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Is white clothes washed in cold water


What Temperature to Wash White Clothes

Although it’s common knowledge that you need to adjust the water temperature depending on what clothes you’re washing, it can still be confusing to know what temperature to wash white clothes. Whether you’re washing bedding, regular clothes, or delicate items, the white fabric should stay bright and clean looking after each wash.

Though a relatively simple process, there are several factors that can help ensure the brightness of your clothing as well as avoid any damage to the fabric or color. From your white clothes wash temperature to some tips on washing whites, here is your guide to washing your white clothes.

What Temperature Do You Wash Whites?

Using the correct water temperature when it comes to washing whites is critical to ensure effective cleaning. Not only can it ensure effective cleaning, but it can also help reduce color bleeding or damage done to the fabric.

First, you should wash white clothes separately. This will help retain the whiteness, keeping your white clothes just as bright. Dirty clothes should always be sorted by color to prevent any color transfer.

Now the common question: do you wash white clothes in hot water? Short answer: Yes, but it depends.

White clothes should generally be washed using hot or warm water. Using higher temperatures for whites can effectively help remove stains and bacteria. However, the most effective temperature depends on the fabric as well. Some fibers will shrink and become weaker in hot water, so the best course of action is to use lukewarm water, ranging between 90 to 110 degrees.

Warm water is ideal for fabrics that will weaken in hot water but won’t be clean in cold water. Not only will warm water effectively clean your clothing from dirt and body oils, but warm water will also help minimize the chance of shrinkage.

When to Use Hot Water for LaundryWoman Doing Laundry Reaching Inside Washing Machine

Not using hot water when washing white clothing may come as a shock, as the common advice is to wash your white clothing in only hot water. Washing your clothes in hot water is still an option, but you should keep in mind that doing this will lead to faded colors, setting stains, and shrinkage.

However, other types of situations are useful for using hot water. Using hot water for laundry is beneficial when washing:

●      Bed and kitchen linens

●      Sickbed linens

●      Bath towels

●      Sweaty garments

Hot water can effectively clean up oily stains and sanitize linens, so it’s best to use this temperature for laundry containing heavily soiled garments

Related: How To Wash A Weighted Blanket

Guidelines to Washing White Clothes

When it comes to washing different types of clothes, there are general guidelines to follow to ensure the best quality clothes even after throwing them in the washing machine.

Pretreat Stains

First, it’s important to pretreat clothing with stains. Stains from grease or perspiration can be treated with liquid detergent by gently rubbing using a clean toothbrush. For any other colored stains, you can try using undiluted liquid oxygen bleach immediately before doing laundry.

Brighten Dull Whites

If you’re looking to brighten dull or old white clothing, washing them with a color remover or using boiling water and oxygen bleach can help give you brighter white fabrics. However, it’s important to keep in mind that every piece of clothing is different, so you should ensure that you’re following the care instructions.

Consider the Fabrics

Certain types of fabrics require different care instructions. For example, you will probably need to separate delicate undergarments from things like white towels or sheets. Sorting laundry by both color and fabric is the best way to avoid damaging your clothing.

Delicates Are Separate

Although we’ve already covered what temp to wash whites in, another general guideline is to wash most delicate whites in cold water. Hot water can easily damage certain fabrics, so using a gentle cycle paired with cold water should suffice for delicates.

Read the Instructions

This tip is important enough to repeat throughout any laundry guide. One of the most important tips is to read and follow the care tag instructions on your clothing. Although these general guidelines inform you how to wash white clothes in what water and what to do with stains, the instructions on your clothes should be followed regardless.

Where to Find Professional Laundry Services

Knowing what temperature to wash white clothes and how to clean your clothing can be difficult and confusing. Turning to professionals can help take the weight off your shoulders and bring some relief knowing that your clothes are properly taken care of.

Martinizing Dry Cleaning is a trusted business for all things dry-cleaning in the East Bay area. With over 15 years of experience providing quality and reliable dry cleaning services, Martinizing Dry Cleaning offers the highest level of standards when it comes to cleaning and customer service. We use green and eco-friendly cleaning methods, ensuring our cleaning experience is good for both your clothes and the environment.

