Janet Baraclough > wrote:
>
> If you think it's not hot enough , turn it up.
> You already rely on your tap hot water to kill bacteria every day,
>in personal washing, laundry, housecleaning etc.

Never rely on domestic hot water to kill bacteria.

For domestic hot water to be hot enough to kill most bacteria it would
need to be hot enough to scald human skin. The typical hot water
heater is set no higher than 140ºF, much too hot for bathing without
mixing with cold yet won't kill many bacteria... during
bathing/washing it's the soap that kills bacteria... when laundering
with cold water it's the soap that kills bacteria. Anyone showering
with straight 140ºF water will if they're lucky end up in a critical
care burn unit, otherwise they'd be dead. Folks, especially those
with young children, or elderly at home, should install a temperature
limiting shower set... 115ºF is plenty hot enough for bathing, folks
who use saunas know this to be true. And anyway, you don't want to
kill/remove all the bacteria on your skin, most is beneficial for
protecting you. It's really healthiest to bathe with cool water, you
don't want to remove all the natural skin oils or all the bacteria...
just use mild quality soaps/shampoos and bathe often with cool water.