Wash White Clothes in Hot Water or Cold?
The debate is huge, and sometimes heated too. Should laundry be washed in hot or cold water (More about that in this blog). The experts will tell you that hot water really does clean better (Don’t agree? Just try washing your dishes in cold water). Nevertheless, you can get by with cold water for clothes and laundry that have seen only light use. However, to wash white clothes and linens, we recommend that you use hot water. Hot water will keep your whites white, and can also help to remove underarm stains etc with more success.
For the best wash possible, you should use a quality detergent in the correct amounts and always pre-treat any stains. Remember that heat and bleach can set some stains so be sure to pre-treat them first. Also, because heat can shrink the material, be sure to read your tag and use only the recommended temperatures for washing and drying.
How To Remove Stains from White Clothes
Stains on white laundry are inevitable. They will happen, so knowing what to do is the first step in buying white laundry. Buy a good pre-treater, a quality detergent, and use hot water. If you do these three things, your whites will come out brighter. Note if you have hard water or clear water iron, read the section below. Here is another product that may help you, but as with any chemicals, be sure to read the label before using it.
Mastering White Clothes in Hard Water
I have clear water iron (AKA hard water) in my house, as do many unsuspecting well water users. That may be why your lovely white laundry comes out with pale yellow – or even – orange spots after the first wash. Hot water makes this problem so much worse. Yet we know that in order to remove most stains from white clothes, we need hot water. So, what’s a person to do?
Enter, Iron Out! I use this with every single white laundry wash. No, we aren’t promoting this product or getting paid to do so. It’s just a product that has worked for me. My whites come out bright and white every time. I use white hand towels, t-towels, sheets, t-shirts, and shoes. Most people in my area shy away from anything white, but thanks to Iron Out, I don’t have to.
Some important things to keep in mind. Don’t use bleach on whites in hard water. Bleach can actually make the problem worse. How do I know this? Well, I filled my bathtub with hot water and then added bleach to it. Next I turned the jets on to clean them, both the water and my tub turned bright orange. That’s what will happen to your lovely white laundry too if you bleach. Also, never, ever, ever use products that contain Oxi Clean with Iron Out. This will eat holes in your laundry. I learned that the hard way too.
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