How hot do you wash your laundry? A recent study indicates that particularly for those with dust mite, pet dander and pollen allergies, the temperature at which you wash your clothes and sheets does make a difference.

The researchers found that washing laundry in hot water--140 degrees Fahrenheit (60 ºC) or higher--kills all house dust mites, compared with just 6.5% of dust mites in laundry washed at 104 degrees Fahrenheit (40 ºC), or warm water.

For sensitive fabrics which you really can't run on hot water, they suggest washing at a lower temperature (between 86-104° F, or 30-40 ºC), then rinsing the laundry twice with cold water for three minutes each. Now if I can just figure out how to make my washer automatically do that.