If you’re looking for quality laundry services in the East Bay, get in touch with our highly experienced and professional team at Martinizing Dry Cleaning.

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By Tara King

last updated

Keeping whites white is something we all want to achieve with our laundry, but do you wash whites in hot or cold water in order to retain their original color?

As a general rule, higher temperatures are the most effective at removing dirt and stains, so if it’s bright whites you’re after, hot water is a good bet. However, that doesn’t mean you go straight in for the hottest cycle setting – there are other things to consider, too.  

While your laundry room ideas will create a space that’s stylish and functional, washing savvy is also a prerequisite to keep fabrics looking and feeling as good as new so here we’ve put together a guide to the temperature that’s right for washing whites.

Do you wash whites in hot or cold water?

‘What temperature you decide to wash your whites should be dictated by several things; mainly the material they’re made of – whether white or not, certain fabrics do not do well in heat – as well as the level and type of stain they’ve suffered,’ say the cleaning experts at Essential Living .   

Washing standard white loads in hot water every time isn’t the most eco-friendly decision – or the most cost-effective, for that matter. With that in mind, it’s worth taking a little time to understand the best heat setting for your needs – for your sake, your clothes, and the environment, too. This is the lowdown.

Start by reading the garment care label

Regardless of how stained your whites are, it’s important to check out the laundry symbols on the garment’s care label and stick to the recommended water temperature and washing cycle.  

‘Polyester blends are best washed using warm water, while cotton can tolerate hot water, for example’, says WeThrift ’s homes expert, Nick Drewe. Make a note of any specific instructions and alter the temperature setting on your washing machine accordingly.

When to wash whites in hot water 

Having hotter cycles (130ºF (50ºC) and above)  as your default washing machine setting is not necessary for your usual day-to-day laundering. Save on energy bills – and decrease your carbon footprint – by reserving them only for heavily stained items (assuming the fabric can take the heat). Consider making these washes shorter than usual to reduce your energy expenditure even further. 

High temperatures kill bacteria, so hot washes are always the best option if someone in the household is poorly, though.

When to wash whites in cold water

Cold water cycles (between 60 and 80ºF (15 and 30ºF) cause the least amount of damage to fabrics, so it’s a good idea to wash garments (white or not) you’re unsure about in cooler temperatures to avoid disappointment when you pull your clothes out of the drum. If you’re not satisfied with the results, you can always try a slightly warmer setting next time. 

‘Delicate whites always require a cool wash (no more than 80ºF (30ºC)) on a delicate or hand-wash cycle,’ says Sally Hughes, founder of luxury laundry care brand, Kair .

When washing whites in cooler temperatures, change your machine setting to a gentle wash and use a specially formulated cold-water detergent to ensure a deep, thorough clean.  

If you’re washing at cooler temperatures on a regular basis, it’s worth heeding this caution from Sophie Lane at Miele . ‘Washing at low temperatures for long periods of time can result in bacteria and odors building up in a washing machine,’ she says. ‘Over time, this buildup can cause whites to go gray and dull.’ To prevent this Sophie recommends cleaning a washing machine regularly.

How to wash whites in a washing machine 

Hot water cycles are often the default setting on our washing machines, with most people never bothering to change them. However, based on the above, it’s safe to say this is a mistake. For a standard white wash (ie lightly stained, nothing too set-in), take the time to check your garment care labels. Separate them based on the temperatures required and change your washing machine settings accordingly. 

‘I suggest using the warmest water recommended for the fabric – this will help lift dirt and grime which might otherwise dull fabric over time, while minimizing the risk of shrinkage’, says Sally Hughes. 

When a hot wash is required, such as for heavily stained items, Sally recommends changing the cycle setting. ‘Most modern machines will have setting options such as heavy duty or whitest whites which can be used depending on the severity of the staining,’ she says.

