How much laundry detergent?

[gooddog]

Like someone above said - Tide or Kirkland pods.

 

[gerntz]

"Biodegradable" is not a very useful term, IMO, more marketing than science. What does the substance biodegrade into?

just means that when environmental bacteria are done with it you won’t find its remains. Like decomposing flesh.

 

[Ronnieboy]

I use pods, either kirkland, tide or I just purchased some Persil to see if it really was better. Personally can't tell a whole lot of difference between all 3, but I use 1 pod for regular to small loads and I'll use 2 pods for completely full loads in the LG front loader (like 10 bath towels I guess they are called bath sheets b/c they are bigger than bath towels)

 

[Ready-4-ER-at-14]

I read something once about the suggested amounts of detergent was the amount you need for a full load of heavily soiled stuff. They suggested you don't even get it out of clothing during the rinses.

We had a top loader and I put in a load of clothing with no detergent at all. Midway through the first wash cycle I opened it and the water was sudsy. Cut way back ever since.

 

[gerntz]

FYI, there's no relationship between suds amount & cleaning efficacy.

 

[dirtbiker]

We buy those "expensive" tide pods in bulk at Sam's Club. Prior to this we had always used liquid detergent. We never really realized, but we must have been way over-soaping the loads because even though the tide pods are more expensive per load compared to the liquid (as per number of loads advertised on the bottle), our total cost has dropped in half. Toss a pod in and forget about it. No worries about under or over soaping.

 

[msanniee]

I use laundry pods. My washer is on a stand and getting detergent into the dispenser tends to be a messy inconvenience.

 

[John Galt III]

My washing machine has rust inside it somewhere and it turns white clothes an awful grey and brown color after 3 washes, even if I add bleach. Any miracle substance to use to prevent this? Getting rid of the rust in the machine would be a PITA, but of course is an option too. Easier to add an ounce of "ACME Rust Kill" with every load. But seriously, is there anything?

 

[Lsbcal]

My washing machine has rust inside it somewhere and it turns white clothes an awful grey and brown color after 3 washes, even if I add bleach. Any miracle substance to use to prevent this? Getting rid of the rust in the machine would be a PITA, but of course is an option too. Easier to add an ounce of "ACME Rust Kill" with every load. But seriously, is there anything?

Throw it out

 

[skipro33]

I mentioned previously using TSP in the laundry to help clean. Another thing it does is that it bonds iron parts (the source of the rust is iron oxide FeO2) with the phosphate TSP contains. TSP stands for Tri-Sodium-Phosphate. The phosphate bonds with the iron to make Iron Phosphate FePO4. Once the iron is bound to the phosphate, it can no longer bond with the oxygen and hence, can not form rust. Normally this is done under electrolysis, but hopefully your machine has enough current running through it that this action can still take place at least on a small scale. As more loads are completed using TSP, more of the iron should react to the phosphate and the rust reduced. If you want to speed up the action, I can explain how to create electrolysis for you;
Fill the tub with water and a cup of TSP dissolved as deep as you need to make it so the rusted area is covered. Take a 12 volt battery charger, a simple 1amp charger will do, and attach the positive lead to the metal tub. Attach the negative lead to any metal rod, (I use a length of rebar) and suspend it into the water without it touching anything else. Turn on the charger. Some chargers won't start unless a battery is connected, so you may have to do that, but the battery only needs attaching for a few seconds to trick the charger. You will notice tiny bubbles forming on the rod. They are also forming on the tub where ever bare metal is exposed. The bubbles on the rod are oxygen and the bubbles on the tub are hydrogen. (Water is 2 parts hydrogen and one part oxygen. The current running through the water separate them into their gasses) Keep the lid open and the room vented as oxygen and hydrogen are potentially explosive gasses. (Meaning; they can ignite if they build up into concentrated levels) This process may take 24 hours or so, but it will remove the rust and coat the metal with iron phosphate. This coating will never wear out. Works great on rusty gas tanks that I've used this process on many times.

 

[W2R]

My washing machine has rust inside it somewhere and it turns white clothes an awful grey and brown color after 3 washes, even if I add bleach. Any miracle substance to use to prevent this? Getting rid of the rust in the machine would be a PITA, but of course is an option too. Easier to add an ounce of "ACME Rust Kill" with every load. But seriously, is there anything?

