Comments on: Use Less Soap and Detergent in the Washing Machine

By: amy adams

amy adams — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 10:17:43 +0000

well, ive noticed a lot of soap comng out of my towels even after washing them several times in plain water. for instance, I did a load very early this morning. I started out washing them with half cup soap (the cup the liquid soap comes with.) I came down about ten mins before the washer stopped and saw soap in the window. I suspected they didnt rinse because of some of the soap in the window plus this soap build up has happened before. Then I washed them for 47 mins in plain warm/cold wash. Still I see soap in them as they wash. So now they are on their 3rd wash (this time 120 mins) as I watched them wash for the first ten mins STILL SOAP. I am using a front loader HE machine with HE detergent. I still have other towel loads to do as well. ( I didnt fill up the washer that heavy with towels) I feel overwhelmed,because I still have other clothes and towels to launder. I remember this past summer dealing with the soapy towels, as I had seen soap residue in washer window towards the end of the wash cycle.

Will my dish towels get soap residue on my dishes when I dry them with the towels? Need I worry about that? Plus* I still have white rags to wash (the ones you clean with) and Im sure they are full of house cleaners etc. UGGG Any ideas? thanks so much…

By: Chris

Chris — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 01:52:44 +0000

If you think your situation with soap in clothing/towels is bad…….and you are using a top loading washing machine – I have a front loader and use exactly “one dollop” of detergent and still have run the machine to rid the soap residue at least two times per complete cycle. This is ridiculous! I have filled the wash cycle up with several gallons of water to eliminate the problem, and still, this does not resolve the situation. I have come to the conclusion that the old fashion washing machine is the way to go. I have used a tremendous amount of water and electricity with running this “so called” energy efficient machine daily.. Not only that, I have been told that I should buy tablets to run in the front loader monthly to remove the stench! What in the world is this all about?

By: Laundry Lexington KY

Laundry Lexington KY — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 12:51:00 +0000

WOW…I usually fill the cap of my detergent bottle. I’ve learned more suds doesn’t necessarily mean cleaner clothes. This will save me a lot of money on detergent alone!

By: Zach Smith

Zach Smith — Tue, 11 May 2010 10:09:03 +0000

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.

By: Ken Lempit

Ken Lempit — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 03:53:02 +0000

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.

By: Len Penzo

Len Penzo — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 22:12:35 +0000

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

By: Marc

Marc — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 02:56:42 +0000

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.

By: Bonnie

Bonnie — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 01:55:46 +0000

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.

By: Diane

Diane — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 00:35:30 +0000

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.

By: Flexo

Flexo — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 19:20:06 +0000

That’s a good point, thanks for bringing it up! I’ll give that a try tonight.

By: Liz

Liz — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 19:07:03 +0000

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.

By: Susan

Susan — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 16:08:45 +0000

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.

By: Lulu

Lulu — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 15:05:18 +0000

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.

By: Melissa

Melissa — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 14:54:32 +0000

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?

By: Beth

Beth — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 13:39:19 +0000

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.

By: ArandomPerson

ArandomPerson — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 13:08:48 +0000

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.).