Is Washing Your Laundry in Cold Water Just as Effective? Here's What Experts Say

There are more benefits to washing laundry in cold water than you may realize.

(No wonder everything used to look grey, stiff, and scratchy.)

While many people assume that hotter water results in cleaner clothes, that’s not necessarily the case.

Washing machine with laundry on blue wall background, close up.

Photo:FabrikaCr/Getty Images

Here’s everything you should probably know.

Can You Use Cold Water for Laundry?

Not only can cold water be effective for laundry, it can also offer advantages over hot water.

“For most laundry, hot water is not necessary with modern laundry detergents.”

Using less energy reduces carbon emissions and is good for the planet.

Cold water should always be used for the final rinse cycle when doing laundry.

Using cold water helps prevent set-in wrinkles in clothes as they go through the final high-speed spin.