Many people don’t know the importance of how much laundry soap to use. There’s a common misconception that the more laundry soap you use, the cleaner your laundry will be. However, this is not the case! Laundry soap is typically very concentrated, so you don’t have to use as much in your loads as you may think.
Believe it or not, using too much laundry soap is one of the most common causes of laundry repair issues! Using too much soap causes excess sudsing in your washer, which will accumulate over time. These accumulated suds are a breeding ground for mold growth, not only creating nasty smells but quite possibly damaging your washer. If the suds issue isn’t addressed, the damage can progress to the point where the door boot, pump, or even the entire tub needs to be replaced.
How Much Laundry Soap to Use
How much laundry soap to use depends on what kind of washer you have. High-efficiency (HE) washing machines use less water than a standard washer to complete a cycle, and therefore need less soap to get your clothes clean and rinsed properly. If you have an HE machine, look for HE laundry soaps (which will have the “HE” symbol on the packaging). These soaps are purposely designed to reduce sudsing, which for ideal for HE washers.
Here’s the breakdown of how much laundry soap to use in HE washers:
- HE liquid detergent= Use one tablespoon.
- Regular detergent= Use two teaspoons.
- Powder detergent= Use two tablespoons.
For Standard Washers:
Generally speaking, we recommend using half of what the manufacturer recommends on the packaging. This will typically turn out to be about a half-inch in your liquid measuring cup, but this can vary based on the size of the cup. Most certainly do not fill the cup up to the brim. This can be up to ten times more soap than what you actually need!
Other Laundry Washing Tips
When your clothes are heavily soiled, it’s highly recommended that you pre-soak your clothes, rather than add more detergent. This gives the soap more time to break down the stains without the risk of excess suds. If you really feel that your load needs more, don’t add more than an additional 50 percent per load.
Last but not least, your washing machine shouldn’t ever be loaded more than 3/4 full or packed in tightly. This give your clothes the proper amount of space for getting washed and rinsed properly. Not to mention, it helps avoid costly repairs in the future.
