Tag: laundry

You Might Be Washing Your Clothes All Wrong

If you’re still washing your clothes on hot for every load, it might be time for a chill pill—literally.

According to Consumer Reports, cold water might just be the hero your laundry (and wallet) needs. It turns out, modern detergents are built differently these days. The enzymes they use are actually designed to work better in cold water, not hot.

So if you’re worried that cold water won’t get your clothes clean, the science says otherwise. Plus, washing with cold can save energy and help your favorite hoodie last longer. It’s a win-win, unless you’re emotionally attached to your electric bill being sky-high.

Here are a few more cold, hard facts:

  • Cold water protects delicates like lace, silk, and anything you’d cry over if it shrunk.
  • It keeps dark colors from fading or bleeding. No more accidental tie-dye surprises.
  • And perhaps most importantly, it won’t “cook” protein stains like milk or blood into your clothes, which hot water can sometimes do.

Oh, and remember how your washer uses electricity? Almost all of that power goes toward heating the water.

So using cold can help you save cash, lower your carbon footprint, and maybe even earn a smug little eco-friendly grin in the process.

That said, hot water isn’t totally canceled. It still has its place, especially if you’re dealing with greasy messes, sweaty gym clothes, or nylon and polyester fabrics that respond better to a little heat. Sheets and towels after a flu bug? Yeah, go ahead and nuke those germs.

One little caveat: If it’s freezing outside—like, under 40 degrees—the “cold” water coming into your machine might be too cold for your detergent to work properly. In that case, lukewarm might be your best bet. Or at least check the detergent label to see what it recommends.

Bottom line? Hot isn’t always better. These days, cold is cool—for your clothes, your budget, and the planet.

How Often Do You Wash Your Jeans? Depends How Brave (or Nose-Blind) You Are

If your laundry basket could talk, it would probably say, “Please… I’m begging you.” But since it can’t, plenty of us wait until there’s a sock crisis or we’re down to our emergency underwear before doing anything about it.

Laundry isn’t the worst chore out there, but let’s be honest… it’s nobody’s idea of a good time. Unless you’re one of the very rare laundry lovers out there (and yes, they exist), you’re probably just doing the bare minimum to avoid mildew and social shame.

Still, most people are taking care of it themselves. A new poll found 55% of Americans always do their own laundry, while 5% say someone else always handles it. Everyone else falls somewhere in between, depending on how desperate the wardrobe situation gets.

Now, do we enjoy laundry? Eh. Only 9% of people say they love it, and 23% say they like it. On the flip side, 12% dislike it, and 5% flat-out hate it. 49% are totally neutral… the Switzerland of household chores.

The survey also asked how many times people wear different types of clothing before washing them… and spoiler alert: the results range from reasonable to “I’m gonna stand over here.”

Underwear: 80% of people wash it after one wear (as any decent society should). But 5% of people wear the same pair four or more times before washing. Yes, that’s real. And yes, men are more likely to do it.

T-shirts: 55% wash after one use. 10% wear them at least four times, which might explain why some shirts are more vintage aroma than vintage style.

Non-jeans pants: 29% go one-and-done, but 21% say, “Eh, one more wear won’t hurt.” (It might.)

Sweaters: Only 19% wash after a single wear. A whopping 32% go four-plus wears, relying on the magical cleansing power of “airing it out.”

Jeans: Just 16% wash after one wear, and 36% stretch it past four. Men, once again, are more likely to live on the edge. (Or the edge of someone’s olfactory tolerance.)

So, next time you wonder if those jeans can go another day, just remember… you’re either part of the majority, or part of the reason Febreze exists.

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