Hot versus cold water for laundry: Experts agree one of them is wasting money and damaging your clothes

Experts have settled the debate over whether hot or cold water should be used for washing clothes, bedding and towels. A common misconception about water temperature and hygiene leads people to assume hot water is needed to kill germs.

However, Susan Toft, CEO and founder of The Laundry Lady, and Martin Zaki, Associate Research Fellow from the Deakin Institute of Frontier Materials told nine.com.au cold water can remove stains, odours and bacteria just as well as hot because of laundry detergent.

“People assume cold means less clean, but that’s actually outdated thinking based on how detergents used to work. Modern laundry liquids are formulated with enzymes that are specifically designed to activate and break down stains at lower temperatures,” Toft said.

Zaki added, “You have a load of surfactants and everything else already in there with fabric detergent. So when you’re adding that [to the washing machine] those things are designed to remove stains, and they’re actually very good at destroying bacteria, and cells.”

Cold water is also recommended because hot water can damage fabric, and in the case of cotton and wool, shrink your garments. So if you want to keep your clothes in good condition for as long as possible, cold is the best option.

“I personally think cold water is the better choice for most laundry loads. It’s much gentler on fabrics, helps prevent clothes from shrinking, and keeps colours looking brighter for longer by reducing fading,” Ryan Hijazi, owner and director of EZY Appliance Repairs, told nine.com.au.

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Another reason cold water is preferred over hot is the huge difference in electricity costs. According to Choice, using cold water instead of warm water can save you $181.14 a year, and that figure would be higher if you switched from hot to cold water.

“Hot water also uses a lot more energy to heat. Some studies have shown that washing in cold water can reduce energy consumption by up to 60 per cent compared to washing in hot water,” Toft said.

While cold water is the preferred option for most laundry needs, there are times when hot water is useful.

Hijazi said it’s good for stubborn odours in towels and sportswear, but the main use for hot water is to clean and sanitise the washing machine. He recommends running an empty hot wash with a machine cleaning product once a month.

“This helps remove built-up detergent residue, grease, limescale and odours, keeping your machine fresh and performing at its best,” he said.

There is also the option of warm water, this is particularly important if your tap water is really cold as this affects the performance of detergent, but it’s also worth considering for certain loads.

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“Warm water can be the sensible middle ground for specific fabrics, particularly synthetic blends like nylon, polyester and spandex,” Toft said.

Hijazi added that fabrics with greasy stains and residue, like work clothes and kitchen cloths and tea towels, also benefit from warm water because it  “will definitely help lift oily and greasy stains more effectively”.

While cold water is the preferred option for daily laundry needs, Toft advised checking the care label on the item before putting it in the machine and choosing your settings.

“It sounds like a small step, but it’s the one that actually determines your whole approach to that item: whether it can go in the machine at all or needs to be dry-cleaned, the maximum temperature it can safely handle, or whether it’s hand wash only,” she said.

“Cold water is a sensible default for most of the wash basket, but the label overrides any general rule of thumb because it’s telling you what that specific garment’s fibres and construction can actually cope with.”