Most People Are Using Too Much Laundry Detergent—Here’s How to Break That Costly Habit
Your laundry routine has one major flaw, and it starts with how much detergent you pour into the drum.
Picking the right laundry detergent is hard enough in an aisle stocked with dozens of brands and formulas. But the challenge does not end at the checkout.
Knowing how to use laundry detergent properly is the other half of the battle, and most people are likely using it wrong — in this case, using too much of it.
“It’s a common misconception that more detergent equals cleaner clothes,” Brahim Agzoul, housekeeping manager at Kasbah Tamadot, told CNET. “In reality, excess soap lingers in fabrics, which could cause skin irritation.”
How much laundry detergent to use per load
Getting the amount right starts with understanding what a “normal” load actually looks like. In general, a normal-sized load fills about three-quarters of the drum, or roughly a full armload of clothing.
Anything smaller calls for less detergent, while a larger load may need a bit more. The type of machine matters, too: high-efficiency washers use less water and require correspondingly less soap.
For a normal-sized load of soiled laundry, follow these guidelines:
- Traditional machine: two tablespoons (1.0 ounces) of powdered or liquid detergent
- HE machine: one tablespoon (0.5 ounces) of powdered or liquid detergent
- Laundry detergent pods: never more than one pod per load
“A small load may need half the amount, and then consider the level of dirtiness,” Alexi Mintz, VP of brand strategy at Archipelago Botanicals, told MarthaStewart.com. “Kids’ clothes are probably heavily soiled, while your office clothing is likely lightly soiled, and so on.”
What about the laundry detergent cap?
If you have been measuring how much liquid laundry detergent to use per load by filling the cap to the recommended line, you may be pouring far more than your clothes need.
Experts widely advise ignoring the cap as your primary guide. While the instructions on the bottle went through rigorous testing during product development, they do not account for variables like water hardness, soil level or machine type.
“I encourage people to use less detergent than the recommended amount on the product,” Alex Varela, general manager of Dallas Maids, told NBC News.
A better measuring tool? A shot glass, which holds 1.5 ounces. Most loads will need no more than one shot glass full — and some will only need half of that.
Factors affecting how much laundry detergent you need
Detergent dosing is not one-size-fits-all. Several variables shift the math up or down, and ignoring them is one reason so many households end up using too much laundry detergent week after week.
Before you pour, consider what kind of load you are running, what kind of water is coming out of your tap and what kind of machine is doing the work.
- Type of detergent: for higher concentrations (2X, 4X), use less detergent
- Size of load: use more for larger loads, less for smaller loads
- Soil level: use more for heavily soiled clothes, less for lightly soiled clothes
- Hard or soft water: use more for hard water, less for soft water
- Type of machine: use less for HE machines, more for traditional machines
In many cases, using slightly less detergent than you think you need — especially with modern high-efficiency machines and concentrated formulas — is more than enough.
What happens if you use too much laundry detergent
The obvious answer to what happens if you use too much laundry detergent is that you waste product and money. The less obvious answer involves the chemistry of the soap itself — specifically the surfactants that do the cleaning work.
Once you cross the threshold of what those molecules can handle, extra detergent stops helping and starts causing problems for your clothes, your washer and even the water supply.
Surfactants are “specialized molecules designed to break up dirt and oil so they can be rinsed away with water,” according to Irina Ganopolsky of Arm and Hammer Laundry, per MarthaStewart.com.
“Once there’s enough surfactant to do that job, adding more doesn’t make clothes cleaner. In fact, too much detergent can make it harder for the water to rinse everything away and can potentially leave residue behind on fabrics,” she added.
The damage can extend to your machine. “Using too much can leave residue on your clothes — which, in turn, can attract more dirt,” Varela told NBC News. “Plus, over time, you’ll create excessive soap scum that can clog your washing machine’s plumbing system.”
There is an environmental cost as well. Rich Handel, who leads Consumer Reports’ testing of detergents, noted that “excess detergent is also being dispersed into our water systems and causing water pollution.”
Signs you may be using too much laundry detergent
If you suspect your routine has tipped into using too much laundry detergent, your clothes and your machine will usually tell on you. The clues show up in fabric texture, lingering smells and the buildup you can see inside the drum.
Watch for these red flags, and consider cutting your dose in half for a few loads to see if things improve.
- Residue or a soapy film left on clothes after washing
- Clothes that feel stiff, sticky or not fully rinsed
- Skin irritation from detergent lingering in fabrics
- A musty or mildew smell in your washing machine
- Visible soap scum buildup inside the drum or on door seals
- Clothes that seem to attract dirt faster after being washed
- Excessive suds during the wash cycle
- Clogged plumbing or drainage issues with your machine
The fix is rarely complicated: measure smaller, skip the cap and let the surfactants do the job they were designed to do.
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