Here’s How Much Laundry Detergent You Should Be Using

Almost surely, you are using too much laundry detergent.

At least, that is the conclusion of Consumer Reports, which says you only need 1.5 ounces of detergent for a typical load of laundry.

How much is that? About a shot-glass worth of detergent. If you are washing a larger amount of laundry — or your clothes are especially dirty — you might consider using twice that amount.

But those amounts should be sufficient any time you do a load of laundry. Of course, you can continue to use more detergent if you like. But not only is that wasteful, it also is likely to add to water pollution in your community.

So forget about using the lines on the detergent measuring cup to determine how much you need. In addition, CR says:

“Make sure not to rely on the washer dispenser’s detergent level indicator, because that represents the maximum amount of detergent the washer can handle.”

If you want to take your laundry to the next level, you could skip using detergent altogether. We explain why that notion is not as crazy as it sounds in “3 Easy Ways to Get Laundry Soap for Nearly Nothing.”

You can also improve your clothes-washing experience by purchasing any of the “15 Products That Make Laundry Fast and Easy.”

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