The dirty secret of well-washed laundry. The mistake you make when you put detergent in the washing machine
Photo: Manon Ringuette | Dreamstime.com
If you opened the lid of the clothes dryer and expected to remove a load of soft and fluffy laundry, but only found a pile of stiff clothes, it is very likely that you used too much laundry detergent, writes the American publication New York Times.
Laundry detergent removes dirt and stains from clothes, but if you use too much, you risk waking up with a new problem. More specifically: the result of detergent residue that hasn't been fully rinsed out and can turn your soft wardrobe into a pile of rough, scratchy and uncomfortable clothes, the cited article says.
At the same time, too much detergent also creates excess suds that can prevent clothes from rubbing against each other (which helps loosen dirt trapped in clothes).
Under these conditions, paradoxically, the more detergent you use above a certain amount, the dirtier your clothes become.
How much detergent should you use?
To clean your clothes effectively, you should use no more than 2 scoops (the plastic containers used for detergent) per load of laundry – and that's for large loads of 12kg or more. As a rule, one spoon is enough to thoroughly clean an average load, which usually weighs around 8 kilograms. And if you wash by hand, experts recommend using even less:. “When it comes to laundry detergent, a little goes a long way.”
The Wirecutter website now recommends powder and capsule detergents in addition to liquid detergents, although it originally only recommended liquid detergents. The site notes that while pre-dose capsules are convenient, they offer less control over the amount. This can quickly lead to a build-up of chemicals and cleaning agents that make laundry difficult, the source says.
