Best washing machine temperature that cleans and keeps bills low

A health expert has revealed the optimal temperature for washing your clothes and keeping bills low. Dr Xand van Tulleken, a doctor and presenter, shared the advice during a previous appearance on Morning Live.

In the segment, he explained that some people could be washing their clothes at the wrong temperature. Dr Xand went on to reveal which temperatures he uses at home, plus the reasoning behind his choices. The doctor also explained that some homeowners could be wasting money with their settings.

Dr Xand told viewers: “The hottest your washing machine will go is 90°C usually, and that will kill everything. It’s almost boiling. It’s bad for the clothes. It’s very expensive. Whatever’s happened to those clothes, I bet you’ve got to get new clothes at that point.”

He continued: “60°C, certain bugs will be killed, and that can be quite good. So if you’ve got an infection going around your house, particularly if you think of something like Norovirus, put it up at 60°C, along with the mechanical cleaning, and the detergent. That’s quite good.”

However, the doctor doesn’t use the next setting. “Personally, I don’t see the point in 40°C because it’s too hot to be cheap and it’s too cold to kill anything,” the health expert explained. “Commit to one or the other, or either go hot or go cold.”

Instead, he recommends 30°C, reasoning that it “gets the job done” and “it is much cheaper.” Dr Xand said: “Going from 40°C to 30°C saves you almost 40% in energy costs. It’s quicker. Make sure you get a lower-temperature detergent.

“I’ve got to say, I’m a 20°C guy for everything except my workout clothes, which go in hotter. 20°C saves 62% of your money compared to 40°C. So that is a big deal. But at the lower temperatures, you’ve got to think about cleaning your machine.”

Explaining how he tackles the problem, the doctor added: “The tray that you pull out, the detergent tray, where all the mould grows, that can be a real nuisance to clean. I put it in the dishwasher.

“Then mechanical cleaning of the drum, just a cloth, some vinegar, wiping is really good. And if your machine has a cleaning cycle, which runs it at a high temperature, do that according to the manufacturer’s instructions, and then air it out.”

The post proved popular on social media, gaining over 40k likes. In response, commenters shared varying responses, revealing people were using a wide range of settings.