- 41% of Survey Respondents Wash Their Clothes in Hot Water Instead of Cold Despite it Costing an Extra $200 Each Year
April 15 is not just Tax Day, but it’s also National Laundry Day. It is the perfect opportunity to reflect on our laundry habits, especially since 80% of Americans prefer cleaning to doing their taxes, according to the American Cleaning Institute.
Why is laundry important? In our latest survey conducted by Wakefield Research - 47% of respondents reported prioritizing doing laundry as a way to stay healthy. One way laundry promotes better health is by reducing allergens, dust mites, and bacteria that accumulate on clothing and linens. However, there seems to be a perception that removing these germs and allergens requires hot water.
A surprising 41% of survey respondents reported washing their clothes in hot water most of the time. This percentage has been trending upward over the last four years and highlights the need for increased awareness of the advantages of cold water washing. While warmer water temperatures may be warranted if someone in the home is sick or immunocompromised, for most healthy households laundry this is not necessary, as shown in ACI’s Levels of Laundry.
Cold water washing also helps preserve the quality and longevity of clothes. It can prevent them from fading or shrinking and is best at removing a variety of stains and preventing them from setting. In addition, the average home will save approximately $200 a year on electricity bills by washing in cold instead of hot water, making it a win-win for both wallet and wardrobe.
“Every small action counts in keeping the earth healthy and reducing our carbon footprint,” said Nathan Sell, Senior Director, Sustainability, ACI. “By adopting cold water washing, we can collectively make a positive impact on the environment as well as our clothes.”
For more information on the impact of washing clothes in cold water, visit ColdWaterSaves.org.
About the Survey
The ACI Spring Cleaning Survey was conducted by Wakefield Research (www.wakefieldresearch.com) among 1,000 nationally representative U.S. adults ages 18+, between February 10th and February 18th, 2025, using an email invitation and an online survey. The data has been weighted to ensure an accurate representation of nationally representative U.S. adults ages 18+.
Results of any sample are subject to sampling variation. The magnitude of the variation is measurable and is affected by the number of interviews and the level of the percentages expressing the results. For the interviews conducted in this particular study, the chances are 95 in 100 that a survey result does not vary, plus or minus, by more than 3.1 percentage points from the result that would be obtained if interviews had been conducted with all persons in the universe represented by the sample.
American Cleaning Institute
The American Cleaning Institute® (ACI – www.cleaninginstitute.org) is the Home of the U.S. Cleaning Products Industry® and represents the $60 billion U.S. cleaning product supply chain. ACI members include the manufacturers and formulators of soaps, detergents, and general cleaning products used in household, commercial, industrial and institutional settings; companies that supply ingredients and finished packaging for these products; and chemical distributors. ACI serves the growth and innovation of the U.S. cleaning products industry by advancing the health and quality of life of people and protecting our planet. ACI achieves this through a continuous commitment to sound science and being a credible voice for the cleaning products industry.