Should I Be Washing My Clothes in Hot or Cold Water? | Teems Electric

Deciding what temperature to wash your clothes on may feel like an art, but it is actually a science. While laundry is quite the chore, it is also quite a high electricity use chore in your household.

Between operating the washing machine and the dryer, as well as heating up water if necessary, there is a lot of power used with each wash load—but knowing what temperature to use for certain situations can help you save.

While it is true that hot water has the highest cleaning power compared to cold or room temperature water, the average washing machine uses dozens of gallons per load—and heating that water when it is not necessary to do so can be quite costly.

How to Know When to Use Hot or Cold Water for Laundry

Default to cold water when in doubt. In general, defaulting to a cold water wash is likely your best bet for most loads of laundry. Not only will washing clothes in cold water save you money on heating costs, but there is also evidence to suggest that it can make your clothes last longer and is better for the environment, too. However, when you use cold water, it is important to be sure you are not overloading the machine, as it can make it more difficult for detergent to dissolve.

Use hot water when you need sanitization. Hot water is better at sanitizing fabrics, so if you are washing towels, sheets or any clothing items worn close to the body, hot water is your best bet. To save in spite of having to heat up the water, group these items together so you can wash them in fewer loads.

Always rinse with cold water. The rinse cycle on your washing machine has little impact on the overall cleanliness or sanitization of your garments, so that is one place you can always skip the hot water in the cycle. The rinse simply gets the soap out of clothes, which can be done effectively with water of any temperature—and if you do a cold rinse, you are preventing the washing machine from heating up more water just to drain it away.

If you want other tips for how to save on electricity, we can help! Our residential electric services are designed for exactly that. Contact us today to learn more.