If you’ve looked at the care label on your clothes, you might’ve spotted a symbol that shows a basin with a ‘30’ or a single dot in it. This means that your clothes need a mild, cold wash in order to protect the fabric or make sure that the colour doesn’t fade. 30 degrees Celsius is a good temperature for synthetic fibres or for washing jeans. If your machine isn’t in Celsius, it’ll be the single dot, or cool temperature setting.
Clothes with stains will need a pretreatment if you’re doing a 30 degrees laundry - especially stains like chocolate stains or red wine stains. If possible, treat the stain and wash it before it dries - an easy way to do this is with Sard Wonder stick, just rub it into the stain 60 seconds before it goes into the wash and hey presto!
- Clothes without stains or lower levels of soiling can be washed as normal at 30 degrees. If you’re washing wool or delicates, choose the right program on your washing machine.
- As higher temperatures help lift dirt, a good detergent like Cold Power that has been specifically formulated to work effectively in a 30 degrees wash are crucial. The right dosage of detergent will depend on water hardness, machine size and how dirty your clothes are.
- High quality detergents such as Cold Power will help ensure your cold wash removes stains and dirt.
- Dark and bright textiles will thank you for washing them at 30 degrees. If you do a cold wash for these garments, they’ll be vibrant for longer.
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You may have heard that a cold wash won’t kill bacteria. Whilst it is true that the water temperature won’t kill bacteria on a 30 degrees wash, using a good detergent and hygiene rinse can combat this, and you can still save energy by not ramping up the temperature. However, do bear the following in mind:
- Perform an empty hot wash with some detergent or machine cleaner once a month just to make sure bacteria can’t grow in your machine and cause unpleasant smells.
- If your baby or a family member is ill, make sure that you wash their clothes separately at a higher temperature with a good detergent. This will help to stop germs from spreading.
- You can soak your clothes in a basin with a hygiene rinse if you only need to disinfect one or two garments.
Colder temperatures are gentler on textiles, so even if your favourite shirt can be washed on a hot wash, you might want to consider washing it at 30 degrees, a cold wash. It minimises the risk of shrinkage and colour bleeding, too.
Furthermore, the lower temperature will save you energy, and is usually faster than hotter washes. If you don’t use a hygiene rinse, make sure you get the laundry out of the machine after a cold wash, as the moisture can be an ideal environment for bacteria.
If you’re washing cold, it is a good idea to follow up by drying your clothes outside. This saves more energy, but sunlight kills bacteria, too. Win-win!
To find out how to wash specific items of clothing, look no further than our laundry section.