does cold water kill germs better than hot water
Q. In your column, you said that warm water is no more effective than cold for removing germs. You are way off the mark. We wash to remove germs, not kill them. Dirty hands are oily, and oils are more soluble in warm water.So is soap. Warm water works faster and is more effective than cold water for rinsing off germs. A. We checked with Charles Gerba, Ph.D., professor of environmental microbiology at the University of Arizona.r. Gerba told us that he has not seen studies comparing hot versus cold water for hand-washing. Warm water might be somewhat more effective, but the difference is probably so small as not to make much difference. Washing is too quick for the heating to kill much or the soap to dissolve better..