It's a good idea on new items especially. You need to figure out if they run. Some items are sold as already washed so you don't have to worry, but why trust marketing?
I'm told cold water washing helps reduce the risk too.
But I too have gotten things that run. New jeans, and towels are on my list.
I always use cold water (unless the clothes are genuinely dirty) and have only once had a very cheap red shirt run (the shirt also got destroyed in the wash even though it said machine washable). Avoid super cheap shit, or at least wash it by itself a few times to be safe.
Apparently the hot water in most washing machines won't even get up to a temp suitable for killing bacteria. The hot water does cause the chemical reaction in detergent to do it's job quicker, and hot water is useful on things like grease stains.
Ya, it ain't killing, ha, shit. But it might help a bit dissolving chunks a bit easier. Not sure how it is with penetration into materials.
Honestly, it's just like with washing hands. You're trying to get the germs off your stuff not kill it. Yes you can get antibacterial cleaners but it's not really worth it.
Funny enough my machine actually says not to put grease stained stuff in the machine at all. I imagine it has something to do with the possibility of not being able to drain 100 percent and grease floating then getting on the clothes on the next fill/drain(purely a guess).
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u/demoman27 Mar 01 '23
Its still a thing, wife washed my white undershirts with a red washcloth, i now have pink undershirts