What Water Cleans Better, Hot or Cold?
It’s a question that is very prevalent in these difficult times! Everyone wants to know what the right temperature of water is to effectively and safely clean your home.
Well, the fact is that using room temperature water when cleaning virtually anything in your home is a easy thing to stick to in the sense that it will work and not cause damage; however, changing the water temperature can make it 8x more effective or damaging. Therefore, knowing the appropriate temperature of water to use and when to use it is essential for your home cleaning!
Before we get to suitable temperature of water to use against each cleaning task for better results, let’s discuss how it works.
If you’ve ever heard people talk about agitated water molecules and the benefits of using hot water for cleaning, the science behind this is that warmer temperatures of water cause molecules to move quickly which, when introduced to detergents, make the cleaner more aggressive. When diluting bleach, on the other hand, the use of cold water is advised because, unlike hot water, it does not affect its active ingredient and cause it to become less effective.
Hot or Cold Water?
- Doing the Dishes
Whether you’re washing dishes by hand or using a dishwasher: heat causes oil to expand and loosens its grip on dishes. Therefore, any greasy substance can be effectively cleaned off using a water temperature of 35C or as hot as your hands can handle.
Ideally, the most effective and effortless way to clean dishes by hand is by soaking them in hot soapy water to allow the heat and detergent to fight grease and bacteria before scrubbing. For this, the water temperature can be much higher than 35C. By the end of the soak, all you will need to do is lightly wash the pots and pans before rinsing them.
With or without soaking, the bottom line is that dishwashing with hot water is more effective in cleaning and killing germs.
- Cleaning those Kitchen Worktops
If you look at the contents on a bottle of kitchen surface cleaners, you will see that they are often chemical-based. Using hot water can deactivate certain compounds and therefore, make the products less aggressive in removing dirt. For this reason, cold or room temperature water is advised when diluting the cleaning product to clean kitchen worktops.
On the other hand, homemade kitchen cleaners that contain natural ingredients such as vinegar, baking soda, and lemon should be used differently than chemical cleaning products. Although heat doesn’t really affect the cleaning power of each individual ingredient, the fast-moving water molecules in hot water aid in enhancing the overall aggression of the solution.
- How about your Flooring
Non-carpeted floors are typically vacuumed/swept and mopped with a floor cleaner diluted in either cold or hot water. For most floor types heat does not damage the surface while working on the same principles as mentioned above (with regard to agitating molecules). A heated cleaning solution is suitable for a wide variety of floor types including tile, natural stone, vinyl, and laminate.
When dealing with wooden floors, on the other hand, you need to stay clear of hot water at all costs! This is because heat warps timber and once that happens, there is no going back. So stick to room temperature water.
So, the next time you’re wondering if hot or cold water is more effective in cleaning a particular surface or item in your home, come back to this article to refresh your memory and get the job done in a thorough manner!
If you would rather leave your home cleaning to the professionals, please get in touch with your local Haus Maids Office.
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