Better washes and disinfects: environmentally harmful misconceptions about hot water
'13.07.2019'
Source: Furnish home
Friendly reminder - the planet is dying, and it's all our fault. More than 60% of civilized people still wash clothes in warm water, and of the total energy used in one load of linen, 75 percent is heating the water itself. Considering these numbers and the fact that switching to cold water also saves your money, you may ask: why are we still stuck in our delusions?
The notion that hot water cleans better than cold water is due to how we washed it many years ago. Then the heat was useful because it accelerated the cleaning process, because the detergents and machines were less effective, the portal writes Furnishhome.
To better understand this, we need to look at how water and detergents interact. Hot water has more kinetic energy than cold water, that is, molecules in water move faster. When these molecules interact with surface-active substances in classical detergents, the greater energy they possess means that they are able to more quickly mix surface-active substances, thereby washing the stains with greater speed.
On the subject: What you should know if you decide to wash in the quick wash mode
When the washing was done by hand, adding boiling water made what was very difficult easier. When the first electric washing machines appeared in the early 1900s, hot water was still needed to “activate” the detergents used. (However, the need for hot water also meant that the machines were prohibitively expensive to use.)
Washing clothes in cold water or hot?
Modern laundry detergents also work well in cold water. New detergents use enzymes that work efficiently without using hot water. By the way, cold water is much less harmful to clothing fibers. Plus, there are many spots (especially protein stains, such as blood), which in fact are only sealed into the fabric with hot water.
Why then do we still turn on the heat?
Many people think that hot water disinfects clothes. The truth is that if you do not have a disinfection cycle, the water will not be hot enough. Only the dryer can disinfect, although drying in the sun is used just for the same purpose. Disinfection is only necessary when dirty clothes contain harmful bacteria, such as feces on cloth diapers or vomiting caused by illness.
How about washing dishes in cold water?
It is reasonable to stick with warm water when you wash your hands, but not for the reason you think. When it comes to foodborne bacteria, the temperature of the water (at least at temperatures that your body can withstand) does not seem to matter. The US 2017 study of the year found that cold and warm water is as effective as 100-degree hot water when removing bacteria during washing. The key is the detergent that you use when you wash your hands. And he probably needs warmer water for work. Since most dishwashing detergents are based on surfactants, they are not designed for cold water and require heat energy from hot water to create a quick lubricating effect and remove dirt.
On the subject: How to wash white things correctly to maintain freshness and color
When washing hands, hot water is needed more for comfort. Washing the dishes in cold water just hurts.
Now turn to automatic dishwashers. Here the same rules of cold washing apply as in your washing machine. But provided that you use the right detergent.
The reality is that most of the cleaning in the dishwasher is due to the mixing of water, and not because of the detergent. However, it is more difficult for powders to dissolve in cold water. If your goal is to save energy, we recommend using a liquid detergent working on a colder cycle and skip drying with hot air.
Worried about germs? If you do not use a special disinfection cycle each time (which would be quite a waste of energy), your dishwasher probably does not reach the temperature required for disinfecting dishes.
Let's sum up. Yes, in some cases, hot water can speed up the cleaning process. But for most modern tasks, the cold works just as well. And this is better for the environment! Now you know what you can do more for the planet. In this case, without prejudice to the cleanliness of your home.
