What is the benefit of washing clothes in hot water?

kills more germs.

They shrink somewhat, making them fit a little more snugly.

If you wash them in hot water and dry them on high heat, you can give them to midgets or to small children.
(I don’t know if this really works…)

I never use hot water. Cold water doesn’t wear out your clothes as fast and it is more energy efficient.

Hot water also fades your clothes faster. I use it for my whites because it is said to take the stains out better. Everything else I use cold.

I only use hot water on towels and wash cloths (bleach too).

Cold is just fine on everything else, and saves energy.

i second basp, krose, and cprevite. cold for mostly everything -energy efficient and doesn’t fade clothes, hot for towels (no bleach, tho).

Ever try to use cold water to clean a plate with old butter or syrup on it? Hardly works. Use hot water, on the other hand, and it just floats right off.

So, unless you’re using a fancy front-loader/european model with boiling water action, I don’t think it’ll kill more germs, but I do think hot water can help loosen and remove certain kinds of dirt. Especially if there’s a risk that still-dirty clothes might end up going unnoticed, loaded into the dryer, and then permanently set the stain.

For the most part, and especially for darker clothes, I agree with everyone that cold water is usually sufficient. Warm/hot water is more typically used for whites as dirt is more apparent on those.

if i have stains i’ll use a spray like shout or spray n wash. i almost never put shirts in the dryer, usually only jeans, socks/underwear and linens. dryers wear out clothes quickly. it is good, however, for taking out wrinkles and getting off lint.

Racists/Bigots LOVE doing laundry, because it’s the only time in their sick, messed-up lives, when they believe it is “OK” to separate The Whites from The Coloreds.

Slimy bastards…

Also because detergent is more active with a hot water than a colder one don’t you think ? A little chemical thing…

Jack- I don’t discriminate, I hate everything equally….

Kills more stuff that might make you sick or make you smell bad.

Milot
There are several brands of laundry soap that offer a cold water product. Personally, I don’t think it makes much difference for the average load of laundry.

Mulot “Also because detergent is more active with a hot water than a colder one don’t you think ? A little chemical thing…”

That certainly used to be true, but no longer. Detergents are surfactants (surface active agents) which allow oil soluble material to “dissolve” in water. Soap is the earliest, man-made surfactant.

Earlier surfactants, like soap, also exhibit, high foaming characteristics, and were more effective in hot water.

Modern detergents no longer require hot water or the foaming characteristics, but consumers are so used to equating foam with effectiveness that foaming agents are added just for eye appeal.

But as stated above: Hot/warm water does facilitate the solubilizing of things like syrup.

Apparently the Zero for Dark clothes is good for slowing the fading of colours?