Dry cleaner reveals the laundry detergent mistake wasting your money
There's something about cleaning that makes us feel like the dirtier something is, the more product we need to clean it.
Turns out that's not true for a lot of things, especially washing clothes, linen and towels.
A renowned dry cleaner has proved this with a demonstration he shared on TikTok that shows using more detergent doesn't get better results.
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New Yorker Zachary Pozniak filmed the clip in response to a follower's request to find out "why less is more" for laundry detergent.
"I need facts so I can argue with my mom about this," they said.
Watch the video above.
According to Pozniak, we only need to use two tablespoons of laundry detergent per load.
To prove his point he took two pieces of white material and stained them with the same items.
Dry cleaner Zachary Pozniak used these swatches to show how lots of detergent impacts laundry. TikTok/@jeeves_ny
Then he washed one swatch with two tablespoons of detergent, and the other with 10 tablespoons of detergent, which is five times more than necessary.
After washing the results looked very similar, with just five per cent more stain removed in the swatch washed with more detergent.
Pozniak explained this is because "water is doing most of the cleaning".
"Detergent is just a little supplement and like any supplement you want to use it sparingly, and when you use an excessive amount of detergent your washer will keep using that rinse cycle over and over and over again until the sud sensor says, 'No more suds, we're all done, cycle's finished'," he said.
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Pozniak found very little difference between two and 10 tablespoons of detergent. TikTok/@jeeves_ny
"All of those extra rinse cycles are why there was a little bit better performance when it comes to stain removal with the swatch that used too much detergent."
This means by using extra laundry detergent we're wasting both product and water for barely any difference, so we're literally putting money down the drain.
The extra detergent usage is wasting money when it comes to your supermarket budget and your energy and water bills. It could also impact the longevity of your machine because it's constantly having to work harder to remove the suds.
However, Pozniak said a little extra detergent is occasionally useful, but only for really soiled loads.
"It's definitely worth it, but you don't need to do it every single time."
READ MORE: TikToker's clever hack for 'the whitest white laundry ever' uses two kitchen items you already own
There are other ways to boost your wash instead of using extra detergent. Getty
If you still want to boost the power of your laundry detergent, there are ways to do that without using extra detergent.
One option is to add some bicarb soda to your load, about a half a cup for a top loader and a quarter cup for a front loader works well. The baking soda helps to deodorise your clothes and soften fabrics.
Another pantry booster is white vinegar. Adding a half a cup to the fabric softener compartment of your washing machine will soften clothes just as good if not better than fabric softener.
And if you have stains, pre-treating them before washing will lead to the best results for stain removal.
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