Washing At 30 Degrees
Depending on the results you get at lower temperatures, it may be better to wash all heavily stained clothes at 60, rather than washing them several times at 30 or 40. Many people recommend you also use high temperature washes when someone in the house is ill.
Ariel’s ‘Cool Clean‘ detergent claims to have ingredients optimised to clean at 30C. However, the general opinion is that washing at 30 can be very effective using any detergent, and there is no need to use Cool Clean. Procter and Gamble, the manufacturers of Cool Clean, state that higher temperatures may still be required for stain removal.
Procter and Gamble have studied the environmental impact of using Cool Clean, compared to an older style Ariel detergent. It scores better in all categories except water consumption (which is the same), and aquatic eco-toxicity (which is slightly worse, although apparently the difference is not statistically significant).
Most washing machine manufacturers recommend you carry out a high temperature wash, with a washing powder that contains bleach, at least once a month, to keep the washing machine free of bacteria and mould that can build up if you only wash at low temperatures.
Allergy sufferers could have a problem with low temperature washes. Korean researchers have shown that washing at 30 or 40 is much worse at removing dust mites and pollen than washing at 60. However, they do say that several cold water rinses at the end of the cycle improves results considerably, so a washing machine which rinses really well could help allergy sufferers.
Other tips for killing dust mites include adding tea tree oil to your wash, and drying clothes in sunlight.
Other environmentally friendly washing tips include ensuring you always wash full load, using the ‘economy’ setting on your machine, using eco-friendly washing powder brands like Ecover and not using a tumble dryer. Also, you may not need as much detergent as you think for normal loads - especially if you live in a soft water area.
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