Does cold water or hot water wash clothes better?

Question

I think hot water is best. This is for a science fair, I'm writing my hypothesis and I need something to back up my opinion. Yes I've tried, maybe I could just get a little extra help from yu guys ;) I'd really appreciate it. Thanks!

Answer 1

Hot water helps to dissolve dirt better than cold.
However, some fabrics do not tolerate hot water well. It always depends on the fabric what temperature water you use.
Some fabrics have coloring that 'bleeds' when using hot water.
Rule of thumb for laundry: read the label! Washing instructions are usually on the label.
White fabrics made of cotton are best washed in hot water, but remember that hot water AND hot drying can shrink natural fabrics such as cotton or wool.
You should NEVER wash wool in hot water as it DEFINITELY will shrink.
I would gather a few different items of clothing and fabrics and read the labels. I would then create a table with types of fabrics and recommended water temperatures and incorporate that into my report.

Answer 2

Hot water does seem like it is likely to clean the clothes. However as for washing them and you actually want to keep the color, and correct size you may want to follow the instructions given on the label. Some colors fade or bleed when washed in the wrong temperature. Also some fabrics shrink. You could possibly wash all your clothes on cold but then some of them may or may not get clean some stains can only be cleaned with some temperatures.

Answer 3

Really depends on if your water is well or city water, Hard or soft. Cold water seems to remove stains and hot will set the stain and ruin your clothes. To cut cost on electric more people are using cold and getting the better detergents. Another hint use a scoop of baking soda in your laundry. Really makes your clothes fresh.

Answer 4

Hot water has detergent properties. In fact you could wash your home with hot water only (it doesn't kill germs though, but killing germs on a daily basis is not such a good idea 'cause it creates resistant bacteria that no antibiotic can kill). You could also clean your laundry with boiling water, that's what our ancestors did: they boiled their white cotton sheets without any detergents and they were immaculate.
For a science fair you could make a demonstration of the cleansing power of hot water. You could take 4 or 5 identical pieces of white cotton fabric, stain them with the same kind of stuff (ketchup, blueberries, grass, carrots and so on) and wash them in different temperatures from cold to boiling water. Keep one piece of fabric dry, it will be your reference. You could wash one in a regular washing machine with detergent to see if it's so much better than water alone.
Very interesting indeed.

Answer 5

I use cold water for colored clothes and towels unless I have some really dirty jeans that I did yard work in. I use hot water for white clothes and sheets. Cold water cleans things that are relatively clean just as well as hot water and you don't have to pay for heating the water. Face it, most peoples clothes are relatively clean when they're washed.

Answer 6

One thing you're missing is the detergent. Hot water is terrible for cotton and wool. Cold water works on everything, if the detergent does. Cold water cleans just as well as hot, if the proper detergent is used, in the proper amount.

Answer 7

Hot water is best for whites, especially if you are using bleach. For colors, warm or cold water is okay.

Answer 8

Awesome question i did a project in school about this, ur right, hot water is the best.

Answer 9

cold water warks better because it`s going to be hot when u
put it in the dryer.

Answer 10

I use cold, it saves money and my personal experience is the clothes get just as clean and they don't keep shrinking.