Is It Better To Wash Underwear In Hot Or Cold Water?

Water temperature is a big factor when doing laundry and you need to know which to choose for what type of item. Cold water is typically recommended for washing clothes because it can prevent shrinking, fading, and the setting of stains, but this isn't applicable across the board. When dealing with whites, gym clothes, and underwear, for example, it's better to use hot water so it can kill any bacteria and lift strong stains.

To ensure your clothes last long, you need to have a good knowledge of how to handle them during laundry. They should be run through the washer and dryer according to their fabric types with the appropriate settings. From speed washing to "air drying", you need to know which laundry machine settings to use for different categories like those work clothes that wrinkle easily, bulky items like bedding, and delicates like underwear, bras, and socks. Underwear especially tends to be made of delicate fabric so they require more attention in the laundry process.

Undergarments get very soiled with sweat and other bodily fluids because they have direct contact with the skin. Because of this, hot water helps to tackle the dirt and kill the germs that seep into the fabric. When washing underwear in hot water, it's helpful to wash them separately from the rest of your clothes so you don't have to mix them up with other garments that need different settings. This can be tricky when you have only a few undergarments to wash, however, so one tip is to hand wash them.

The best way to clean these clothes by hand is to pretreat the main stains, fill a container or the sink bowl with warm or hot water and detergent, and leave them in there to soak for a bit. Wash gently and rinse with cold water, squeeze out the water gently, and then air or line dry for the best results. This way, you can preserve energy because you won't have to run the washer for a small load that needs the water to be warmed up first.