Low temperature washing - save money, save electricity , help the environment

A major route for domestic energy / electricity reduction is to lower the temperature at which wshing machines operate. The major Danish energy group DONG ( a recent name change from Københavns Energi ) claim consumption can be cut by 60% or approximately 10p per wash (DKK 1 EUR 0.13 cents or USD 0.20 cents) and they are active in promoting Care Koldtvandsvask .

Typically wash temperatures used in Europe are 60°C (140°F) with some machines offering a "low temperature" wash at 40°C (104°F).

Danlind is a Danish detergent producer based in Holstebro, where its main products are private-label detergents for laundry and dishwashing.

Danlind produces about 30,000 tons of detergent a year, mainly for export. This makes it a small player in the European detergent market. Over the last two years they have developed a new product which they say will make a major difference to the market and the way we all do our washing... and cut fuel bills.

Development started in when R&D / Lab Chief Henrik Jørgensen went to a 2002 confer­ence on detergents. A representative from the swish chemical company Ciba gave atalk about one of its mild bleach catalysts suitable for low temperatures. By 2005 he was testing using Ciba’s ActinOx,® which he was testing with Danish enzyme manufacturer, Novozyme's Stainzyme,® a new detergent amylase for low temperatures. That year Novozymes also launched a low-temperature protease called Polarzyme.®

A low temperature detergent needs 4 components to work, bleach, enzymes and surfactants - as well as a builder - they had to find one that worked at suitable temperatures and this was supplied by German company Bayer, so Lind had a unique system. There was a bonus, too, because this system was less aggressive than normal builders and the enzymatic perform­ance improved.

Lind's final product which they call Care Coldwash contains four different en­zymes from Novozymes: Stainzyme 12 T, Polarzyme 12 T, Lipex® 100 T, and Celluzyme® 0.7 T. They represent 3% by weight, twice that of typical care detergents.

Finally Lind looked for a surfactant at the Japanese who tyraditionally use cold washes - finally they chose a unique and confidential blend of three surfactants , both anionic and non-ionic.

The US domestic mite Dermatophagoides farinae (in Europe D. pteronyssinus) which lives on human skin flakes is remarkably resistant to washing and 40 and 60% of the mites can resist washing, rinsing, spinning and drying. Control by low temperature washing is possible with a mite control additive provided that a concentration of benzyl benzoate ( a commonly used ectoparasiticide) of about 0.03% is achieved in the washing suds. It is assumed this is also a component and it must be identified under EU detergent regulations that cam into effect on October 8th 2005 see guide (pdf alert) from the International Association for Soaps, Detergents and Maintenance Products.

Note if you look at your detergent ingredients benzyl benzoate is usually disguised as benzoic acid benzyl ester, benzoic acid phenylmethyl ester or in Persil non-bio as benzisothiazolinone.

Wash results

Research by Lind was funded both by Dong but also the Danish Technical Institute which incorporated the National Consumer Agency's test laboratory.

To calculate the benefits they discovered the average Danish family generated 600Kg of textiles for washing done in 270 wash loads 5 per week.

Changing 60°C (140°F) and 40°C (104°F) washes to 30°C (86°F) and 20°C (68°F) washes respectively gives an annual electricity consumption of 130 kWh with a saving of 95 kWh.



In Denmark, a 900 g pack of Care Coldwash retails at around DKK 28 (about EUR 3.76 or USD 5.05 £2.50 ) and is enough for 12 washes. If a consumer can save around DKK 1 per wash in electricity, the savings amount to DKK 12 (about EUR 1.61 or USD 2.16 £1.10 ) per pack. ( and it saves på 120 kg. CO2 pr år if you believe all that bollocks)

Dansk Supermarked A/S sell it under their own label and they own the discount superstore Netto with the irritating TV advertising who have 106 stores in the UK .

Herman Salling is the CEO of Dansk Supermarked founded in 1902 by his dad Fernand - this is what he says about action in busines -

"... life has taught me always to set deadlines for decisions.
Otherwise the discussions can go on for years. They lead nowhere.
But if a deadline is set, something will happen"

Herman Salling he also said about decisions:

"Once a decision has been made, it must be implemented quickly"