Entry 04 · washing
Washing temperature guide
Pick what you are washing and what the care label allows, and see the temperature, programme and detergent that suit it, and why.
Wild Linen Lab · washing temperature
Everyday clothes
30 °C (86 °F)
1 dot on US labels. Or cooler: that is always allowed.
- Programme
- Cottons or mixed-fabrics programme
- Detergent
- Any regular detergent; liquids and capsules made for low temperatures work well cool.
- Drying
- Line dry or tumble as the label allows.
- Why
- Lightly worn clothes come clean at 30 °C, and in Which?'s tests a 30 °C wash used 38% less energy than 40 °C. Tough protein stains such as blood clean less well that cool, so pretreat them.
- Without a label, start cool: you can wash hotter next time, but you can't undo shrinkage or bleeding.
How to choose a washing temperature
Pick the kind of laundry, then the highest temperature on its care label: the number in the washtub, or the dots on US labels (one dot is 30 °C, two dots 40 °C, four dots 60 °C). The guide suggests a temperature, programme, detergent and way of drying, with the reason. It never goes above the label. When hygiene calls for more heat than the label allows, it says how to make up for it.
Cooler saves energy and fabric. In tests by the consumer group Which?, a 30 °C wash used 38% less energy than 40 °C, and 20 °C used 62% less. Cool water is also kinder to colours and to wool.
Hotter matters for hygiene. NHS England's guidance finds that a ten-minute wash at 60 °C removes almost all micro-organisms, and hospital allergy leaflets recommend 60 °C for bedding to kill house dust mites. Use it for towels, bed linen, cloths and the laundry of anyone who is ill. If the label stops lower, a powder with activated oxygen bleach or a longer programme helps.
Worked example. Bath towels with a 60 °C label: 60 °C on a cottons programme. A guest's towels with a 40 °C label, after a stomach bug: 40 °C, washed separately, with a bleach-based powder if the triangle allows it, then dried thoroughly.
What each temperature is for
| Temperature | US label | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Cold / 20 °C (68 °F) | – | Lightly worn clothes with a detergent made for cold washes. In Which?'s tests 20 °C used 62% less energy than 40 °C. |
| 30 °C (86 °F) | 1 dot | Everyday clothes, dark colours, delicates and machine-washable wool. |
| 40 °C (104 °F) | 2 dots | Mixed loads, synthetics, sportswear, everyday underwear. |
| 60 °C (140 °F) | 4 dots | Bed linen, towels, cloths, white cotton, laundry of someone ill: NHS England finds ten minutes at 60 °C removes almost all micro-organisms. |
| 90–95 °C (194–203 °F) | 6 dots | Only white or colourfast cotton and linen that carry the 95 °C symbol. Rarely needed at home. |
Sources
- GINETEX, Care symbols: the fabrics each wash symbol suits, and hand washing at about 20–30 °C.
- Woolmark, Washing instructions explained (a very mild 30 or 40 °C cycle, a third-full drum, drying flat) and Best detergent when washing wool.
- Which?, Change this laundry habit and help cut CO2 pollution (2020): energy use at 40, 30 and 20 °C across six machines.
- NHS England, Uniforms and workwear: guidance for NHS employers (2020): a ten-minute wash at 60 °C removes almost all micro-organisms.
- Cambridge University Hospitals, Dust mites in your home: washing bedding on a 60 °C cycle.
- Abney SE, Ijaz MK, McKinney J, Gerba CP. Laundry hygiene and odor control: state of the science. Applied and Environmental Microbiology 2021;87(14):e03002-20. doi:10.1128/AEM.03002-20
Questions
Is washing at 30 °C clean enough?
For everyday, lightly worn clothes, yes, and it uses less energy: 38% less than 40 °C in Which?'s tests. Tough protein stains such as blood clean less well at 30 °C, so pretreat them, and use 60 °C for towels, bedding and the laundry of anyone who is ill.
What temperature kills germs in laundry?
NHS England's guidance finds that a ten-minute wash at 60 °C removes almost all micro-organisms. A 2021 scientific review of laundry hygiene found temperature to be the most important factor, and that bleach in the detergent becomes more important the cooler the wash.
What temperature kills dust mites in bedding?
NHS hospital allergy leaflets, such as Cambridge University Hospitals', advise washing bedding on a 60 °C cycle. Check the care label first: duvets and pillows that can't take 60 °C may need a launderette's larger machines or a specialist cleaner.
Why did my wool jumper shrink?
Wool felts when warm water and agitation rub its fibres together, and the felting can't be undone. Woolmark describes machine-washable wool on a very mild 30 or 40 °C cycle, with the drum no more than a third full, and drying flat.
Can I wash hotter than the label says?
It's a risk: the label temperature is the maximum the maker has found safe for shrinkage, colour and finishes. If you need more hygiene than the label allows, use a powder with activated oxygen bleach (if the triangle permits it), a longer programme, and thorough drying.