Cold Facts - Cold Water Saves

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Cold Hard Facts

Let’s break it down:

Think hot water washing gets your clothes the cleanest? Think again. With today’s technology, innovation and detergents, you can get the best cleaning performance in cold water.

Here’s an important tip: washing garments stained with things like grass, makeup and blood in hot can make the stains permanent, ruining your clothes and your day.

Source: sheknows.com – Here’s How To Get 13 Stains Out Of All Of Your Clothes

Did you know about 90% of the energy used by washing machines during laundry goes towards heating the water?

Source: Energystar.gov

Cold water can be used to wash anything, but there are some items that should always be washed in cold water, like …

Wool

Silk

Satin

Hand-dyed Fabrics

Source: ScienceABC

Did you know that doing laundry in cold water for one year could conserve enough energy to drive a car up to 421 miles?

It can!

Source: Tomorrow’s World Today – Can All Laundry Be Washed With Cold Water?

Did you know washing in cold water can help slow the fading of colors and reduce shrinking in fabrics? It’s a fact. Testing shows that warm water or hot water actually accelerates fading in darker colors.

Source: Better Homes and Gardens – Is It Best to Wash Clothes on Cold? Here’s What Experts Say

Curious how much CO² emissions you could eliminate in one year by washing and rinsing your laundry in cold water vs. washing and rinsing in warm?

100 loads = 500 pounds of reduced CO² emissions. That’s the equivalent of charging 27,586 smartphones for one day.

200 loads = 1,000 pounds of reduced CO² emissions. That’s the equivalent of burning 502 pounds of coal.

300 loads = 1,500 pounds of reduced CO² emissions. That’s the equivalent of the amount of CO² emitted by driving the average gasoline powered car 1,689 miles.

Source: Based on energy savings of 3.2 kWh savings per load when switching from warm wash/warm rinse to to cold wash/cold rinse.

Cold water washing uses about one-tenth of the energy needed to wash in hot.

Source: Harvard University Office for Sustainability

Think big! Turn 3 out of 4 loads of laundry to cold water by 2030, and the resulting reduction in greenhouse gas emissions over the next decade would keep 27 million metric tons of carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere.

That’s the equivalent of the CO² emissions generated by powering both New York and San Francisco for an entire year.

Source: TRIPLE PUNDIT – This Campaign Aims To Fight Climate Change With Cold Water Washing

Since about 90% of the energy consumed by a washing machine goes into heating the water, one household can eliminate up to 1,600 pounds of annual carbon dioxide emissions by washing in cold.

Source: The Sierra Club – Sierra Magazine, September/October 2022

Want To Take An Even Deeper Dive Into Cold Water Washing?

Take a look at our 2016 Report/Technical Brief that examines the challenges and opportunities related to doing your laundry in cooler water.

Let’s break it down:

Save Energy + Protect Your Clothes + Preserve Our Planet