Clothes come out of washing machine hot
Laundry should always come out of the washing machine cold – the final rinse cycles use cold water. If clothes are coming out hot or noticeably warm, the most likely cause is that the cold water inlet hose is connected to the hot water tap instead of the cold. This is more common than it sounds and is sometimes not discovered for months or years.
A washing machine rinses with cold water in the final stages of every cycle. Laundry coming out genuinely hot – rather than just slightly warm – is always a sign that something is wrong with the water supply connection.
What Temperature Should Laundry Be Coming Out?
Clothes coming out of the washing machine should feel cold because they have been rinsed multiple times in unheated cold water. The exact temperature varies with the seasons – in winter the cold water supply is colder, so laundry will feel noticeably cold and wetter. In summer, the cold supply is warmer, so laundry may feel closer to room temperature and appear drier, but it should never feel genuinely warm or hot.
Normal: Cold or coolClothes feel cold to the touch after the final spin. In summer they may feel closer to room temperature. This is correct behaviour.
Problem: Warm or hotClothes feel noticeably warm or hot after the cycle. The rinse water has been heated – this should not happen and indicates a connection fault.
Why Clothes Come Out Hot: The Most Common Cause
If laundry is coming out hot, the cold water inlet hose is almost certainly connected to the hot tap rather than the cold. Most modern washing machines are cold fill only – they take in cold water and heat it themselves when needed. If the inlet hose is accidentally plumbed to the hot supply, every fill and rinse uses hot water, including the final cold rinses that are supposed to cool the laundry down.
This fault is more common than it appears. In some cases households use the machine for an extended period without realising the connection is wrong – particularly if the previous plumber or installer made the mistake and no one has checked since. The symptoms are often written off as the machine running hot, rather than being investigated as a plumbing fault.
Rinsing in hot water wastes significant energy, damages certain fabrics and dyes, causes laundry to come out badly creased, and over time can affect the machine’s internal components and seals. It should be corrected as soon as it is identified.
Why It Is Not Always Obvious From Looking at the Hoses
The hose connections may appear correct at first glance – hot tap on the left, cold on the right, matching the colour coding on the hoses. But in some installations the taps themselves are in the wrong position, or the pipes behind the wall are crossed, so the tap labelled cold is actually delivering hot water. The only reliable check is to turn the cold tap on with the machine disconnected and confirm that cold water flows out before reconnecting.
For a full explanation of how to check the connection and all the other possible causes of hot or creased laundry, see our guides on laundry coming out badly creased and misconnected washing machines.
Is the Laundry Just Warm Rather Than Hot?
If the laundry is slightly warm but not hot, this is usually normal and does not indicate a fault. Some warmth after a full wash cycle – particularly at higher temperatures – can persist into the final spin. See our guide on should the washing come out warm or cold? for a clear explanation of what is and is not normal.
Need Help With Installation or a Fault?
If the connection has been corrected but laundry is still coming out hot, there may be an internal fault with the machine’s temperature control system.
Related Guides
Misconnected Washing MachineHow to check whether a washing machine has been connected to the wrong water supply – and how to correct it.
Laundry Coming Out Badly CreasedDetailed guidance on all the causes of creased laundry after washing – including hot water connection faults.
Should the Washing Come Out Warm or Cold?What temperature laundry should be after a cycle – and what is and is not a cause for concern.
How to Connect a Washing Machine ProperlyA complete guide to connecting inlet and drain hoses correctly, including standpipe height requirements.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why are my clothes coming out of the washing machine hot?
The most likely cause is that the cold water inlet hose is connected to the hot tap instead of the cold. Modern washing machines are cold fill only and use cold water for rinsing. If the cold supply is actually hot water, every rinse cycle delivers hot water, and laundry comes out warm or hot rather than cold.
The hoses look correctly connected – how can it still be a plumbing fault?
The taps may be labelled correctly and the hoses colour-coded correctly, but the underlying pipework can still be crossed – meaning the cold tap delivers hot water and vice versa. The only reliable check is to disconnect the cold inlet hose, open the cold tap, and confirm that cold water flows from it before reconnecting.
Is warm laundry always a problem?
Slightly warm laundry after a high-temperature wash cycle is normal – some residual warmth can persist into the final spin. Genuinely hot laundry, or laundry that consistently comes out warm on all programmes, indicates the rinse water is being supplied warm or hot rather than cold. See our guide on whether washing should come out warm or cold for more detail.
