• FishFace@piefed.socialEnglish
    251·
    12 hours ago

    Because “kochen” isn’t a good translation for the english word “to cook” - at least not in all scenarios. When used with an object (etwas kochen, like Wäsche) it means more like “to boil” or “to brew”. So you “kocht Kaffee” (but one never “cooks coffee”). And it certainly is not true that you “ein Steak kocht”! So there’s an overlap in meaning but it’s not the exact same thing.

    This makes kochen a partial false-friend!

      • FishFace@piefed.socialEnglish
        3·
        7 hours ago

        I’d call the mode on the machine “boiling wash” or “hot wash” (which is probably 60 degrees rather than 90). But from other comments I’m understanding that Germans separate laundry into “Kochwäsche” and some other part(s), and there is no general term for that because it’s not common.

  • CandleTiger@programming.dev
    66·
    13 hours ago

    We don’t boil our clothes.

    Like, what the shit? That’s just you. Your underwear is not going to last very long if you treat it that way.

    Germans are weird about laundry.

    • macniel@feddit.org
      181·
      13 hours ago

      You only boil white cotton underwear that can resist those high temperatures (90°c to 95°c) but germs and other shit can’t. Its the most hygenic way to clean those articles (which includes bed sheets and blankets.)

      • CandleTiger@programming.dev
        83·
        13 hours ago

        Boiling it must kill the elastic on the white cotton underwear in fewer washes

        And the elastic on the fitted sheets.

        And… sometimes I like to wear underwear with blue penguins on it…

        Granted it’s hygienic but the rest of the world appears to find regular soap and warm water to be sufficiently hygienic without boiling.

        I’m not saying Germans are wrong I’m only saying Germans are exceedingly more German than other people are.

        • zout@fedia.io
          61·
          12 hours ago

          You should read your comments back, because they definitely read more 'murican than other people are.

        • Zier@fedia.io
          2·
          11 hours ago

          Modern elastic is much more durable than you think. Except items that are marked as gentle wash. Quite a lot of my textiles get washed in hot, and they are cotton, very durable. I have a ton of dark/black clothing that gets washed in hot, never fades or runs in color. The trick is to use a detergent without any optical brighteners on clothing and rinses well.

          Everything I own gets a hot wash the first time if it’s a natural material. Anything that’s a blend of 50% synthetic/50% cotton also gets a hot wash. Items that shrink get returned to the store. If they don’t shrink they are better quality items and will never shrink in the future.

          Synthetics should be done in warm water and enough soap to clean & kill germs. Hot is not really necessary unless they are very dirty/sweaty/greasy. Hot water + baking soda .25-.5 cup will fix that. Baking soda does not do well in cold water.

          Cold water is not doing you any favors. Warm/hot temperatures help to dissolve grease & stains, Cold just sloshes it in soapy water and may not clean very well. No one is saving a ton of ‘energy’ by washing in cold all the time. Scented detergents prevent you from smelling if your cold wash actually cleaned your clothes.

          Truly clean clothes have no scent on them at all. And if your clothes come out of the dryer feeling stiff, you used too much detergent and didn’t rinse well.

          Thank you for attending my Clean TedTalk.

      • volvoxvsmarla@sopuli.xyz
        32·
        12 hours ago

        I won’t argue that it is the most hygienic way to clean laundry, but I doubt it is necessary on a day to day basis. Most people don’t get their underwear or bedsheets that dirty. Hospitals, nursing homes, daycare centers - sure. But not your normal household unless someone is severely sick.

        We personally only wash dish towels, cleaning supplies and similar stuff at 90°, the reason being that the 60° program on our washing machine uses up just as much energy as 90°, and we don’t need to use extra hygiene detergent when we do that.