I wash everything in cold water, but I use my normal detergent and put it through on the gentle cycle. If I'm giving it away, I make sure I put a little note in to let them know to wash it on the gentle cycle. But as we like to conserve energy (or rather my dad doesn't like a high electric bill) I only wash things on sunny days so I can hang them out. I always feel like they have such a better smell when dried outside!