Washing laundry in cold water gets a bad rap for not getting clothes clean enough. While this might have been true ten to twenty years ago, today, many modern laundry detergents are formulated to clean clothing just as well in cold water as they do in warm or hot water.
If you currently wash everything in hot water and have trouble with damage or shrinkage, it may be time to switch to a cold wash cycle—especially for these materials and types of stains.
What to Wash in Cold Water
Washing in cold water can save you money on electricity bills and is necessary for certain types of garments. To ensure your clothes come out clean, use a liquid laundry detergent or one that specifically states it works well on a cold cycle.
Protein Based Stains
Blood and urine are types of protein stains—treating them with hot water “cooks” in the stain, setting it permanently.
To treat blood, urine, or other protein-based stains such as dairy or chocolate, dab up as much stain as possible with a paper towel. Then, use a stain treater (we like enzymatic cleaners for this) and follow the directions on the bottle. Wash the garment on the cold cycle. Ensure the stain is completely removed before placing the item in the dryer. If it’s not, repeat the stain removal process until successful.
Lace and Silk
Delicates, like lace and silk, weaken when they come into contact with hot water. This can cause them to shrink, damage, or start to pill. Follow the care tag on your garment, but in general, you’ll want to wash these items using the delicate setting and cold water.
All Types of Sweaty Clothes
Sweat is another stain that can get worse when washing in hot water. Your gym clothes, sports uniforms, and other frequently sweated-in items need to be washed in cold water. Adding a scoop of oxygen bleach to the washer can help dislodge these stains and keep them from discoloring your clothes.
If you don’t have any Oxi-clean on hand, spray the sweaty areas with an appropriate stain pretreatment before washing them.
Wool and Wool-Blends
Wool is notorious for shrinkage. To keep your wool sweaters looking their best, wash them on a delicate cycle in cool water and then spread them out flat to dry, turning them over about halfway through the process.
Saturated Colors
Overly warm water can strip the color from dark and bright pieces of clothing. Wash darks or brights with like colors and avoid hot water.
All Types of Denim
Have you ever washed a pair of jeans and found them too tight the next time you put them on? If so, you’ve experienced shrinkage from hot water washing.
To preserve the color and true size of your jeans, pull them inside out and wash them in cold water with your normal detergent. When you toss them in the dryer, use the low setting to avoid shrinkage.
Items that Tend to Wrinkle
Do you have a particular pair of pants or a shirt that always looks wrinkly? Washing in cold water can help. Hot water damages or swells certain fabric fibers (like those made of cotton or linen), making them look wrinkly. Cold water doesn’t damage them, cutting down on the number of wrinkles.
