Switch to Cold Water October 19, 2007
During a recent visit with my mom and sisters, we debated about the effectiveness of washing clothes in hot versus cold water. I just changed the favorite cycles on my washer to cold/cold for all cycles, including whites, as in bed linens. My sister argued that only hot water would kill the little dust mites that live in your bed linens. I disagreed.
The short video below shows live allergy causing house dust mites moving in their favorite environment, a bed. A full explanation of why their droppings cause allergies accompanies the video. Um, gross.
So now what do I do? If I switch to cold water washing I can save energy and get my clothes just as clean according to the experts. I have a Horizontal-axis washer so that saves energy, score one for me. The water heater is turned down to 120 degrees, score two. Researchers found that washing laundry in hot water–140 degrees Fahrenheit (60 ºC) or higher–kills all house dust mites, compared with just 6.5% of dust mites in laundry washed at 104 degrees Fahrenheit (40 ºC), or warm water. Great, I’ve been washing in warm water, which is pretty much useless. An effective alternative appears to be several rinses in cold water. For those with dust mite allergies, there are additional solutions to dust mites, most of which concentrate on prevention.
For the moment, I’m going to continue using cold water for washing sheets. I’ve been washing in warm water anyway so worrying about dust mites now is a little late…I am going to investigate replacing my 10 year old pillows though.
Resource: FirstScience.com
Related Post: 8 Ways to Save Water Without Spending a Dime
I was interested in your washing theories and wonder if anyone else has done some testing. My doctor gave me some information about something called De-Mite Laundry Additive. 1 & 1/2 Tablespoons per load is supposed to allow you to wash in either warm or cold water. Have sent for it and will let you know how it works for me. Anyone else out there use it? What results? Thanks Darlene
If your doctor is recommending De-Mite, you are probably suffering from allergies so have to weigh the pros and cons of additives versus hot/cold water washing. According to their website, De-Mite contains anionic & non-ionic surfactants; benzyl benzoate; tea tree oil; and methyl salicylate. Their website is http://www.de-mite.com/. Washing in cold water washes out the allergy protein but doesn’t kill the mites. According to WebMD, hot water washing (at 140 degrees Fahrenheit) kills 100% of dust mites - http://www.webmd.com/allergies/news/20070521/hot-water-removes-allergens-best. Good luck in your quest for relief and let me know how the product works for you.