Are We Doing Our Laundry Right?

I do my own laundry now that I'm married. When I was single, I'd go to the laundromat, toss in my clothes, a litle soap, then go next door and order a couple slices of pizza. Once I got married, that all changed as Mrs. Rayman wondered what the heck I was doing? First off, I was  filling up the bottle's cap in order to measure out the right amount of detergent. In an article in the Huffington Post, in 2010 The Wall Street Journal called out the epidemic of over pours,warning us that too much detergent makes a " high foamy tide inside the machine, lifting soil and lint above the water level so it isn't rinsed away." Basically, a bubble of horrible filth that will ensure that your clothing will never be truly clean. How much is enough? I now recommend  filling the cap no more than one third. I  use pods a lot as they have the measuring deal down perfectly.

Let the detergent dissolve. Many of us figure that the "cool" temperature setting will handle any and all materials. Many detergents don't dissolve as well in cool water. Use the warm/cold or warm/warm cycle.

Easy on the fabric softener. This was a crucial mistake I was making. Liquid softeners can build up in the washing machine, which often leads to stains on clothes that don't react well to such products. I suggest adding a half cup to the laundry during the wash cycle, which also nicely deodorizes. Happy washing!