It is important to measure the amount of detergent, since excessive detergent as well as insufficient detergent can result in poor wash performance. Excessive detergent can also damage the washer.
There are three major factors to consider when doing laundry:
Dirt Levels
-
The more heavily soiled your clothes are the more detergent you will need to use in a load. This helps to remove dirt and prevent it from going back onto your clothes.
-
If you clothes are very soiled, pretreating and separate washing might be required to give good overall cleaning performance.
Size of the Load
- Top load washers should not be loaded more than 75% full of garments.
- Front load models should not be more than 50% full of garments.
Water Hardness
-
Water hardness varies throughout the country, to get the best results, people in hard water areas may need to use more detergent as hard water reduces the detergents ability to produce suds.
Recommended Detergent Amounts (assuming normal soil levels):
|
Washer Volume Capacity (cu. ft.) |
% Detergent Manufacturer's Recommended Amount |
|
1.0 |
25% |
|
1.5 |
50% |
|
1.8 |
50% |
|
2.1 |
65% |
|
3.0 |
90% |
|
3.2 |
100% |