this post was submitted on 21 Dec 2024
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I am using a liquid detergent and I use exactly the half of the detergent they say I should use. If a the washing machine requires 1 cup, I do half. Mostly because I don't trust the company to put me over their interests.

Now, what will happen? Will my clothes end up staying dirty? Will it not remove stains which a full cup would have removed? Will surfexcel kidnap me and torture me for not obeying their commands? Help meeee!!

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[–] Etterra@discuss.online 2 points 6 hours ago (1 children)

Switch to powder, your wallet will thank you.

[–] Subject6051@lemmy.ml 3 points 5 hours ago

Switched from powder to liquid actually, powder wouldnt mix and leave residue, liquid is kinda easier

[–] nichtburningturtle 20 points 17 hours ago (1 children)

The detergent goblin takes them, as you haven't provided the right payment.

[–] Subject6051@lemmy.ml 6 points 14 hours ago (1 children)

Help me oh kind wizard, I do not want to die.

[–] nichtburningturtle 6 points 9 hours ago

Throw in some extra socks next time. He'll take them as tribute and leave your other clothes.

[–] Psythik@lemmy.world 9 points 15 hours ago

How much you need depends entirely on the hardness of your water.

If half a serving is enough to get your clothes smelling clean, then you're using enough.

[–] Brkdncr@lemmy.world 7 points 16 hours ago (1 children)

Too little and your clothes will be exposed to more friction, causing things to get pulled and rubbed more.

My newer LG with a mobile app once scolded me for using too much.

[–] Akasazh@feddit.nl 0 points 7 hours ago (1 children)

Wait, how does the detergent affect friction?

That just sounds wrong

[–] Brkdncr@lemmy.world 4 points 7 hours ago (1 children)

Mix some in water and feel it.

They work by getting between the fabric and the β€œgrime” and lifting it off. Also something to do with surface tension.

[–] Akasazh@feddit.nl 0 points 6 hours ago (1 children)

That's a bit thin, is a lot like 'it's totally true, bro, just try it. Anecdotal arguments.

I need some fluid dynamics here

[–] Brkdncr@lemmy.world 5 points 6 hours ago

You need someone to prove that soap is slick?

[–] TootSweet@lemmy.world 67 points 1 day ago

If you use too little, it won't get your clothes as clean. If you use too much, your clothes will come out of the washer still with detergent in them or perhaps you'll have issues with too much suds leaking out of your washer (or at least out of the tank portion potentially into some of the electronic components.) There's probably a pretty wide margin of error, though, and you'd have to use a lot too little or a lot too much to see any noticeable difference, though. If you're happy with the results you're getting, keep doing what you're doing. If you feel like doing some experimentation with the amount of detergent you use, hell, everybody needs a hobby.

[–] stealth_cookies@lemmy.ca 36 points 1 day ago

You almost can't use too little detergent, recommended amounts are actually too much and tend to leave residue. You only need 1-2TBSP to properly clean your clothes.

[–] Lumidaub 22 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

Any effect should be immediately obvious, shouldn't it? If your clothes are still dirty after washing, that's something you can see/smell/feel. Anything else that your average detergent claims to do is luxury.

[–] Tehdastehdas@lemmy.world 14 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

Persistent smell of sweat doesn't reappear immediately after washing, it takes a few days. Then you'll know if you used too little detergent. Could use a vinegar soak or wash (or bleach for whites), because detergents can't dissolve everything.

[–] Lumidaub 5 points 1 day ago

Ah, good point. Still something OP can find out by experimenting a bit and adjusting the amount where needed.

[–] prex@aussie.zone 13 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

The first technolgy connections video with the words washing machine in it.

[–] AZERTY@feddit.nl 20 points 17 hours ago (2 children)

This is a dishwashing machine video, not a clothes washing machine video.

[–] prex@aussie.zone 2 points 8 hours ago

Apologies - That was very lazy of me.
On a second look I'm shocked to be unable to find a technology connections video on this. This guy has near on 10 years of gold on YouTube.

