Washing in cold water can prevent clothes from shrinking, but laundry experts suggest that category 4 textiles are more suitable for hot water washing

Many people believe that washing clothes in cold water is much better than hot water to prevent clothes from shrinking or to make it easier to remove stains. However, some experts point out that some clothes are better washed with hot water. The key is to know which clothes really need high-temperature washing and which clothes are only suitable for cold water to maintain their quality.

Columnist Jamie Cuccinelli of home furnishing website marthastewart.com interviewed three experts to list some clothes suitable for hot water washing and suggestions for avoiding mistakes.

{9 99} 1. Towels

Laundry Chain Group Konul Shirmammadova, founder of Castle Hill Laundry, pointed out that the first thing that needs hot water to clean is our most commonly used towels.

She said that towels undertake heavy cleaning work, absorbing moisture, sweat, grease and other substances that come into contact with the skin. Over time, towel fibers will absorb residues, causing odors and the fibers to harden. "If not washed thoroughly, these substances can easily breed odors or bacteria."

Schhuman Maduwa explains that hot water helps dissolve these residues, disinfect the fibers, and restore a true freshness that cold water washing cannot achieve.

2. Bedding, sheets and other bedding. Human body oil, skin cells, and sweat accumulate on bedding. Regardless of the surface cleanliness, there is actually more dirt and dirt than imagined.

Pranai Rai, co-founder of La La Laundry, another chain laundry group, said that this is the same as washing towels. Hot water helps remove body oil and residues, ensuring more hygienic cleaning. "More importantly, hot water can effectively kill bacteria, dust mites and allergens accumulated in these items."

Some people sweat easily when sleeping, like to share the bed with pets, or have allergies. Washing bedding with hot water will bring significant improvement.

3. Rags and Cleaning Cloths

Rags used in kitchens and bathrooms are the items most likely to harbor dirt and breed bacteria in the home. If you think about it carefully, people often use it to wipe oil and salt bottles, hands, countertops, and even occasionally quickly wipe fruits, vegetables or tableware. The degree of contamination is horrifying.

Therefore, Schumann Maduva pointed out that commercial customers such as restaurants, fitness studios and cafes always rely on high-temperature washing processes to clean these items. Therefore, high-temperature washing can help maintain hygiene at home.

4. Underwear

There are also underwear. These personal items are in close contact with the skin, so maintaining hygiene is very important. Although women's lace, silk, mesh and other materials should not be washed with hot water, cotton underwear, vests, etc. can be washed with higher warm water, just check the clothing label.

Sammy Wang, a senior washing expert at P&G Fabric Care, a subsidiary of Procter & Gamble Group (P&&G), said that it doesn’t matter if you don’t want to use high-temperature washing, because not all clothes require hot water.

She explained that although using hot water to wash some clothes will be better, it also has some disadvantages, such as fading or shrinking and deformation, and hot water requires more energy (such as electricity). Therefore, whether to use hot water for cleaning or not, you can weigh the pros and cons in advance.