You’re using too much laundry detergent. You’re not washing your heavy-duty items properly. You’re not cleaning out your lint trap regularly enough.
Why does every facet of doing laundry have to be so dang complicated?
Well, TikToker Ashley (@ashley.keeps.rebranding) is here to add one more complication to the mix. She says she always runs her laundry through a second rinse cycle.
“This is why I always do a second rinse. My clothes had already completely finished.
I barely put any detergent, and I did a second rinse. Look at all that soap. That’s soap. And I put a tiny bit of detergent,” she says in a TikTok that has over 2.7 million views.
Her video showcases her laundry tumbling around in the wash—with suds and all. The amount of soap that still appears to be in the wash, despite Ashley claiming this is her second rinse cycle, has viewers questioning how they do laundry.
“That’s probably why I be itching,” one said.
“This made me wanna rewash all my clothes,” another shared.
“And it’s crazy that people think more laundry detergent = cleaner clothes,” a third wrote.
“Started doing a 2nd rinse a few years ago and my eczema improved so much!” a fourth claimed.
Ashley cleared a few things up in the comments section. She responded to critics who claimed she simply used too much detergent or doesn’t properly maintain her washing machine.
“IM A 30 YEAR OLD WOMAN IVE BEEN DOUNG LAUNDRY SINCE I WAS 10, a tiny bit is like a tablespoon or less, and yes we clean our washer. Y’all have no idea how concentrated soap is [obviously],” she responded.
How much laundry detergent should you use?
According to Real Simple, you are likely using too much laundry detergent if your clothes come out of the dryer stiff, sticky, scratchy, faded in color, or frayed.
But be careful not to use too little detergent, because that can leave your clothes stinky or feeling greasy and dirty.
While the right amount depends on a few factors like the detergent type, load size, and washing machine type, a good general guideline is to use half an “ounce of laundry detergent for high-efficiency (HE) machines and 1 ounce for traditional machines,” per Real Simple.
Should you be doing a second rinse?
Furthermore, Real Simple recommends a second rinse cycle if you fear you’ve used too much detergent.
The magazine also recommends using a “commercial washing machine cleaner” after every wash in addition to deep-cleaning it once a month.
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