What damage can rinsing in hot water cause?
Hot rinse water wastes significant energy, damages heat-sensitive fabrics and colour dyes, causes laundry to come out badly creased, and can over time affect internal rubber seals, hoses, and other components not designed to handle continuously hot water. It should be corrected promptly.
21 Comments
Grouped into 14 comment threads.
1 reply I have a Maytag MHW6630 front load washing machine, my clothes are also warm and somewhat steamy when the washer is finished. Could the motor that powers the spin cycle create enough heat to cause the clothes to warm up inside the drum?? I did not have this issue with my top load washer. I think because the drum is sealed and the spin cycle is so intense the heat from the motor might be causing the warm clothes.
1 reply It’s hooked up correctly and it’s not been doing until recently. I turned the hot water valve off and it’s still steamy
It’s hooked up correctly and it’s not been doing until recently. I turned the hot water valve off and it’s still steamy
Hello Sandy. If the washing is coming out hot, and it is definitely not connected to the hot water supply, then the only other explanation I can think of is that it is not doing any rinses, and is maybe aborting the wash cycle. If a washing machine carries out the wash cycle, then pumps out the hot water, and then commences with at least three or four rinses in cold water, it’s impossible for the clothes to be hot at the end.
Some people have wondered whether there could be a fault causing the heating element to be energised during the rinses. I’ve never seen that, and to be honest even if it did happen, rinses don’t last anywhere near long enough for the heating element to heat up the rinse water.
Another theoretical, though unlikely possibility is, it could be going into a drying cycle after finishing the spin.
1 reply Hi, my clothes had been coming out warm for the last week or so and the cycles appeared to be taking a lot longer than they had previously. It appears that our Indesit IWDD7123 moves on to a drying cycle even though it has neither been programmed to nor has the drying timer been set for any period. This was confirmed when I stopped the cycle part the way through and took out the clothes which were too hot to hold but after they had been rinsed. The cycle timer 'hour' number is faulty (shows a 3 instead of a 1) so not sure if this is linked.
Hi, my clothes had been coming out warm for the last week or so and the cycles appeared to be taking a lot longer than they had previously. It appears that our Indesit IWDD7123 moves on to a drying cycle even though it has neither been programmed to nor has the drying timer been set for any period. This was confirmed when I stopped the cycle part the way through and took out the clothes which were too hot to hold but after they had been rinsed. The cycle timer ‘hour’ number is faulty (shows a 3 instead of a 1) so not sure if this is linked.
1 reply Hi my washing machine is brand new I noticed that it would not take the softener away so I turned the water pressure up that’s works fine but my washing is coming out hot and it only happens on the 59 minute wash and it’s only connected to cold water it’s a candy machine
Hi my washing machine is brand new I noticed that it would not take the softener away so I turned the water pressure up that’s works fine but my washing is coming out hot and it only happens on the 59 minute wash and it’s only connected to cold water it’s a candy machine
Likely replying to Sharon lightfoot
Hello Sharon. I can’t honestly think of any possible cause for washing to come out hot other than it is rinsing in hot water. How positive are you that it is connected to the cold water supply? Even if it is connected to a tap that has a blue marker on it is still possible that the tap has been erroneously marked as cold. Unless you are hundred percent sure it is cold water I would disconnect the hose from the washing machine and run it into a bucket for at least 30 seconds to make sure it is actually cold water. Alternatively an easier method would be to put it on the rinses and after it has started filling up for 1 of the rinses carefully opened the drawer and check the temperature of the water.
Failing that the only other explanation is that it is aborting the cycle before it gets to the rinses and that would be why the laundry is hot because it has not been rinsed. All of these explanations are covered in detail in this article laundry comes out of washing machine badly creased
1 reply H,i my clothes came out of the washing machine really hot, I know it's connected to the cold water not the hot because it's been that way for a year and hadn't been touched, not had this happen before. I wasn't timing it, but it seemed like the washing machine was going much longer than usual. Could there be something other than the water causing this?
H,i my clothes came out of the washing machine really hot, I know it’s connected to the cold water not the hot because it’s been that way for a year and hadn’t been touched, not had this happen before. I wasn’t timing it, but it seemed like the washing machine was going much longer than usual. Could there be something other than the water causing this?