Throw it out

+1

There are a lot of great washers that don't turn your clothes gray. Just let go of your fondness for that awful washer, and replace it with a new one that actually gives you good results.

 

[treypar]

I use very little detergent now. When I looked through the glass lid of my washing machine one day and was using the amount of detergent recommended by the manufacturer, I saw that there was very little water in the washer and mainly detergent bubbles everywhere. Seems to work fine now with minimal detergent.

 

[jimnjana]

Two tablespoons. Per repairman.

 

[GrayHare]

The ideal amount of detergent varies with the hardness of the water. Soft water needs less detergent to get the job done.

 

[Tyrone]

Our front loader broke a few months back. Repair guy came out and said we were using to much detergent for a front loader and recommended no more than one tablespoon per load. We keep a tablespoon on the front loader and use the recommended amount every time. Clothes are clean, washer works.

 

[John Galt III]

I mentioned previously using TSP in the laundry to help clean. Another thing it does is that it bonds iron parts (the source of the rust is iron oxide FeO2) with the phosphate TSP contains. TSP stands for Tri-Sodium-Phosphate. The phosphate bonds with the iron to make Iron Phosphate FePO4. Once the iron is bound to the phosphate, it can no longer bond with the oxygen and hence, can not form rust. Normally this is done under electrolysis, but hopefully your machine has enough current running through it that this action can still take place at least on a small scale. As more loads are completed using TSP, more of the iron should react to the phosphate and the rust reduced. If you want to speed up the action, I can explain how to create electrolysis for you;
Fill the tub with water and a cup of TSP dissolved as deep as you need to make it so the rusted area is covered. Take a 12 volt battery charger, a simple 1amp charger will do, and attach the positive lead to the metal tub. Attach the negative lead to any metal rod, (I use a length of rebar) and suspend it into the water without it touching anything else. Turn on the charger. Some chargers won't start unless a battery is connected, so you may have to do that, but the battery only needs attaching for a few seconds to trick the charger. You will notice tiny bubbles forming on the rod. They are also forming on the tub where ever bare metal is exposed. The bubbles on the rod are oxygen and the bubbles on the tub are hydrogen. (Water is 2 parts hydrogen and one part oxygen. The current running through the water separate them into their gasses) Keep the lid open and the room vented as oxygen and hydrogen are potentially explosive gasses. (Meaning; they can ignite if they build up into concentrated levels) This process may take 24 hours or so, but it will remove the rust and coat the metal with iron phosphate. This coating will never wear out. Works great on rusty gas tanks that I've used this process on many times.

Skipro33, Thanks for those directions! First I'm going to try the TSP for a few loads and see what happens.

 

[Just_Steve]

Skipro33, Thanks for those directions! First I'm going to try the TSP for a few loads and see what happens.

TSP is/was a major environmental pollutant hence the reason phosphates were removed from laundry and dishwasher detergents. Just saying.

 

[Walt34]

I mentioned previously using TSP in the laundry to help clean. Another thing it does is that it bonds iron parts (the source of the rust is iron oxide FeO2) with the phosphate TSP contains. TSP stands for Tri-Sodium-Phosphate.

For those interested, the stuff is easily found in the paint section of your local big box hardware or paint store, it's used often for cleaning prior to painting many surfaces. Notably, the cleaning section of my local grocery store did not have it.

BTW, I found that Home Depot sells it for a third of the price on Amazon. Do take the time to read the label. It is a strong base and you really don't want to get that stuff in your eyes, on skin, etc.

 

[skipro33]

TSP is/was a major environmental pollutant hence the reason phosphates were removed from laundry and dishwasher detergents. Just saying.

On an industrial level it is IF it's allowed to drain into waterways. If your water is treated at a waste treatment plant, no problem. If you are on a septic, also no problem other than your grass will be greener. Phosphate is a main ingredient of fertilizer. When dumped into waterways, it causes algae bloom.
Notice it's not banned from using in laundry or dishwasher, just that manufacturers can not add it to their laundry/dishwasher detergents. It's readily available in any hardware store as a degreaser/cleaner for prepainting. It's used a lot in kitchens for washing prior to painting to remove oil/grease film on surfaces.

In the dishwasher, your glasses will no longer have that milky water film on them either. For those cleaning applications, it takes very little and you'll notice how much brighter your clothes will be and glassware sparkles.