Using too much laundry detergent can make your clothes dirtier and ruin your washer over time. Although it is good logic to believe that the more laundry detergent you use to combat the dirt, the cleaner your clothes will be, that’s not the case for your washer.
After this easy-to-read article, you’ll understand why excessive use of laundry detergent can damage your washer, ruin your clothes, and cost you a lot of money in repairs and utility bills.
What Happens When Too Much Detergent Is Used in Your Washer?
Using too much detergent in your washer creates suds, a foamy and bubbly substance that is made through the mixture of water and detergent. Although we’re fond of bubbles and can never have too much during bath time, an overflow of bubbly suds – due to excess detergent – can be the reason why you find yourself asking the following laundry questions:
Why are my clothes coming out of the washer dirty with spots, streaks, or discoloration?
When you put in too much detergent, especially for energy efficient machines that use less water, the excess amount of suds created does the following:
Form a soft bubbly layer on the surface of your clothes, stopping the occurrence of friction that rub off stains and release dirt. As a result, your garments won’t get cleaned properly. If your clothes are not coming out as clean as they should, it could be because you're using too much detergent, the wrong detergent, or both. You can find great tips on how to remove stains on our blog for cleaner results.
Latch on to fabrics because there isn’t enough water to wash off the excess. These suds leftover create spots, streaks, and other types of discoloration on your clothes. You’ll need to put those clothes back into the washer and use more water and electricity. As a result, you end up using twice as much resources for one load. Depending on how often this occurs, your utility bills may be higher than it should.
Cause rashes and allergic reactions as the detergent residue attached to the clothes can transfer to the skin. Although your clothes may not always look like they have detergent residue on them, there’s one tell you can use to help you take extra precaution. If you take your clothes out of the washer and they feel stiff or hard, chances are that it has suds deposit and should get another rinse (tip: pour in some vinegar or fabric softener).
Why does my washer smell?
While some excess suds latch onto your clothes, the remaining residues can become trapped in different parts of your washer such as the outer drum and the large rubber gasket around the front door. As the suds build up in these areas, they turn into mildew and mold which eventually starts to release a musty stench and bad smells.
Does using too much detergent damage my washer?
Excess laundry detergent can damage the internal parts of a washing machine, leading to breakdowns and expensive repairs down the road. The overflow of suds gets into pipes and hoses and clogs them. But that’s just the beginning of the damage it can do.
These excess suds can make their way onto the aluminum support attached to the inner drum, causing it to rust. This aluminum support is often referred to as a ‘drum spider’, ‘basket spider’, or just ‘spider’ and is expensive to replace.
The spider is what stabilizes the drum and prevents it from spinning out of rotation. When the spider starts to wear out prematurely due to the rust, it affects the motor because this crucial part of the machine is not working as well as it should. This means the motor must work harder to compensate for the gradual damage of the spider. So, the damage caused by suds not only affects the pipes, hoses, and drum spider, it also affects the motor of the machine.
The Solution: Washer Maintenance
There’s no problem without a solution. Like you and I, home appliances inevitably age and wear out. However, when taken care of properly, your washer will last longer so you can benefit from its full potential. This is why it is important to avoid using too much detergent and cleaning your washer periodically. Check out our article on Top Tips for Cleaning Your Appliances for simple ways to maintain your washer.
Need a new washer?
Need to replace your washer? Trail Appliances has the largest selection of washer and dryers in British Columbia, so you’re sure to find the perfect laundry appliance for your lifestyle and budget! Learn about cool washer & dryer features that will make laundry days fast and easy and come see these modern features in action at your nearest Trail Appliances showroom!