Why do I put washing powder in the washing machine drum?
Everyone has experienced the laundry process at least once. It's not complicated: put the laundry in the drum, close the lid, pour the detergent into the compartment at the top of the washing machine, close the lid, and press the program button. Done. That's how I did every wash.
But few people realize what goes on inside a washing machine. And what's the point of that detergent compartment anyway?
Why do you need washing powder in the washing machine drum?
After I started finding a buildup of residue on the tray walls that couldn't be removed. A couple of times, even powder remained in the tray. Realizing I couldn't continue like this, I began my experiment.
First, I studied the washing process. It's not as complicated as it seems. I have an automatic washing machine. I'll use my own example.
After the program starts, the laundry loading door locks. Water begins to flow into the drum. Once enough water has accumulated, a sensor is triggered and the water flow stops. The water then rinses the detergent from the dispenser, and soapy water flows into the drum. The laundry swirls in the soapy water. This is how the washing process occurs.
What if you pour the powder directly into the drum? Essentially, the same thing happens.
Thinking about this, I remembered how I used to wash clothes in a semi-automatic washing machine as a student. The detergent was poured directly into the drum. And everything washed so well. There was no grayish residue on the laundry, provided I rinsed it thoroughly.
Modern washing machines rinse very well. It's not like a 10-minute manual rinse. The rinse cycle is quite long. And some washing machines (mine has one) even have an extra rinse. If you're not sure, try rinsing again.
If you think about it, laundry detergents come in all sorts of forms in stores. There are gels, there are capsules. Manufacturers recommend adding these capsules to the drum. This way, everything gets mixed together: powder and conditioner.
Details
I've tried both gels and capsules. The laundry gel is okay, if not for the price and the overpowering smell. That's just my personal opinion. I was completely disappointed with the capsules. They're expensive. After using them, I had to rewash to reduce the fabric softener smell. Another inconvenience is that you have to wash a large load of laundry at once with capsules. If you wash 1 kg of laundry, you won't be able to get rid of the fabric softener smell. And you have to rinse it twice.
I decided to give it a try. I poured detergent into the drum, added my laundry, and selected the shortest wash cycle. I was really worried that something might go wrong. Ultimately, the machine finished the wash without a hitch. Believe it or not, the laundry came out perfectly.
This is the only way I wash now. I pour just a tiny bit of detergent into the drum. Then I add the laundry. I add a little fabric softener into the dispenser and start the wash.
Of course, there are nuances that I understood.
- You only need a very small amount of detergent. Much less than I used before. About 1 tablespoon per 1 kg of laundry.
- It's best to use a detergent without colored granules. They can stain your laundry and leave multicolored spots.
From all this I drew several conclusions:
- The powder tray is now clean.
- I've saved a ton of laundry detergent. Now even a small pack lasts me a long time.
- The laundry looks much better after washing.