Likely replying to Kate
Hello Kate. Is is the washing machine taking significantly longer to complete the wash cycle? If the clothes are coming out hot but they are definitely rinsing in cold water then the only possible explanations are if the cold water on the last rinse cycle is being heated up, or possibly the original hot water from the wash cycle is never been properly pumped away.
Check the pump filter, and check that water is being pumped out properly. Put the machine on a rinse and spin cycle with no laundry inside and observe it when it starts to drain out the water. Can you hear the water being pumped away? Can you see that the water level drops down in the drum fairly quickly? Another symptom of this possible issue is if the laundry is coming out a little soapy as well as warm indicating that it isn’t rinsing the wash cycle water away.
If by any chance the heating element was being turned on during the last rinse then that could potentially account for water being hot. But the rinse cycles are pretty short so it shouldn’t really be possible for the last rinse water to get heated up in the several minutes that it is rinsing.
1 reply Can it not be because the thermostat of the machine machine which sets the temperature of water is not working..!!???
Can it not be because the thermostat of the machine machine which sets the temperature of water is not working..!!???
Likely replying to Truk
Hi Truk, if the wash thermostat was faulty and allowing laundry to get too hot, the software should abort the wash cycle and produce an error code. They normally also take in lots of cold water to cool things down if they detect it has overheated. An old washing machine with old fashioned mechanical timer though would not abort and would instead just overheat. However, it would be obvious the washing machine has overheated because it would stick for ever on the wash cycle and not move on to rinses.
1 reply My washing machine is connected o the cold water valv and sill comes out hot can you nswering me please
My washing machine is connected o the cold water valv and sill comes out hot can you nswering me please
Likely replying to Linda
Hello Linda. If it is definitely connected to the cold water then it should be impossible for clothes to come out hot. Have you doublechecked that it is rinsing in cold water regardless of whether the pipe is blue, or the tap is blue you have to ensure that the water coming through is actually cold water and doesn’t run hot. If it is definitely only cold water coming through I can’t imagine how the washing machine would work perfectly okay but managed to heat up the water on rinses to be hot. It takes too long to get the water hot and rinses only last several minutes.
Check my follow-up article which describes how plumbing connection faults can cause a washing machine to be rinsing with hot water laundry comes out of washing machine badly creased However if your washing machine has been connected to the plumbing for a long time and this is a completely new problem, and the washing machine is not been disconnected than presumably it is connected properly but that just leaves a mystery as to how the washing machine could be heating up the rinse water when there isn’t enough time for it to happen plus there are built-in safeguards to prevent it from happening.
0 replies Hello T. If clothes are coming out hot, it can only be because they are rinsing hot water, or they are aborting the rinse cycle after the end of the wash. The latter would result in laundry that hadn't been rinsed though, and I would have thought that would be blatantly obvious. The most likely cause is that the pipes were incorrectly connected up, or "correctly"connected up but because the previous parts had the wrong colour tap fitted were actually supplying hot water instead of cold. This would have been fixed either intentionally or just as a consequence when the pipes were replaced. Having said all that, the cold water supply being hot instead of cold could not account for a washing machine skipping the final spin cycle. So it may remain a mystery. Hopefully everything will work well from now on. Yes, it doesn't matter how hot wash cycle you put a washing machine on, the washing machine always finishes with three or four rinses in stone-cold water. And so laundry should always be cold when they have finished. If they are hot, there is something wrong (Should clothes come out of washing machine hot or cold?
Hello T. If clothes are coming out hot, it can only be because they are rinsing hot water, or they are aborting the rinse cycle after the end of the wash. The latter would result in laundry that hadn’t been rinsed though, and I would have thought that would be blatantly obvious. The most likely cause is that the pipes were incorrectly connected up, or “correctly”connected up but because the previous parts had the wrong colour tap fitted were actually supplying hot water instead of cold. This would have been fixed either intentionally or just as a consequence when the pipes were replaced.
Having said all that, the cold water supply being hot instead of cold could not account for a washing machine skipping the final spin cycle. So it may remain a mystery. Hopefully everything will work well from now on. Yes, it doesn’t matter how hot wash cycle you put a washing machine on, the washing machine always finishes with three or four rinses in stone-cold water. And so laundry should always be cold when they have finished. If they are hot, there is something wrong (Should clothes come out of washing machine hot or cold?
