i wash all clothes in cold even the really dirty ones that the kids have spilled on and i don't have any problems what so ever. the only things i wash in warm or hot is whites bedding and towels.

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My mom just said that it is better on your clothes to wash them in cold. I only wash whites, towels, and sheets in hot and then I rinse those in cold. I don't use the cold water detergent and have never had any problems.

In the winter I will run about two inches of hot water in the bottom of the washer if I am using the powdered detergent (to help it dissolve) and then switch it to cold before I put my clothes in.

I wash everything in cold and have never had a problem.

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~Happiness is a large family~

I wash all of my clothes in cold, DD's clothes in warm, towels and sheets in warm (but it seems everyone else here uses hot, so maybe I will start) and whites in hot. DH does his own clothes, I am not sure, but I think he uses warm.

dust mites need a temperature of at least 130 degrees to die. That's the bare minimum. Preferred is 150. Most people with kids have turned thier hot water heater below that so as not to scald thier kids in the bathtub. Just something know there.

So washing your sheets on "hot" may not really be hot enough if the hot water heater is set too low, or if your hot water has to travel a long way from the heater to the washer. ( cools off in the pipes on the way)

My new washer has a "sanitize" cycle for sheets and killing germs. Plus the drum is stainless steel on the inside, so wow, does it get hot in there!!

that being said. I've never used the hot water cycle. I always wash on cold and dry in the dryer ( where it gets hot)

i have been washing in cold water for 6 years and nothing bad has happened.

i wash in cold

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I wash all bedding, blankets included, socks, bras, underwear, rags, towels and dish towels and anything that is germy in hot water. I honestly feel it kills all germs and bacteria and then I hang it all up to dry. I use cold water to rinse though. On everything else, unless it says different, I use cold/cold water.

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~~Sharon~~

I wash it all in cold and everything comes out perfectly clean! Using warm water is a waste, I dont think there is any real benefit.

I wash everything in cold, even bedding and towels. I also line dry everything. It is mostly the agitation of the machine that cleans the items, not so much the water temp.