Signs You Are Using Too Much Detergent
If any of the following problems relate to your laundry, then you might be using too much detergent.
Are there traces of detergent residue left on your clothes? Does your laundry feel soapy or sticky? Do the clothes feel stiff and scratchy? Are your colored clothes looking dull and your white clothes looking grey? Does your high-efficiency washer smell musty or really, really bad?
How Much Detergent to Use
The right amount of laundry detergent to use varies based on the detergent’s concentration (2X, 4X, or 10X) and whether you’re using a standard or high-efficiency washer. Standard washers should use about 2 tablespoons of 2X detergent and high-efficiency washers only need about 1 teaspoon. Never fill up your detergent’s measuring cap or cup, which is significantly too much detergent for most washers. The size of the load, the soil level of your clothes, and the hardness of your water supply can also influence how much laundry detergent you should use. If you are pre-soaking a load of clothes that are heavily stained, use the same amount of detergent you would use for a full load of clothes. If you are soaking only one garment, use one teaspoon of liquid or powdered detergent per gallon of water.
High-Efficiency Washers
Whether you have a front-load or top-load high-efficiency washer, you are using much less water per load than a standard washer. Without all the extra water to distribute the detergent and then rinse it away, you must use less detergent. Even if you religiously purchase and use a product with the “he” symbol, you must still be careful about overdosing.
The optimum amount of 2X liquid laundry detergent for a high-efficiency washer is two teaspoons; 4X liquid laundry detergent: one teaspoon; 10X liquid laundry detergent: 1/4 teaspoon for a 12-pound load of laundry. If you have soft water in your area, use even less. For hard water that is untreated, use about one-fourth more product per load. If you are using a pre-measured packet, use only one per load. Follow label usage directions to the letter and the packet should dissolve and disperse correctly. For exceptionally soiled clothes, you will be much better off pre-soaking the load than adding extra detergent. If you do decide to use more detergent, add only 50 percent more per load. If you have an extra-large capacity washer (some can hold up to 25 pounds of laundry) and you routinely fill it completely with soiled laundry, double the optimum amount of detergent suggested here. However, if you only do “regular-sized” loads (12 to 15 pounds), use less detergent. For washing with a high-efficiency powdered commercial detergent, add two tablespoons directly to the drum before loading clothes. Do not use an automatic dispenser, the powdered detergent needs maximum exposure to the water to dissolve completely. If you make your own homemade laundry detergent, there are no ingredients that cause excessive sudsing. Use two tablespoons of liquid or powdered homemade laundry detergent per load.
Standard Top Load Washers
Depending on their age, standard top-loading washers use between 26 and 40 gallons of water in the wash/rinse compared to the 13 to 17 gallons a high-efficiency washer uses; so overdosing with laundry detergent, while still possible, causes fewer problems. The biggest issue from overdosing is wasting money.
To save money and still achieve clean laundry, use only one-half of the amount recommended by the manufacturer. For 2X liquid laundry detergent, this is usually two tablespoons or one-eighth cup. Use a standard measure or mark the correct amount on the detergent bottle cap with a permanent marker to prevent overdosing. If you have soft water, use less—about one and one-half tablespoons of liquid laundry detergent. For untreated hard water, use the full amount. Use only one pre-measured packet per load. For heavily-soiled clothes, pre-soak or spot treat stains with a bit of liquid detergent rather than add extra detergent to the entire load. Use 1/4 to 1/3 cup commercial powdered laundry detergent. Use 1/4 to 1/3 cup powdered homemade laundry detergent and 1/8 to 1/4 cup liquid homemade laundry detergent.
What Labels Tell Us
Now that you know the exact amount of detergent you really need to use, there is one thing you need to understand up front: detergent manufacturers wish you would use more. Why? To increase their sales. With the increased use of larger high-efficiency washing machines, consumers are using less detergent than they once did. Lower water levels used in this type of washer require less laundry detergent. The washers actually offer better performance if you use less detergent. If you use too much detergent and must add a second rinse, you are using lots of extra water and might as well have a standard machine. A second blow was dealt as home washers have increased in load size capacity. Consumers can now efficiently and effectively wash huge loads. Fewer loads = less detergent used. The final hit to free-flowing detergent sales was the introduction of single-dose detergents. Pre-measured packets have grown in pop of liquid-detergent sales allowing even those most inept at doing laundry to get the amount of detergent used per load correct. Thus, there is no waste and no need to replenish detergent supplies as often.