0 replies my clothes have been coming out hot for a year now when i wash them on the hot setting, the machine would also never finish the rinse cycle and would stop right before final spin, they just today replaced all the pipes in my building, now the clothes at the end of the cycle is cold and the machine does not skip the final spin cycle anymore. im confused since i just moved into this place a year ago. is it supposed to be cold at the end even tho i selected the hot wash? as for the pipes they were not switched or anything just replaced.
my clothes have been coming out hot for a year now when i wash them on the hot setting, the machine would also never finish the rinse cycle and would stop right before final spin, they just today replaced all the pipes in my building, now the clothes at the end of the cycle is cold and the machine does not skip the final spin cycle anymore. im confused since i just moved into this place a year ago. is it supposed to be cold at the end even tho i selected the hot wash? as for the pipes they were not switched or anything just replaced.
0 replies No. It's connected to the hot water supply instead of cold water. There should be another tap next to it. If not that's quite bizarre - maybe a dishwasher (some of which can be connected to hot water) was previously plumbed in there.
No. It’s connected to the hot water supply instead of cold water. There should be another tap next to it. If not that’s quite bizarre – maybe a dishwasher (some of which can be connected to hot water) was previously plumbed in there.
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0 replies Just had a beko washer connected.The pipe that goes into washer is very hot and the clothes are hot is this correct.
Just had a beko washer connected.The pipe that goes into washer is very hot and the clothes are hot is this correct.
0 replies Not sure if Samsung top loaders are sold in UK. But here in NZ the top loader uses whatever temp is set for wash on the rinse cycle as well. Basically this is just sloppy programming by the manufacturer. So yes you can get a machine that rinses with warm or hot water and your clothes come out warm at end of wash.
Not sure if Samsung top loaders are sold in UK. But here in NZ the top loader uses whatever temp is set for wash on the rinse cycle as well. Basically this is just sloppy programming by the manufacturer. So yes you can get a machine that rinses with warm or hot water and your clothes come out warm at end of wash.
0 replies When you say you could hear it "buzzing away as if heating the water" I'm presuming you meant you could hear the sound of water heating up like when a kettle is heating up? If so then the heater should definitely not be on during that point but I can't think of any easy thing to check with a fault like that. It needs an engineer.
When you say you could hear it “buzzing away as if heating the water” I’m presuming you meant you could hear the sound of water heating up like when a kettle is heating up? If so then the heater should definitely not be on during that point but I can’t think of any easy thing to check with a fault like that. It needs an engineer.
0 replies My washing also appears to be coming out warm, sometimes! I have done many loads of washing today after our holidays and the washing is coming out warm after washing on cycles of 30C and 40C. This problem began a while a go and has been intermittent so I have been monitoring it. It hasn't happened for quite a while so I had completely forgotten about it until today. The machine is a Bosch Exxcel WAE 32464 and is 8 1/2 years old. It doesn't appear to happen on the cottons cycle (towels etc at 60C). Going back to when I first noticed this, I remember it was on a rinse hold cycle and I could hear the machine buzzing away as if it was heating the water. This is a cold fill only machine and my husband actually blanked off the hot water inlet that supplied our old machine so no errors there. It has worked perfectly up until recently. Have you any more thoughts on this?
My washing also appears to be coming out warm, sometimes! I have done many loads of washing today after our holidays and the washing is coming out warm after washing on cycles of 30C and 40C. This problem began a while a go and has been intermittent so I have been monitoring it. It hasn’t happened for quite a while so I had completely forgotten about it until today. The machine is a Bosch Exxcel WAE 32464 and is 8 1/2 years old. It doesn’t appear to happen on the cottons cycle (towels etc at 60C). Going back to when I first noticed this, I remember it was on a rinse hold cycle and I could hear the machine buzzing away as if it was heating the water.
This is a cold fill only machine and my husband actually blanked off the hot water inlet that supplied our old machine so no errors there. It has worked perfectly up until recently.
Have you any more thoughts on this?
I have a Maytag MHW6630 front load washing machine, my clothes are also warm and somewhat steamy when the washer is finished. Could the motor that powers the spin cycle create enough heat to cause the clothes to warm up inside the drum?? I did not have this issue with my top load washer. I think because the drum is sealed and the spin cycle is so intense the heat from the motor might be causing the warm clothes.
Hi Jon. I think this article is more relevant to your situation https://www.whitegoodshelp.co.uk/laundry-hot-steamy/