Doing laundry is one of those chores that’s rather easy, but I find myself avoiding it as much as possible. As a result, I end up doing large loads every seven to ten days. Even for these full loads of clothing, I usually only fill the detergent cup about half way. Even at that point, I may be using too much soap, wasting money, and decreasing the life of my washing machine.
I have noticed that the texture of my clothing, towels, and linens changes considerably even after just a few washes. I don’t use dryer sheets, so I am certain that is not the problem. My new plan after reading an article in the New York Times (linked below) is to use as little detergent as possible. It can’t hurt to start with a small amount of soap and increase only if necessary.
As suggested in the article, I took one of my towels that has not been used since being washed, and placed it in the washing machine without any detergent. After running the machine for five minutes, it was full of suds. I used so much detergent that it was still embedded in the fabric after normal rinsing and drying. This is not normal. I’ll probably need to run my towels through several times without new soap just to remove all that is still on the fabric.
I may have to run my towels through the washing machine as many as eight times before all the leftover soap comes out. While that’s not a good idea for saving money on electricity, I’ve learned a lesson. Even though I thought I was making a smart choice by filling the detergent cup only halfway, the soap stays with the material.
How much detergent do you use?
Photo: mccheek, nateOne
For the Dishwasher’s Sake, Go Easy on the Detergent, Alina Tugeno, New York Times, March 12, 2010
If you enjoyed this article, stay up-to-date with more like this for free! Use your favorite RSS reader to subscribe to the RSS feed or receive daily emails.
About the Author
{ 13 comments… read them below or add one }
Being cheap, I always used about 1/4 of the amount of soap recommended to wash any size load. I honestly don’t know if this is too much or little. The clothes come out clean though.
I will have to try the towel trick and see if I get any suds. Probably could just soak a towel in a bucket of water instead of running the washing machine for the first test (thus avoid wasting power, water, wear & tear etc.).
I think part of the problem is that people tend to cram their machines as full as possible. When you’ve got too many clothes, the clothes don’t get agitated as much, so people add more soap. More clothes also means that things don’t get rinsed as well.
I use less soap, and put in less clothing.
Also, the caps on the detergent tend to be larger than the amount you’re instructed to use for even the largest load, I think they’re intentionally misleading to encourage overuse (For example, instructions will say, for a large load fill to line 3 and line 3 will be 2/3 of the way up the side of the cap). I’ve taken to drizzling in as little soap as I can. Mostly because I’m too cheap to pay for more soap, but so long as I don’t notice a change in the results, I figure no harm done.
On a side note, do you suppose that there’s more soap being left in the clothes now that all the detergents seem to be ultra concentrated?
I used to use less than the recommended amount when I used powdered detergent as well and my clothes seemed to be as clean as everyone else’s. I now use those laundry sheets and some ammonia instead of bleach and that seems to work well.
I tried cutting back on the detergent to the point that I saw it made a difference and didn’t seem to clean as well. What I found works well for my HE machine is about 1 Tbsp of detergent for a large load – WAY less than they recommend. That amount both cleans the clothes well and doesn’t leave any soapy residue clinging to the machine.
Actually, the suds might not have come from your towel. There’s a significant degree of detergent build-up inside most people’s washing machines. Try this: Fill your washing machine with very hot water and run a full wash cycle. You will likely see a TON of suds. You can add a cup of vinegar to the water to help lift off soap, mineral deposits, etc. It’s absolutely shocking.
I learned this when I was using cloth diapers, and took to using detergent without a lot of additives, using less detergent, and regularly cleaning my washing machine.
That’s a good point, thanks for bringing it up! I’ll give that a try tonight.
I use 1-2 Tbsp for my front-loader. Plus a quarter cup of borax. Way less than is called for on the detergent jugs. It works great.
I use around 2Tbs Biokleen liquid detergent in my top loader, plus I fill the liquid softener dispenser with white vinegar for the softening effect and to clear off any residual detergent. Works well and my clothes seem to last longer than expected.
Out of the blue I developed a sensitivity to freshly laundered T-shirts after using liquid, with a nagging itch a couple years back. I started to add just 1/3 to 1/2 of name brand liquid soap and itching went away. Clothes come out just as clean. So in solving a problem – I saved money.
I make my own homemade laundry detergent from maple syrup and Crisco. I can’t remember if I got that recipe from Trent at the Simple Dollar or Matt at Debt Free Adventure, but no matter – I’m saving tons of money now!
Although my clothes do smell like pancakes.
Best,
Len
Len Penzo dot Com
Our front-loader (Miele) recommends two tablespoons of powdered detergent. The Costco-sized box of Tide lasts almost a year! It is remarkable how usage-based behaviors can increase or decrease your cost of living, and how you can economize without missing a thing. CFL bulbs also are a great example. We use 20% or so less electricity just by changing to them vs. incandescent. Programming your programmable thermostat, about a 20-minute job, can save you 15% or more on heat, about 10% on A/C, without changes to your in-residence comfort. There is a lot of low-hanging fruit in the frugality game! Great article.
If you have a front load washing machine, use only HE detergent. This washer produces a lot of suds if you only use regular detergent. If you use regular detergent for your front load washer, use smaller amount of it so it will not produce a lot of suds. If you have overused detergent, run an extra rinse cycle and add a cup of white vinegar after the cleaning cycle. This will help dissolve excess detergent.