What temperature to wash clothes: hot, warm or cold

Step by step

1. 1

   Read the label's maximum temperature

   Look at the washtub symbol. Dots inside it set a maximum: one dot is 30°C (about 85°F), two dots 40°C (105°F), three dots 50°C (120°F), four dots 60°C (140°F). Words like "machine wash cold" mean the same thing. The laundry symbols guide covers every symbol.

   Why: Under the FTC Care Labeling Rule, the label gives a safe method for that garment. Going hotter than its maximum risks shrinking, fading or damage.

2. 2

   Use hot water for whites, towels and bedding

   Wash white cotton, towels, sheets, heavily soiled work clothes and kitchen cloths in the hottest water the label allows, typically 120 to 140°F.

   Why: Heat dissolves detergent faster and melts and lifts oily body soil, which is what turns whites gray or yellow over time.

3. 3

   Use warm water for everyday colorfast loads

   Wash moderately soiled colorfast clothes, permanent-press and synthetics in warm water, about 90 to 105°F. Don't go below 100°F for synthetics on a regular basis.

   Why: Warm water balances cleaning power with color safety. The American Cleaning Institute warns that synthetics washed too cool build up body soil and yellow.

4. 4

   Use cold water for darks, brights and delicates

   Wash darks, brights, new or bleeding colors, and delicates in cold water, about 65 to 85°F. Turn dark clothes inside out.

   Why: Heat swells fibers and lets dye escape, so cold water limits fading and color transfer.

5. 5

   Start stains cold, then wash at the label temperature

   Rinse or presoak blood, sweat and other protein stains, and any stain you can't identify, in cool water below 100°F before the main wash.

   Why: Heat denatures proteins and cooks them into the fibers. Once the stain is loosened, the regular wash temperature is safe.

6. 6

   Match the detergent to cold washes and check before drying

   If you wash mostly in cold water, use a detergent made for cold water at the right dose. Check stained items before they go in the dryer.

   Why: ACI notes that washes that are too cool leave oily body soil behind, which builds up into yellowing. Dryer heat can set any stain that's left.

What hot, warm and cold actually mean

There's no single definition, and the sources differ:

• FTC care label glossary: machine-wash hot is 112 to 145°F (45 to 63°C), warm is 87 to 111°F (31 to 44°C), and cold is up to 86°F (30°C). A label that says "machine wash" with no temperature means hot water up to 145°F can be used regularly.
• American Cleaning Institute: hot is 120 to 140°F (50 to 60°C), warm is 90 to 105°F (30 to 40°C), and cold is 65 to 85°F (20 to 30°C).
• Care label dots: maximums of 30, 40, 50, 60, 70 and 95°C for one to six dots. European labels often print the number instead.

Your washer's own hot, warm and cold settings depend on the machine and on how hot your water heater runs, so check the washer manual if precise temperatures matter. "Cold" doesn't mean ice-cold: ACI's range starts around 65°F.

Why temperature matters: what heat helps and what it harms

Heat helps dissolve detergent and remove oily body soil, and hot washes kill dust mites in bedding. It also has costs. It swells fibers so dyes bleed and fade, shrinks and felts wool and some knits, damages heat-sensitive synthetics, and sets protein stains like blood and sweat.

That's why there's no single best temperature. Hot is right for sturdy whites and bedding, and wrong for a navy sweater or a bloodstained shirt. When loads keep coming out gray or dingy, ACI's fix is to raise the temperature within the label's limit, use the full detergent dose, or add a bleach safe for the fabric.

By situation

Bedding and dust mites

For dust-mite allergies, wash sheets and pillowcases weekly in hot water. The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences gives 130 to 140°F, while the American Lung Association says at least 120°F. Sources differ, so use the hottest the bedding's label allows.

Towels and kitchen cloths

Hot water, 120 to 140°F, or warm water with bleach safe for the fabric. Hot washes also help with musty smells; see smelly towels.

Dark jeans, black clothes and bright colors

Cold water, inside out, with like colors. New dark or bright items should be washed separately for the first few washes, because excess dye washes out.

Wool, silk and anything labeled cold

Cool or cold water only, usually by hand or on a wool or delicate cycle. Hot water shrinks and felts wool and damages silk; see how to wash wool.

Workout clothes and sweat

Presoak sweaty items in cool water, below 100°F, so the protein in sweat doesn't set. Then wash at the warmest temperature the label allows.

Unknown stains

Start with cool water. Heat sets protein stains, and with a stain you can't identify, you can't rule that out. Warm water is safe once the stain is gone.

What not to do

• Don't wash wool, silk or cold-labeled items in hot water. Heat shrinks and felts wool and damages delicate fibers.
• Don't use hot water on blood, sweat or unidentified stains. Heat cooks protein into the fibers and can make the stain permanent.
• Don't go above the care label's maximum. The label states a safe method for that garment; hotter water can cause shrinking, fading or damage.
• Don't machine-dry stained clothes after a cold wash. Drying can permanently set a stain that the cold wash didn't fully remove.

Other methods that work

Cold wash with an extra booster

If you prefer cold washes for most loads, use a detergent made for cold water and add oxygen bleach or an enzyme booster now and then to keep body soil from building up.

Caution: How well a detergent cleans in very cold water varies by product, so check its label.

Hot presoak for whites only

For dingy whites, a soak in the hottest safe water with detergent and fabric-safe bleach before the wash gives the chemicals time to work.

Caution: Only for items without protein stains, and never hotter than the label allows.

Stain still there?

Whites look gray or yellow

The water has been too cool or the detergent dose too low. Raise the temperature within label limits, use the full dose, and add a bleach safe for the fabric; see yellowed whites.

Dark clothes are fading fast

Switch to cold water, turn them inside out, wash with like colors and cut dryer time.

A stain set in after washing

If it was blood or sweat, hot water likely cooked it in. Try a long enzyme soak in cool water before rewashing.

Questions

More laundry guides

• How to fix bleach stains on clothes
• How to get dye transfer out of clothes
• How to remove laundry detergent stains from clothes
• How to get fabric softener stains out of clothes
• How to wash cotton without shrinking or fading it
• How to wash jeans so they don't fade or shrink
• How to wash linen clothes and bedding
• How to wash polyester and other synthetics
• How to wash silk by hand without ruining it
• How to wash wool without shrinking or felting it
• How to get the smell out of towels
• How to whiten yellowed clothes