As a general rule of thumb, you should only use about a tablespoon of laundry detergent per regular load size. (The measuring cup that comes with your liquid laundry detergent is about 10 times larger than the actual amount of laundry soap needed.)
1 Main wash compartment: Detergent for the main wash, water softener, pre-soaking agent, bleach and stain remover. 2 Softener compartment: Fabric softener (do not fill higher than the line indicated by MAX). 3 Prewash compartment: Detergent for prewash or starch.
Pour detergent in the dispenser or, if there isn't one, directly into the tub before adding clothes. Always follow the instructions on the packaging when measuring. If your washer is High-Efficiency (HE), only use HE detergent. Learn more about HE detergent with this quick guide.
Detergent is the most common type of cleaning agent for fabric. When we wash the fabric with a detergent, it separates the dirt, kills germs and keeps the fabric soft. It also gives a much brighter look and good odour to the fabric.
The right amount: It's typically 1½ ounces for a normal load of laundry. Instead of going by the faint lines of a detergent measuring cup, you can use a shot glass, which is about 1½ ounces, to be more precise. For larger loads or very soiled clothing, use twice as much detergent.
If you have a regular top-loading machine, it's best to fill your washer with water first, then add your detergent, then add your clothes. This helps evenly distribute the detergent in the water before it hits your clothes. Remember that the nicer you are to your washer and dryer the longer they'll last.
But when it comes to laundry detergent, you may be surprised to learn that more isn't always better. In fact, using too much laundry detergent may cause problems for your clothes and your washing machine over time.
Concentrated detergent is very caustic, and you shouldn't put it on clothes directly. However, what you can do in place of the dispenser if you don't have a door safety switch, is pour the detergent into the cap and hold it under the water during the fill cycle.
Instead, use this order to distribute detergent best: clothes, then water, then soap. This isn't necessarily a blunder. Most items that say “dry-clean” can be hand-washed and air-dried. This includes natural fibers, such as linen and most silks.
When using a top-load machine, add the detergent directly to the drum. For front-load machines, add the detergent directly to the detergent section of the dispenser. Detergent should be stored out of reach from children and pets and should always be kept in its original packaging.
The powder detergent goes into the largest section of the drawer, usually on the left hand side. If in any doubt, check your washing machine's manual. The liquid softener goes into the partially covered section of the drawer with the flower symbol.
Johanes Godoy, laundry and cleaning expert at Liox Clean agrees: 'I suggest adding liquid laundry detergent directly to the washing machine drum instead of the detergent drawer. This approach ensures the detergent dissolves properly and spreads evenly throughout the wash. '
Clothing has spots or dullness
Murky clothes with white spots or have lost their brightness due to the washing cycle could signify that the soap quantity is over the appropriate amount. Excess detergent is hard to wash out properly and leaves spots behind.
If you're using too much laundry detergent, your clothes will carry an odor and wear down the machine. The laundry detergent you use can affect your clothes in many ways. For instance, if too much is used it could stain or mark up the clothing which may have an effect on how they look and smell.
For instance, powder is cheap, lasts a long time, produces less waste, and is great for heavily soiled clothes. Liquid detergents, on the other hand, work better in cold water, are easier to measure, and can be used as spot treatments or when hand-washing clothes.
A second rinse bath produces a much cleaner final product by rinsing off the soil that is redeposited during the first rinse. Often times, the second rinse tank includes a heated facility water inlet which constantly overflows the second rinse tank with small amounts of water to ensure water cleanliness.
If you accidentally forget to put laundry detergent into your machine before starting it, washing clothes at high temperatures may remove some water-soluble stains. However, the odour will still remain, and it may even intensify as the clothes dry because you haven't used any agents to remove them.
The short answer to your question is simply put a cap full of liquid detergent in your washer as it's filling up with water. The caps on liquid detergent plastic bottles are made precisely for that purpose. Just fill the cap from the bottle and dump it in.
5 ounces of laundry detergent for high-efficiency machines and 1 ounce for traditional machines. If you're using a pre-measured detergent pod or pack, these are already optimized to standard laundry loads, so just use one per load and follow the instructions on the product label.
So, how much detergent are you actually supposed to be using? This may come as a shock, but just 1 to 2 tablespoons is more than enough for your entire load.
Add 1 teaspoon of regular liquid or powder detergent for each pound of clothing you wash. (Neil Lant, a research fellow at Procter & Gamble who is focused on fabric care, said that on average three items of adult-sized clothing weigh about a pound.)