sandellie4 Posted September 1, 2008 Share Posted September 1, 2008 I REALLY like the sound of that, but the clothes wouldn't get clean, would they? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
*anj* Posted September 1, 2008 Share Posted September 1, 2008 I do it all the time and my clothes are clean. I have read that it is actually better to use less than the recommended amount because it's easier for all of the detergent to truly get rinsed off your clothes. Detergent residue isn't good for your skin and it also causes the fabric to wear out more quickly. I also use less than the recommended amount of automatic dishwasher detergent. You can play around with the amounts to find one that works well for you. I start off using half and then I add a little more if necessary. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jacqui in mo Posted September 1, 2008 Share Posted September 1, 2008 I don't use the full amount of detergent recommended on my detergent bottle & my clothes seem clean. I really think they recommend more than is necessary. Kinda like shampoo bottles recommending that you wash your hair 2xs. I don't know if there is a scientific way to measure how clean your clothes are with varying amounts of detergent though. They just look & smell clean to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abbeyej Posted September 1, 2008 Share Posted September 1, 2008 For all the reasons anj listed, I always use about half the recommended laundry detergent. Our clothes are clean. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carrie12345 Posted September 1, 2008 Share Posted September 1, 2008 I think it also depends on your water. My washer goes *nuts* if I try to use a lot of detergent, so I couldn't even if I wanted to. It'd be like a scene out of Mr. Mom. :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LaMere Academy Posted September 1, 2008 Share Posted September 1, 2008 I use a smidge less than the lowest line for my liquid detergent. They want you to use more so you go through it quicker. My clothes always smell and look clean. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sara R Posted September 1, 2008 Share Posted September 1, 2008 Hard water requires more detergent. Soft water requires less. We have hard water here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newbie Posted September 1, 2008 Share Posted September 1, 2008 If you use HE, you are supposed to using much less, because it is so concentrated. Plus, now you are forced to buy for the new front loaders. Jet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandellie4 Posted September 2, 2008 Author Share Posted September 2, 2008 Cool! I'm going to try it for the washer AND the dishwasher. Good for the environment and the wallet, both. Thanks, all. :) Sandy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted September 2, 2008 Share Posted September 2, 2008 Same as *anj*. I use about half in both the washing machine & the dishwasher. I also cut the Color Catcher sheets & dryer sheets in half & it's enough. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chaik76 Posted September 2, 2008 Share Posted September 2, 2008 I use about a quarter of the recommended amount of laundry detergent and have never had a problem. Makes our detergent last a long time too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lorna in the boonies Posted September 2, 2008 Share Posted September 2, 2008 I use about a quarter of the recommended amount of laundry detergent and have never had a problem. Makes our detergent last a long time too! This is what I do, too, and it works quite well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted September 2, 2008 Share Posted September 2, 2008 Funny story. When DH moved to HK without the family (job move) he phoned me to say that the washer wasn't rinsing the soap out properly. He read me the instructions on the powder box, which said to put one 'g' of powder in the dispenser. I reasoned it couldn't be one gramme, but must be a misprint for..... who knows what. Anyway, he decided to start using a heaped teaspoon of powder per wash. The whole family began spending time at his flat and I carried on using the teaspoon. It took us almost a year to get through a big box of powder. When I opened another one, there was a dispenser cup in it, with dosing lines marked - much more than a teaspoon. So I asked him whether there had been a cup in the first box - apparently not. Then I finally worked out the key question to ask: how did he know that the soap wasn't washing out properly? Well, the front loader had suds caught in the front seal. Bingo! The classic front loader problem, implying nothing about whether the clothes themselves were sudsy. So, for a whole year, we had used probably a quarter of the powder we were meant to. And the clothes (washed on cold) had come clean. We did use a stain spray on anything obvious, but that was it.... So I'm continuing the experiment: stain spray when there's an obvious stain; low amounts of powder. So far, so good. Best wishes Laura Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elegantlion Posted September 2, 2008 Share Posted September 2, 2008 I use a tiny amount of liquid detergent. I have a front loader. My dh is a carpenter and has smelly man clothes and I've never had a problem with them coming clean. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tammyla Posted September 2, 2008 Share Posted September 2, 2008 I use less laundry and dishwasher detergent. Our clothes are clean and my dishes are too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melissa in FL Posted September 2, 2008 Share Posted September 2, 2008 It will depend on your water. In MI I used less than 1/2 the amount recommended. We had very soft water. Down here in FL, even with a water softener, I have to use just over 1/2 the recommended. It's really hard down here. It took me awhile to realize that I needed to add more soap down here, I thought it was the appliances! I had to play around for awhile to see how much I needed of everything. I also find I have to replay around with it if I switch brands of soap. HTH Melissa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LizzyBee Posted September 2, 2008 Share Posted September 2, 2008 We have soft water here. If I use the full amount of recommended laundry soap, it doesn't rinse out completely. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PrairieSong Posted September 2, 2008 Share Posted September 2, 2008 If you use HE, you are supposed to using much less, because it is so concentrated. Plus, now you are forced to buy for the new front loaders. Jet No, you don't have to buy that special concentrated detergent for a front loader. We've had our front loader more than two years and the only time I used the special stuff was when we had free coupons for it given to us by the store where we bought our washer. I asked the salesperson if we *had* to use that, and he said no, just use less of the regular detergent. I've never had any problems. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nestof3 Posted September 2, 2008 Share Posted September 2, 2008 I use almost half, and they come out perfectly clean. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennifer3141 Posted September 2, 2008 Share Posted September 2, 2008 My washer is a front loader with a glass front. I could not believe how much soap was still in the clothes even after a double rinse. I now use about half what is recommended for a front loader and I still triple rinse just because the idea of soap in there squicks me out. :001_huh: Jen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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