Can you use high efficiency detergent in a regular clothes washer?
There are dozens of brands of laundry detergents in the aisle of grocery and mass market stores.There are bottles with a symbol that indicates that the detergent is "he", or high-efficiency laundry detergent that is specially formulated for use in high efficiency washers.
There is an older standard top load washer in your home.Is it safe to use this detergent in a regular washer?
You can use HE detergent in a regular or standard top load washer, but not the other way around.Non-HE detergents can't be used in high-efficiency washers.
The cleaning ingredients in HE detergent are the same as those in non-HE detergents.HE detergent is formulated to be low-sudsing for high-efficiency, energy-saving washing machines that use less water in the wash and rinse cycles.You can use it in a regular washing machine.Your clothes will be just as clean, even though you will notice less suds.
Compared to detergents of the past, high-efficiency laundry detergents contain less water and are more concentrated.Shipping big bottles filled with water is very expensive and reduces profits.Stores that don't want to store large bottles demanded smaller containers.At a premium shelf space, retailers and detergent manufacturers want to put as many of their products in front of your shopping cart as possible.
It is important to take a few minutes to read the directions and determine how much product to use for your load capacity and type of washing machine since the detergent containers and measuring lids are smaller than you may remember.
For standard or regular top-load washers that use many more gallons of water, use around one-fourth cup of high-efficiency laundry detergent for a regular-sized load of laundry.High-efficiency front and top-load washers only need a small amount of detergent per load because they use so little water.
Check your manual for the amount of detergent you have in your top-load washer.Did you misplace the manual?To find out how much water is in the dispensers, use a measuring cup.Compare that amount to the suggested amount.You probably don't need as much detergent as the dispensers hold.If the dispenser works better with more product, add detergent and fill it with plain water.
If you skip the measuring step and simply turn the bottle over and pour the detergent directly into the washer, you are wasting money and may end up with clothes that are not as clean.Clothes looking dingy are caused by excessive detergent that isn't washed away.