Cold Water Wash Benefits
We’ve all seen the ads from Tide by now about switching to a cold water wash, to save both money and the environment. After all, it’s a win win situation when they put it that way. I mean, who doesn’t want to do all of that just by not using hot water.
As a matter of curiosity, I checked out some other site’s info. My goal was to see to see what you could actually save by switching to a cold water wash. The fact is, some sites tell you that you can save loads of money but be sure to read the fine print. If you do, you’ll notice that their savings are calculated based on the use of a non-HE machine. That would mean your washer is probably around 30 years old since HE machines have been around since the 90’s. Keep this in mind in case you are expecting to see those big savings on your energy bill this year.*
Something else to keep in mind is that Spot’s washers are extremely energy efficient already. Our washers are truly designed to give you the ultimate clean with a very low impact on the environment. Plus, they spin at such an incredible speed that it takes you just minutes to dry an entire load of laundry.
The Right Cold Water Detergent
Choosing the right detergent for your cold wash is of the utmost importance. The detergent that you use, when washing in cold water, needs to be formulated to work well in cold water. If it isn’t, you may end up with a bigger mess and may even risk ruining your laundry. For example, a powdered detergent in a cold water wash would be a disaster. Plus, if the detergent isn’t designed for cold water, it may not clean your laundry.
“…in trying to create Tide Coldwater, Procter’s scientists were confronted with a problem: hot water does help get clothes cleaner. In fact, thermal energy is one of three secrets to cleaning clothes, along with mechanical energy and chemicals.” site source 1
Spot highly recommends that if you are trying to kill bacteria and germs, hot water may still be the way to go. Nevertheless, if you are still wanting to wash all of your laundry in cold water, then by all means, stick with the top detergents out there and use the ones designed for a cold water wash like Tide’s Hygienic Clean.
*Washing in cold water can save you up to $150 a year on your energy bill.**
Source
1 – https://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/17/business/cold-water-detergents-get-a-chilly-reception.html
2 – https://tide.com/en-us/our-commitment/turn-to-cold