Using the Right Amount of Soap When Doing Laundry in McAllen, TX

Ever wonder if you’re using too much or too little laundry detergent? Unfortunately, it’s not as simple as just dumping some soap into the washer and hoping everything goes well.

If you’ve been having issues with laundry feeling sticky or soapy, a high-efficiency washer smelling musty or clothes losing their brightness and color, you are probably using too much laundry detergent when washing your clothes.

So, how much laundry detergent should you be using? The answer depends primarily on what type of washing machine you’re using, how dirty your clothes are, how hard your water is and the detergent itself. Here are some tips to help you determine how much soap to use when doing laundry in McAllen, TX.

High-efficiency washer

High-efficiency washers use significantly less water per load than regular washers, which means you must also use less detergent. If you’re using detergent with the “HE” logo on it, you should be extremely careful about putting too much soap into the washer.

When using 2x liquid detergent in a high-efficiency washer, you should use two teaspoons of detergent, for 4x, one teaspoon, and for 10x, ¼ teaspoon. If your area has soft water, use slightly less. If you regularly experience hard water, use slightly more.

Some people purchase premeasured detergent packets. You should never use more than one per load, and make sure you follow the usage directions exactly as they are written.

For especially dirty clothes, you are better off soaking the clothes in water first rather than adding extra detergent to your load. If for some reason you do decide to add more detergent, you should never add more than 50 percent more.

Finally, if using a high-efficiency powdered detergent, you can add two tablespoons of the detergent directly into the washing drum before you place any of your clothes into the machine. Do not use an automatic dispenser when using powdered detergent, as the powder needs full exposure to the water to be properly activated.

Standard washer

Standard washing machines typically use about 40 gallons of water, compared to about half the amount used by high-efficiency washers. So while it is possible to overdo it on the detergent, it’s not as likely to cause as big of problems with your laundry.

There are still ways you can save money and detergent while still getting your clothes clean. For example, you can still have perfectly clean laundry by using half the liquid detergent recommended by the manufacturer, and even less if you know you have soft water. Again, you should only ever use one premeasured packet.

If you have especially dirty clothes, presoak the laundry or spot treat stains with some liquid detergent rather than adding extra soap to the whole load.

Finally, if using powdered detergent, use only a quarter to a third of a cup.

For more tips about the right amount of soap to use when you’re doing laundry in McAllen, TX, contact the team at Spin Plus Laundromat today. We look forward to helping you!

Categorised in: Laundry

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