How much detergent to use

In extreme cases, even, pouring too much detergent into your washing machine can generate error codes and even damage the machine. I remember walking down to the laundry room to switch out a load of laundry and, while en route, remembering that I never put the detergent in. Much to my surprise, my clothing was clean and odor-free neither smelling dirty nor smelling like fresh laundry.

Warm water itself is a pretty great cleaning agent, and just an hour of jostling and rinsing in warm water had done a great job cleaning the clothes. High-efficiency washers need next to no detergent to operate super efficiently. In fact, if you have really soft water, you can even use even less.

Whether your water is naturally soft or you use a softener, you can get by with Even if your clothing is really soiled, you barely need to increase the amount of detergent used. As a general rule though, soiled clothing benefits more from a longer wash time with more water than more detergent.

The dispensers are fine for liquid detergent but do a poor job with powders. Top-loading washers are a bit more foolproof when it comes to detergent because they use so much more water than high-efficiency washers unless, of course, you have a high-efficiency top loader.

Your too-much-detergent sins are washed away via dilution. Even a modest size jug of liquid laundry detergent goes a long way when you're only using a little for each load. As a general rule, if your clothes are very dirty, your best bet is to presoak the clothing before washing, or pre-treat stains with liquid laundry detergent before washing.

Skip to main content. Our Difference. Partner With Us. Help Center. Community Impact. Household Items Cleaning. Wedding Dress Cleaning. Shoe Cleaning and Repair. Find a Location. Tide Cleaners Touchpoints. Own a Tide Cleaners. Though it seems counterintuitive, the more detergent you use past a certain point, the dirtier your clothes become. As staff writer Sarah Bodgan and senior staff writer Liam McCabe say in our guide to the best washing machines , 1 tablespoon is enough to thoroughly clean an average load, which usually weighs around 8 pounds.

The amount of detergent you should add varies greatly among brands, but keep in mind that the back of your bottle might recommend that you use more than 2 tablespoons per load. Liam and Sarah explain that HE detergents are at least double the concentration of traditional detergents.

Though pre-portioned pods are convenient, you have less control over the amount. This can quickly lead to a buildup of chemicals and cleaning agents that stiffen your laundry.