[–] jol@discuss.tchncs.de -1 points 15 hours ago (2 children)
[–] blackstrat@lemmy.fwgx.uk 3 points 9 hours ago

Put your dishes in clothes washing machine and find out.

[–] ReversalHatchery@beehaw.org 2 points 10 hours ago

it deals with items of different materials and different kinds of dirtyness. drying is done wildly differently too, and some dishwaser detergent has stuff to help faster drying

[–] Gerudo@lemm.ee 18 points 1 day ago (2 children)

The only harm is using too much. My mother-in-law has ruined multiple washing machines over the years. She doesn't understand that modern high efficiency machines require very little detergent and proceeds to clog them up with too much.

I literally had to teach my wife how to do laundry correctly when we got married so she wouldn't ruin the washing machine.

[–] einlander@lemmy.world 10 points 1 day ago

Doesn't help that people don't realize that HE detergent doesn't produce as much suds as conventional detergent.

[–] Mr_Blott@feddit.uk 10 points 1 day ago (3 children)

Another thing is good quality washing machine cleaner/descaler/degreaser

Use it every year, or every six months in hard water areas. Drastically increases the life of your machine, and it'll keep washing like it did when it was new

[–] EtherWhack@lemmy.world 1 points 14 hours ago

I actually do the cleaner every couple of months and use vinegar once a week, at the end of my first load. (my water tests between 300-400ppm) I also gave up on fabric softener and dryer sheets when I found just running the dryer again with no heat for 20min gives me the same result. (less residue left behind in the washer/dryer and cleaner skin)

[–] intelisense@lemm.ee 6 points 1 day ago

That and don't forget to clean the filter! I do that every month, doesn't take long and it keeps everything running smoothly.

[–] scrubbles@poptalk.scrubbles.tech 5 points 1 day ago (1 children)

What brand do you recommend, or style?

[–] Mr_Blott@feddit.uk 4 points 22 hours ago

The own brand stuff in Lidl is excellent

[–] Floey@lemm.ee 4 points 19 hours ago

I always use less detergent and add some vinegar.

[–] shinigamiookamiryuu@lemm.ee 6 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Typically one trusts the instructions, but it does depend on the kind and quality of detergent, the quality of the machine, and the amount and types of clothes. I myself just entered an era of having no working machines for two days (on my third and am surviving on a pink hoodie over purple plaid shirt, jeans, and temple garment bra/panties which is my "last life") because the slots are broken on both home and public machines and do a half-effective job.

[–] Sir_Kevin@lemmy.dbzer0.com 10 points 19 hours ago (1 children)

Keep in mind that the instructions are written by those who wish to extract money from you.

[–] shinigamiookamiryuu@lemm.ee -5 points 19 hours ago (2 children)

It's not like they're stealing it. They're just guiding you on how to use detergent.

It's like saying the people who make microwavable popcorn are extracting money from me because they struggle to take into consideration how the microwave works.

[–] elfin8er@lemmy.world 6 points 17 hours ago (1 children)

But they're incentivised to tell you to use more detergent even if you don't need to, leading you to needlessly spend more money.

[–] shinigamiookamiryuu@lemm.ee 3 points 12 hours ago

You say that like that confirms their intentions or that detergent volume would ever be seen as a universal rule anyways. It's so circumstantial it challenges the point.

[–] apotheotic@beehaw.org 2 points 16 hours ago (1 children)

If (hypothetically) they specifically guide you to use more than necessary, thus wasting detergent, theyre making you spend more money on their product, thus extracting money from you.

Microwave popcorn isn't a reasonable analogue because you don't "use more product" following their instructions. Maybe hot chocolate is a good example? Every package I've bought has suggested using basically 2x as much as I find I need to make a mug of it.

[–] shinigamiookamiryuu@lemm.ee 2 points 12 hours ago

Unless trial and error come into play, which is why I brought up popcorn. I honestly wonder how many of those complaining about this actually do laundry. Too much detergent ends up making the clothes seem like they went through a car wash, so if too much was being used, it's not like the person wouldn't know. There also aren't as many hard rules about it as people think there are to base the idea of some of the purportedly "wrong" specifications on.