Your washables. The water temperature. The washing machine and your choice of detergent. These are the winning components to consider for finding the right formula for the perfect wash – no matter what you want to get clean.
You will need the proper temperature for every wash, which will range from a 30 cold/cool degrees using a special cold water detergent like, Cold Power, all the way to a really hot scalding 90 degrees which rarely would be used in a home washing machine. Taking care of fabric will extend the life of your clothes as well as save you money by using your washing machine wisely.
60 degrees Celsius is a recommended hot-water temperature for certain kinds of linens, heavier clothes, and certain stains… and it starts by knowing your washing machine’s features as well as knowing what temperature your hot water heater is set to as a steady setting. Let’s take a look at the pros and cons of washing your items in a 60 degrees wash.
It is not recommended that all clothes are washed on high temperatures. It should only be for heavily soiled items including towels, bed sheets, and cloth diapers. It can also be effective when washing clothing that has fat-based stains such as oil or butter that you can combine with a dab of stain remover first such as Sard Wonder, Power Stain Remover.
Sard Wonder comes in a handy stick or spray that you can direct straight onto the stain in question, leave it for 60 seconds and then just pop into the wash. It even works on stains like red wine.
A 60 degrees laundry can be used for heavily soiled white clothing as well, but it is suggested that you check the label first to ensure it is ok to do so. You may want to add bleach to add sparkle to your whites as well. One thing to bear in mind is that washing on high temperatures also results in a high electricity bill, as high amounts of energy are being used.
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- Higher temperatures help kill off germs and are also very effective in removing most of the mould, viruses, and bacteria.
- Heavily soiled items such as bed linen, towels, or other garments will need to be washed at warm to high temperatures for the most effective results. Also check your detergent’s strength for handling soiled fabrics.
- Some believe that that you must wash your clothes on the highest setting possible to kill bacteria, but it is proven that 60°C is adequate. (90-degree water temperature is more common in commercial settings.) Bleach is important here as well, to assist in getting rid of germs and mould.
- If you are in a hurry and want a quick wash and rinse setting, perhaps the hot cycle is not the best choice as it runs longer due to the heating time.
- Colours are best to be washed on cool or lukewarm temperatures, as the hot water might cause the colours to fade or run and also may cause the fabric to shrink.
- Be sure to read the labels on all of your clothes - hot water will damage certain fabrics.
We hope you enjoyed our tips on when and how to use a semi-hot 60 degrees wash. The main one being to try and only use a hotter wash with more heavily soiled laundry and use a strong stain removing detergent like Sard Wonder to make sure of the clean. Don’t forget to check out our other cleaning tips such as how to clean your washing machine, what to wash in 40-degree laundry and how to wash dress pants.
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