Having difficulty determining the right temperature of the water in the portable washing machine? You’re in the right place. We’ll be looking at ways to know the right water temperature for the wash.
Well, laundry is not something that you do haphazardly. If you’re to wash clothes safely and efficiently, there are a couple of factors to think about. You got to use the right wash program for the fabric, the right amount of detergent, and the right temperature.
Today, I will take you through selecting the right temperature on your portable washing machine.
Why Does Temperature Matter?
Because it can make or break your fabric.
Hot water
It is true that hotter water yields cleaner clothes and quickens the wash. First off, it kills the bacteria, thereby eliminating the odors and stains caused by these little organisms.
Then, if you have a stubborn stain, heat might be very helpful for removing it.
And again, detergent works better with hot water. It dissolves better in hot water.
On the other hand, you also got to consider what heat does to certain fabrics. It can easily shrink and crease some garments. It can increase your power bills as the portable washing machine will consume more energy.
Cold water
Cold water is good for reducing the bills, and in most cases, it will wash clothes just fine as long as they’re not heavily soiled. Also, it doesn’t shrink clothing.
On the flip side, it’s not very efficient for washing the clothes that are heavily soiled or stained.
Not sure what setting to use?
Most clothes come with a label. Check the label for the recommended temperature and use that temperature for the clothing. You could sort items with the same temperature range and wash them together.
Let’s jump in and see what is the right temperature to use.
What is considered hot water and when should you use it to launder clothes?
In laundry, hot water is that which has a temperature above 130 °F (around 54.4 °C).
It is true that this level of heat can damage clothing, but that doesn’t mean it should be avoided altogether. As a matter of fact, some garments need water that hot.
The good thing about hot water is that is cleans very efficiently. It doesn’t just remove stains. It also presents disinfectant and deodorant benefits by killing bacteria.
That being said, hot water is “aggressive”. It can easily destroy and take fiber apart. It can also shrink and wrinkle clothing.
That’s why it’s important to use hot water only when washing strong fibers like linen, silk, and polyester. Still, you shouldn’t wash such garments with hot water every time. Reserve it for when these fabrics are very soiled or when they have strong odors that need to be removed.
Fabrics to clean with hot water
- Silk
- Linen
- Durable synthetics – polyester
As for linen and silk, you need to preshrink these. That means you need to prewash them in warm water, so that when you wash them in hot water, that will not cause a significant degree of shrinking.
Apart from clothes, you might also want to wash bath towels in hot water. Why?
As you use towels to wipe your skin after a shower, it is important that they stay sanitized. Heat will do that.
You might also want to disinfect bedsheets with hot water.
What is considered warm water and when should I use it to wash clothes?
Warm water is the in between of hot and cold water. In laundry it is water with a temperature of between 100 and 109 °F (38 to 43 °C).
Though not as effective at washing clothes as hot water, it is still quite effective – much better at removing stains than cold water.
And the best thing about it? It ramps up the cleaning power without introducing the issues that hot water presents of ruining the fabric.
Yes, warm water causes shrinking, but the effect is not immediate. It happens gradually over many washes. To counter that, you can alternate between warm and cold water.
Note: warm water disinfects and deodorizes, though not as effectively as hot water.
Fabrics to clean with warm water
Warm water is ideal for synthetic fibers including:
- Rayon
- Nylon
- Polyester
- Spandex
You can also use it for:
- Linen
- Cotton
What is considered cold water and when should I use it to wash clothes?
In laundry, anything lower than 82 °F (27 °C) is considered cold water. In most cases, this is the water we use when doing laundry, with the most common setting being around 60 °F to 82 °F (15 to 27 °C).
The reasons why cold water is preferred for doing laundry include:
- Safety – it is not “aggressive” and doesn’t harm fabrics
- It saves energy – and thus keeps the power bill low at the end of the month
On the drawbacks, cold water:
- Is not as effective as warm or hot water for cleaning items
- Doesn’t work optimally with detergents – especially if it is hard water, which might lead t detergent wastage.
Fabrics to clean with cold water:
You can clean any fabric in the cold cycle as long as the item can be put in a washing machine.
There are some garments that should always be cleaned using cold water. These include bras and swimsuits. In fact, anything delicate should always be cleaned with cold water. Inner wears should also be cleaned with cold water as hot water can damage their elasticity.
Selecting the right water temperature for laundry
Some washers are designed such that when you choose your preferred wash program, say delicate, normal or permanent press, the portable washing machine and dryer automatically decides the temperature.
But sometimes, you might not think that the selected temperature is right for the garments. In that case, you can select the temperature manually and override the settings that the machine has chosen.
Refer to your manual on how to override the temperature.
FAQs
Will hot water shrink my clothes?
It is true that hot water causes fabrics to shrink. Though, the vulnerability to shrinkage also depends on the type of fabric in question. Most fabrics shrink when washed in hot water, and wear quicker. Wash only the strong-fiber clothes in hot water, such as cotton and polyester.
Does hot water cause clothes to fade?
Washing clothes in hot water causes the fibers to break down, which in turn causes the color to appear faded.
That being said, it is not hot water that is the real threat to the color vibrance of your clothes. It is rather the dryer. The high heat of the dryer, coupled up with the tumbling, can cause colors to fade quickly. To minimize the harmful effects, try working with lower heat levels in the dryer.
Can cold water kill germs?
Cold water cannot kill germs, unless it is almost in freezing levels (below 4 °C), which of course, isn’t ideal for cleaning clothes. If you want to sanitize your garments, you got to use hot water.
Can warm water cause clothes to shrink?
Warm water shrinks clothes, but not at the rate that hot water does. In fact, warm water doesn’t shrink clothes in one go. Instead, it does this over many washes. You might want to alternate between warm and cold water to minimize the shrinking.
Can I use cold water to clean any kind of clothing?
Yes, you can safely clean any washable garment with cold water. Unlike hot or warm water, cold water doesn’t break down the fibers.
That being said, cold water doesn’t always suffice for cleaning clothes. As it doesn’t contain as much cleaning power as hot or warm water, it is not very effective for cleaning items that are heavily soiled.
Final Word
Doing laundry isn’t just about throwing a bunch of clothes in the portable washing machine and dryer and hitting start. It is about working with the correct settings. When it comes to the water temperature, you can either use cold, warm, or hot.
The higher the temperature, the more effective the wash, the easier it is to remove stains, and the faster the wash. But at the same time, with higher temperatures also comes higher risks of destroying the clothing.
Colder temperatures are safer for the fabric and they’re also power efficient, but they make it harder to remove stains.
I have said it before but I’d like to stress this point – always check the label. That’s what will give you the ideal temperature for each garment.