Frugal Tip: Notice The Line On The Laundry Detergent Cap
Many people, me (in the past) included, simply fill up the cap on their liquid laundry detergent when doing a load of laundry. But that isn’t always the amount of detergent suggested to use by the manufacturer. If you read the back of the detergent bottle, it may have instructions involving lines on the inside of the cap. Many caps have several lines depending on the size of your laundry load.
You may be using up to twice as much detergent as you need to for each load – and when buying detergent for the best price per load, that isn’t the frugal way to go. So check the inside of your cap and the back of your bottle, and start using the right amount of detergent today! I can’t believe how much longer my bottles last since I started doing this. 
Of course, you can always start making your own detergent… I haven’t gotten that far yet.
This frugal tip provided by paidtwice of I’ve Paid For This Twice Already…
November 20th, 2008 14:32
The same goes for automatic dishwasher detergent. I was told by an appliance repairman to only use half the amount of liquid detergent suggested on the bottle. He said the full amount is too much and can be very drying to the pliable parts in a dishwasher; seals, gaskets, etc. I was reluctant to use the “single serve gel pacs” that most dishwasher detergent manufacturers seem to be pushing these days. That is until I realized that I can cut a small slit in the gelpac and squeeze only half of the product into the detergent cup. A box of 20 gelpacs does 40 loads of dishes for me. I only buy these when they are less that $1.50/box after coupons.
November 21st, 2008 13:01
Great advice!
My washing machine service guy said that a lot of the problems he’s called out to fix aren’t even mechanical in origin, but due to the machines getting all gunked up from using too much laundry detergent. There can be a stinky build-up between the basket and the chassis of the thing, and then you never get your clothes clean!
In fact, he told me he thinks that the detergent companies waaaaay over-estimate how much of their product you need to use (big surprise!) and you can often get away with using only half as much, depending on how hard your water is where you live. That’s apparently because it’s the agitation that does most of the cleaning, so it’s more important to not overload the machine so that the clothes have lots of room to swish around…
That was over a year ago, that I learned all this, and I’ve been following his advice ever since. Clothes are cleaner, detergent costs are down, and the old (I do mean *old*) washing machine is working like a charm!