Pre-treat stains with the correct water temperature

Whether it’s coffee, red wine, chocolate or mud, white clothing does not take kindly to tough stains. Thankfully, practically any stain can be removed with a little extra TLC. Depending on what the stain is, different pretreatment strategies might be required, often involving different water temperatures, so it’s important to know what you’re dealing with. 

Pretreating tough stains with a specialized stain remover then washing according to the garment care label is fine, but there are exceptions. ‘Red wine, chocolate and coffee, for example, can set in further if washed in warm or hot temperatures, so it’s safer to presoak them in cold water first,’ say the cleaning experts at Essential Living.

Do whites have to be washed in hot water?

It’s long been assumed that washing whites in hot water is the only way to ensure bright whites – housekeepers used to boil garments and linens in big pots for hours to get the stains out. These days, that’s just not the case. While there’s a time and a place for hot water washes (more on that in a minute), improvements in washing machines and laundry detergents mean lukewarm water (between 90 and 110ºF (30 and 40ºC)) is perfectly adequate for regular, day-to-day white laundering.

Does washing whites in hot water make them whiter?

While it remains an efficient way of keeping whites bright, regularly washing clothes in hot water comes with its own set of problems – not only can it cause damage to your clothes, but it’s not great for your energy bills or the environment. 

Luckily, nowadays, washing whites in hot water isn’t the only way to keep them looking their best. Using a specially formulated cold-water detergent, combined with the right settings on your washing machine, means washing your whites in cooler temperatures can keep them looking fresh and bright. 

For 10 years, Tara King worked as a Content Editor in the magazine industry, before leaving to become freelance, covering interior design, wellbeing, craft and homemaking. As well as writing for Ideal Home, Style at Home, Country Homes & Interiors, Tara’s keen eye for styling combined with a passion for creating a happy – and functional – family home has led to a series of organization and cleaning features for H&G.  

Can I wash white and colored clothes together in cold water?

QUESTION: I have a mountain of clothes to wash in the washing machine. About 25% are white and 75% are colored. I need save time and wash all clothes together . Most of the clothes for my kids. I have a full-time job and a baby. I don't have time to unpack my clothes. If I wash all my clothes in COLD water , will the other colors bleed into the white clothes? I have a top loading Kenmore washing machine which works great but the tub is not that big. I'm just trying to save time. Any tips or tricks are welcome. nine0009

Can I wash white and colored clothes together?

ANSWER: It is not recommended to wash white with colored clothes if you want your white clothes to remain white. Washing in cold water will not fade the color of the clothes, as in hot water. Color rendering can still occur when using cold water only, so it's better to separate colors and whites.


If you have NO CHOICE but to wash ALL THE CLOTHES TOGETHER (colours and whites):
You can try to wash white and colored clothes in the washing machine in COLD water AT THE SAME TIME IF the colored clothes are outdated and the dye that colors them has faded. Colored clothes should be washed many times before washing white clothes. Set the washing machine to the shortest wash cycle and the coldest water setting. Do not use excess detergent. When washing white clothes, make sure colored clothes are not new. Excess color must be washed off new clothes. This usually requires 3 to 4 washes. Use a product called SHOUT COLOR CATCHER. nine0009

How to Wash White and Dark Together

Important Notes About Washing Colors and Whites Together

Shout Color Catcher absorbs and traps spilled dyes to keep colors vibrant. Shout Color Catcher is specially designed to work like a sponge. It absorbs and traps loose dyes in the wash, locking them in securely so they can't re-deposit on other clothes. Shout Color Catcher keeps clothes bright and new, wash after wash. You can mix colors in one download. Saves you time and money.

Shout Color Catcher - erase white and dark together

Scream Catcher Colors:
Allows you to mix light, medium and bright colors (green, khaki, blue and black).
Retains vibrant colors and brightens whites.
Works well with all fabrics, temperatures and all laundry detergents.

For your washing reference, here is a table with recommendations for loading the washing machine.

