Should the washing come out warm or cold?
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 15 comment threads.
1 reply I have noticed the glass on my washing machine is now always cold even on a really hot wash. Does that mean the thermostat has packed in?
1 reply Hello, I have an old Zanussi washing machine which washes fine up to 50 degrees. But when washing on 60 degrees for cotton, the door gets too hot to touch. I'm afraid that it might burst the glass. It never used to do this. Please tell me what has gone wrong because I like to wash towels on a higher temperature. Thanks in anticipation of your reply.
Hello,
I have an old Zanussi washing machine which washes fine up to 50 degrees. But when washing on 60 degrees for cotton, the door gets too hot to touch. I’m afraid that it might burst the glass. It never used to do this. Please tell me what has gone wrong because I like to wash towels on a higher temperature. Thanks in anticipation of your reply.
Likely replying to Mona
Hello Mona. If it is overheating it’s likely to be with a temperature sensor or the main PCB. It’s unusual for temperatures to go wrong only on one cycle though. If the system controlling the water temperature develops a fault it would normally affect all programs. Unfortunately this fault is not something that you can fix without getting out an engineer, which unfortunately means it’s likely to be at least a £100 these days unless you are lucky enough to have a local engineer available. There aren’t many left these days.
1 reply I'm putting on a very hot wash at 95 degrees on clothes and they are coming out cold even if I set it to not spin them at the end. I opened the soap dispenser drawer partway throygh wash and it is using cold water and also the washing machine door which has glass is cold whilst its washing. Not sure what the issue is any advice please? But seems like the washes are all on cold water.
I’m putting on a very hot wash at 95 degrees on clothes and they are coming out cold even if I set it to not spin them at the end. I opened the soap dispenser drawer partway throygh wash and it is using cold water and also the washing machine door which has glass is cold whilst its washing. Not sure what the issue is any advice please? But seems like the washes are all on cold water.
Likely replying to Naz
Hello Naz. Most washing machines only use cold water now and heat it up so the water going into the machine should be cold unless you know yours is a hot and cold fill washing machine. if it is, even then it will only take in hot water right at the beginning of a wash – and only then on the really hot wash cycles. After the wash cycle it should do several rinses in cold water so even on a 95 degree wash cycle the laundry should come out cold.
If your washing machine isn’t heating the water up it should abort the cycle with an error code. If it seems to be running normally and taking the same amount of time it usually does and the laundry is clean that would imply everything is working ok. However, I have an article here specifically for anyone who suspects their washing machine isn’t heating the water
1 reply Wow, this has saved me so much time and probably money, thank you for taking the time to write it. Our washing always used to come out warm (since the machine was fitted brand new). Never thought anything of it, just thought it was normal. Recently had our bathroom completely stripped out pipes and all, and new bathroom fitted. Our machine has always been connected to bathroom pipes. Since then our clothes have always come out cold, and I thought when the plumbers refitted everything they must have changed something because it was fine before then. I mentioned it to them and they said the machine heats the water so it wouldn’t be the connection. I thought the machine had developed a fault because even though it’s working fine the clothes have never come out stone cold before! Well this article explains everything! Our hot and cold water taps were always the wrong way round to what they were supposed to be and they got changed to the correct way during the new fitting. So I guess the machine has always been fitted to the hot water pipe rather than cold, so it was wrong before and now it’s correct! Thank you, makes sense and puts my mind at ease!
Wow, this has saved me so much time and probably money, thank you for taking the time to write it.
Our washing always used to come out warm (since the machine was fitted brand new). Never thought anything of it, just thought it was normal. Recently had our bathroom completely stripped out pipes and all, and new bathroom fitted. Our machine has always been connected to bathroom pipes. Since then our clothes have always come out cold, and I thought when the plumbers refitted everything they must have changed something because it was fine before then. I mentioned it to them and they said the machine heats the water so it wouldn’t be the connection. I thought the machine had developed a fault because even though it’s working fine the clothes have never come out stone cold before!
Well this article explains everything! Our hot and cold water taps were always the wrong way round to what they were supposed to be and they got changed to the correct way during the new fitting. So I guess the machine has always been fitted to the hot water pipe rather than cold, so it was wrong before and now it’s correct!
Thank you, makes sense and puts my mind at ease!
1 reply I have checked that the water is cold tap by disconnecting my hose from washing machine and switching the valve on so my machineust be heating my water for rinses as my washing is hot !
I have checked that the water is cold tap by disconnecting my hose from washing machine and switching the valve on so my machineust be heating my water for rinses as my washing is hot !
