Clever 'one hand rule' when washing clothes ensures they get cleaned efficiently

01 January 2024 , 13:56

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Use the 'one hand rule' to make doing your laundry efficient and save time (stock image) (Image: Getty Images)

Doing laundry is a love or hate job - for the some the process of sorting clothing, creating colour piles and then running the machine, drying and eventually folding is therapeutic - but for others it chaos. But there is a simple tip that can make things easier.

If you aren't a laundry person then you are probably guilty of stuffing your washing machine to the brim to get as many clothes in there as possible so you don't have to do load after load. This is one of the mistakes many people make when doing their laundry and they don't realise it is detrimental to the entire process.

Overfilling your washing machine can stop the clothes in the wash from being cleaned in the first place, making the entire process redundant. Whilst preventing the cleaning process from happening, stuffing your washing machine to the brim can in the long term damage the drum in the household appliance.

Whilst experts can't magic away your laundry woes, they have advised that the most efficient way to do your laundry and avoid having to repeat washes because things aren't clean is to follow the simple "one-hand rule".

Alex Lucas of Bosch said: "It may be tempting to pack your washing machine drum with as many laundry items as possible, but overloading your machine will reduce its washing performance and could even cause damage to your appliance," reports.

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He added that overfilling your washing can "increase pressure within the drum, especially when spinning at high velocity, which can cause damage."

Experts at Ariel said that overloading your washing can make clothes smell worse than before you put them in the wash. The said "[its] because those clothes absorb all the water, leaving no space for your detergent to dissolve. That also means that you can get horrible detergent marks on your garments too."

To help your clothes wash properly the first time it's best not to overfill the washing machine and leave enough room at the top to help the clothes spin properly.

The expert said: :We recommend leaving a hand's width gap at the top of the washing machine drum when loading, which is roughly filling three-quarters of the drum."

Mariam Khan