Do you have any ideas or suggestions on how to wash all clothes together to reduce color fading? Please leave a comment below. nine0004

How to wash white clothes in the washing machine and by hand

A wedding dress, formal blouse or men's shirt, bed linen, a young ballerina's tutu - all these and many other things are united by the fact that they are made of white fabric. And one more thing: sometimes it is very difficult to remove dirt from them, if not impossible. Although, in the age of new technologies, nothing is impossible, and white things at home can be quite preserved in their original form.

Do not wash whites and colors together. nine0009

To prevent this from happening, washing white items both in the washing machine and by hand must be carried out according to the rules.

  1. Washing water should be softened, for example by adding 2 tablespoons of baking soda.
  2. Pre-soaking with powder or soap will make it much easier to remove dirt without rubbing, and this will also thin the fabric.
  3. Special products for white fabrics will help to get rid of the unpleasant grayness of the product, there are enough of them on sale. nine0038
  4. Some housewives do not know exactly at what temperature to wash white and light-colored items. Some choose very hot water, others - cold. In fact, it should be warm. This is the optimal temperature for powder dissolution.
  5. Three tablespoons of hydrogen peroxide in a bucket of water - and washing white socks will no longer be a heavy duty.
  6. Rinse white items first in warm water, then in cold water.
  7. The bright sun will help to make linen snow-white, you need to hang it under its direct rays. nine0038

Choosing the right temperature

Can whites be washed in hot or cold water? When using a washing machine, you need to read the instructions on the label to select the desired temperature setting.

Synthetics can be washed at a temperature not exceeding 40 degrees. Clothes and linen made of cotton or linen are washed at a temperature of 60 degrees. They are very dirty - they boil.
Children's clothes are always washed at 90 degrees or boiled due to heavy soiling. nine0009

The order of boiling white clothes

White linen has been boiled for centuries, and they do it now. Moreover, boiling is used both before washing and after, if it has not coped with pollution. This method will help get rid of stains and answer the question of how to wash gray and no longer snow-white items of clothing in order to return them to their original color.

  1. Need a larger, better enameled container, eg a 2 bucket pot. It can no longer be used for any other purpose. nine0038
  2. If the product label does not say that boiling is allowed, it's not worth the risk.
  3. Greyish or very dirty items should be soaked before boiling.
  4. Boiling is not only a way to wash white things, it is also used for disinfection.
  5. Laundry is loaded into a pre-prepared solution with powder or laundry soap.
  6. Immersion immediately in boiling water will not help to remove greyed things, but will only aggravate the situation.
  7. For uniform bleaching, the item must be constantly stirred while boiling. nine0038
  8. To prevent foam from filling the flame, turn off the gas.
  9. During the entire boiling process, the window must be open, otherwise you can inhale the chemistry.
    Another way to wash white things is digestion.

Digestion of white things

  1. In addition to soap, the solution for digestion includes soda ash in equal proportions. For 1 kg of laundry you need 6 liters of solution.
  2. Put the laundry in the container with the solution and put it on the fire.
    3. nine0037 The process is accompanied by constant turning of the linen with wooden tongs.
  3. Cooking time for less than 1.5 and no more than 2 hours.
  4. Transfer the cooled laundry to the rinse water, check the quality of the digestion and wash the stains if they remain.

Blue

White linen loves blue. This is the name of a special powdered substance. Blue can also be sold in the form of a concentrated solution.

Grandmothers also knew how to wash white diapers or sheets so that they do not turn gray over time. They poured it into a woven bag and put it in warm water. Having received a bluish tint, they washed off the white, and it became boiled. You can still use blue at home. nine0009

Starching

Starched laundry does not get as dirty.

Wash whites correctly in the machine, and only then apply starch.

Half a glass of starch is dissolved in water, which should be taken a little less than a liter. The solution must be mixed properly so that the starch dissolves. Pour water with starch into boiling water (3 liters) and wait until it boils again. In this solution, you need to rinse white things. They need to be ironed while damp. nine0009

Details such as collars and cuffs are starched to become stiff.

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