1 reply No matter which setting I use, my machine rinses hot. I have to use hot water wash to get cold, but none of the rinse cycles are cold. Very frustrating. I have tried turning off each blue and red faucet, but this leaves no water coming out for the rinse. Help
No matter which setting I use, my machine rinses hot. I have to use hot water wash to get cold, but none of the rinse cycles are cold. Very frustrating. I have tried turning off each blue and red faucet, but this leaves no water coming out for the rinse. Help
0 replies My washer is connected to the cold tap has been for years but tonight it stoped working would not since so I cleaned the filter and now after putting in on a rinse and spin it has came out very hot and steamy
My washer is connected to the cold tap has been for years but tonight it stoped working would not since so I cleaned the filter and now after putting in on a rinse and spin it has came out very hot and steamy
0 replies Thank you so much for the advice. Our hot/cold taps were the wrong colours so our machine was rinsing with hot water. We have just moved house so it's a good job I realised there was something wrong when I did as it would be costing a fortune to run. As well as the washing coming out hot it was also smelly (a little bit like biscuits??) Hopefully swapping the pipe to cold has sorted the problems with the smell too, I think the hot rinse was washing all the softener away. Thanks again, Lisa
Thank you so much for the advice. Our hot/cold taps were the wrong colours so our machine was rinsing with hot water. We have just moved house so it’s a good job I realised there was something wrong when I did as it would be costing a fortune to run. As well as the washing coming out hot it was also smelly (a little bit like biscuits??) Hopefully swapping the pipe to cold has sorted the problems with the smell too, I think the hot rinse was washing all the softener away. Thanks again, Lisa
0 replies Yes Barbara, the hoses or taps can be on the wrong way round so that someone connecting them up "correctly" can unwittingly connect them up wrong.
Yes Barbara, the hoses or taps can be on the wrong way round so that someone connecting them up “correctly” can unwittingly connect them up wrong.
0 replies Hi there..we just a snazzy new zanussi washing machine which my husband installed..but clothes are coming out steaming hot so would I be right in thinking he connected hot tap to machine rather than cold tap? He says it was the 'blue' tap but it sounds like the taps were incorrectly tagged... Thank you!
Hi there..we just a snazzy new zanussi washing machine which my husband installed..but clothes are coming out steaming hot so would I be right in thinking he connected hot tap to machine rather than cold tap? He says it was the ‘blue’ tap but it sounds like the taps were incorrectly tagged… Thank you!
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0 replies kezza. There is cold water washing in the US and other countries but it's not taken off in the UK. A broken heating element shouldn't cause washing to come out cold though as washing should always come out cold if rinsing in cold water.
kezza. There is cold water washing in the US and other countries but it’s not taken off in the UK. A broken heating element shouldn’t cause washing to come out cold though as washing should always come out cold if rinsing in cold water.
0 replies I notice poor washing results recently and what alerted me initially was that the washing felt particularly cold when getting it out. Turns out the heating element has bust and this is the reason. Waiting for a new part to arrive and looking forward to cleaner clothes soon. Whilst doing my research it seems in other countries there is a washing product where the enzymes work in cold water. I wonder if we have a product here so I can get better results before the repair man turns up (also it must be environmentally friendly!) I cannot see anything on the supermarket shelves
I notice poor washing results recently and what alerted me initially was that the washing felt particularly cold when getting it out. Turns out the heating element has bust and this is the reason. Waiting for a new part to arrive and looking forward to cleaner clothes soon.
Whilst doing my research it seems in other countries there is a washing product where the enzymes work in cold water. I wonder if we have a product here so I can get better results before the repair man turns up (also it must be environmentally friendly!) I cannot see anything on the supermarket shelves
0 replies Thanks for your comments. It's encouraging to see an article directly helping people.
Thanks for your comments. It’s encouraging to see an article directly helping people.
0 replies Excellent answer! Makes sense if you think about it, but I didn't know the final rinse is with cold water. No wonder my stuff is coming out cold, as it's about -8 degrees outside...
Excellent answer! Makes sense if you think about it, but I didn’t know the final rinse is with cold water. No wonder my stuff is coming out cold, as it’s about -8 degrees outside…
0 replies I recently noticed that my washing was freezing cold when the cycle had finished. I was concerned that the heating element my not have been working. After reading your answer above it has put my mind to rest and saved my pocket an unnecessary denting. (Checked temp mid cycle everything fine) Many thanks Excellent site by the way added to favourites and will def be passing on to friends.
I recently noticed that my washing was freezing cold when the cycle had finished. I was concerned that the heating element my not have been working. After reading your answer above it has put my mind to rest and saved my pocket an unnecessary denting. (Checked temp mid cycle everything fine) Many thanks Excellent site by the way added to favourites and will def be passing on to friends.
I have noticed the glass on my washing machine is now always cold even on a really hot wash. Does that mean the thermostat has packed in?
If thermostat fails it should cause an error code and the wash cycle would abort unless it’s a very old washing machine indeed. If it completes the cycle in the time expected and laundry is clean it is presumably working ok. However there could be a weird fault that doesn’t trigger an error code but if only worry if it isn’t cleaning the laundry.