Washing laundry with cold water

[Notorious Honey Badger]

I just got some tide cold water laundry detergent. A friend at work suggested I try it out as it's easier on jeans, and clothes in general. Anyone tried this out on a regular basis? How's it working out for ya?

[BlackArcher101]

I have been washing with ice cold water for years. No complaints.

I still do bedding and towels with warm water, I just like to make sure they are really clean (and who cares about shrinkage)

[Teh_Bandwagoner]

Originally Posted by BlackArcher101

I have been washing with ice cold water for years. No complaints.

I still do bedding and towels with warm water, I just like to make sure they are really clean (and who cares about shrinkage)

Some people care about shrinkage...

[cKy]

Been washing with strictly cold water on all my clothes and towels and beddings. I have no idea what the difference is between washing with warm/hot water and cold, but i do know i am saving money by not using warm water and my clothes dont smell more then usual.

I wonder if the cold water soap is just a marketing gimmick.

[HalifaxDrunk]

I'll ask my wife.

[Canada 02]

if you have sensitive skin or allergies, be aware that the cold water detergents may add several enzymes (Tide coldwater has 4 enzymes, compared to other Tide formulas which have 0-3) to compensate for the different surfactant formula

[Regular_John]

Yup I've been using cold water with regular liquid detergent for years. As others have said, warm/hot water for towels and bedding, cold for most everything else.

[shane_c]

Originally Posted by BlackArcher101

I have been washing with ice cold water for years. No complaints.

Same here. I use cold water for all my laundry (clothes, bedding, towels) and I just use regular detergent, not the cold water stuff which I'm sure is just a gimmick anyway.

[burn_this_city]

I'm pretty sure it's not a gimmick, I'd be worried about the effectiveness of regular detergent in cold water.

[shane_c]

Originally Posted by burn_this_city

I'm pretty sure it's not a gimmick, I'd be worried about the effectiveness of regular detergent in cold water.

My clothes are clean and they don't smell. I'm not sure how a cold water detergent would do any better.

[Sainters7]

I only wash with cold water. If its whites I may do a warm cycle, but aside from that its always cold. Seems to be working out for me anyway.

[Notorious Honey Badger]

So I went to google and for some reason went to the Tide website. I instantly felt bamboozled for buying this stuff when I saw this on their FAQ section:

Q: What is the ingredient that makes Tide Coldwater better in cold water?
It is difficult to point to any one ingredient as the ingredients in the formulation work synergistically together to maximize the performance of Tide Coldwater in cold water washing.



Uh. My BS meter just blew up.

[Drury18]

+1 for washing everything in cold water with normal detergent. Never had an issue with it or using any detergent in cold water.

The only time I use warm water is trying to bleach stuff as I found cold doesn't work nearly as well or quickly.

[Northendzone]

i wear jeans that cost $600 dollars each and I only wash them once every 9 years - I'll bookmark this thread until 2021......

synergistically? that is a perfectly cromulent word that embiggens all of us.......

[bizaro86]

Originally Posted by Notorious Honey Badger

So I went to google and for some reason went to the Tide website. I instantly felt bamboozled for buying this stuff when I saw this on their FAQ section:

Q: What is the ingredient that makes Tide Coldwater better in cold water?
It is difficult to point to any one ingredient as the ingredients in the formulation work synergistically together to maximize the performance of Tide Coldwater in cold water washing.

Uh. My BS meter just blew up.

That clinches it for me. If they're assuming their customers are morons (and really, why else would you write that) then I don't want to be a customer of that product.

[MRCboicgy]

My mom always told me to wash in cold, so I have for over a decade now. I switched to cold-water optimized detergent after once having clumps of the regular stuff stick to the inside of my machine and my clothes (~4 years ago).

Calgary water=too cold?

[cKy]

Would hard or soft water affect the clumping? using too much soap?

[CaptainCrunch]

I tend to wash my dress shirts which are mostly light colored in warm to hot water, they seem to come out of the dryer with less creases.

[YYC in LAX]

Cold water for all darks. Thought that was standard, no?

[CaptainCrunch]

Originally I was taught cold for darks warm for light darks and hot for whites.

But clothing has changed significantly from the time that me ole mum taught me how to do laudry. But the poor old soul just has dad to take care of and she still does about 7 loads of laudry every couple of days.