperatures. All colored socks and underwear are washed with heavy soil items in hot and dried on medium. I can always tell when my sheets are washed in warm. Nasty.

I think what's happened is people read all this crap about cold water washing and decide to try it...they discovered the food stain or clay came out of their clothing and think great cold really does clean your clothing.. I'd bet many people just don't realize how much body oils the body produces each day even by the non oily skin folks. Body sweat and oils are the biggest soil in our clothing/bedding. You wouldn't wash your oily/greasy dishes in cold water yet have no problem thinking cold will remove oils in textile fibers.

Remember cold water constricts (tightens up) fibers. Water and detergent can't get in to remove the soils. Very warm and hot relaxes the fibers allowing water and detergent to flush out the imbedded soils.

Another thing people don't smell their own scent..I'm convinced of this.

I've told this before but...my cousin has a beautiful home...immaculate...or so it appears. When I walk back thru her hall to the bathroom I can smell bedding that's not clean..the bed is made and looks just lovely but the scent is just awful. She washes all her bedding in cold and cool. She doesn't smell the funk but I do.

I was reading a few years back on another Houzz forum where there was a conversation about linen closets...something about they put all their bed sheets in a closet freshly washed and smelling nice than several weeks later they stink. Their thoughts are something in the closet, the shelving the flooring must be causing the old stale scent in their sheets. Others chimed in with the same problem all saying the sheels smelled fresh and clean when they went into the linen closet. They were of course washing in cold water in order to preserve their high end expensive sheets and to prevent shrinking. I didn't comment in this thread but wanted to. LOL.

Than there's the manufactures of **cold water detergent** sealing the deal. But even P&G when I spoke to them a few years back said its not ment to wash bedding...that bedding requires warm and hot to remove oils. They should print this stuff on the boxes/jugs. I don't care what detergents or how excellent a detergent is...it will not remove oils if your washing in cold.

I wish those that wash in cold would take one pillowcase..a clean one and drop it in a pot of boiling water..shut the heat off, stir a minute and take a deep wiff at the steam comming off it. Beware its gonna stink.