Throw some Cold Water on Climate Change

My innate thriftiness was satisfied, however, with some experimentation that showed that washing in cold got my clothes just as clean, and the knowledge that clothes washed in cold water will last longer. And now that I actually own a washing machine, the cash savings from not heating all that water are all mine (although given that I have solar panels to heat my water, I could use hot water on nice sunny days with a clear conscience).

A friend tried to convince me that you need to use hot water to disinfect your clothes, but I was unconvinced that this is a necessity in the absence of scabies or some such thing, and responded with an urging to try the all-natural disinfecting power of the sun via a wind/solar powered dryer (also known as a clothesline) rather than pouring boiling water on the poor clothes.

In fact, the only challenge I’ve faced with cold water so far has been in using those pure soap flakes that are supposed to be more eco-friendly. Alas, they don’t dissolve well in cold water (and show up beautifully on black clothes) so I had to pre-dissolve them in warm water and add them in as the machine filled up. Not complicated, but I confess my residual laziness has led me to switched back to regular laundry detergent to avoid the extra step.

by Keith Stewart