How to Use Powdered Laundry Detergent Correctly

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Where to put powder detergent and why you'd use it instead of liquid laundry soap

Co-authored by Rani Gorgis and Eric McClure

Last Updated: November 21, 2024 Fact Checked

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Adding Powder Detergent to a Washing Machine

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Benefits of Powder Detergent

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Best Practices

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Video

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Warnings

If you’ve got piles of laundry that need cleaning but you find yourself confronted with old school powder detergent, you may be wondering what you need to do differently to get your clothes clean. Luckily, the powder stuff is just as easy to use as liquid detergent, and you may be doing your clothes a colossal favor here depending on how dirty they are! In this article, we’ll break down how to use powder detergent in a top- or front-load washing machine. We’ll also cover the pros and cons of using powder soap in case you want to make the switch in the future.

Things You Should Know

Load powder detergent in the little drawer that pops out in your machine. Put the powder in the same container where liquid detergent goes.
If you don’t have a container for detergent, load your clothes and pour the powder directly into the drum.
Powder detergent is cheaper, better for the environment, and more efficient at cleaning dirt and mud stains compared to liquid detergent.
If your clothes are covered in grease stains, avoid using powder—use a liquid detergent instead.

Section 1 of 3:

Adding Powder Detergent to a Washing Machine

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1
Measure out your powder detergent per the instructions. Refer to the detergent’s box to find out how much powder you need to use to clean your clothes. Typically, you should use 1/3 cup (80 mL) of powder detergent or less. Use the measuring cup that came with the detergent to weigh out the powder.
- People tend to overdo it with detergent—especially powder detergent. Unless you’re washing a full load that happens to be super dirty, you normally don’t need more than 2 tablespoons (30 mL) of detergent.^{[1]
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Pour the powder into the detergent drawer if you have one. Washing machines design their detergent compartment so that you can use liquid or powder detergent.^{[2]
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Research source} If you have a little container that pops out of the machine for detergent, pour the powder into the same compartment you’d normally put liquid detergent.^{[3]
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- On most machines, the detergent compartment is the biggest container in the drawer. It will often say “detergent,” “II,” or “2” on the soap container. The other containers are for bleach and/or fabric softener.
- Detergent compartments are super common on newer machines and front-loading washers. On top loaders, the containers are often on the rim of the drum, inside the machine.
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Add the powder directly to the drum if you don’t have a drawer. If you do not have a little compartment for detergent, simply load the machine with your clothes and pour the powder into the machine.
- Most older machines and a lot of top-loading machines don’t have a separate compartment for detergent.
- If you’re using a powder tablet, put it in a mesh delicates bag first and then set the bag in the machine. The bag will help the powder dissolve more evenly.
- You can do this even if you’ve got a little compartment for detergent. A lot of people do this because they’re nervous about the powder clumping up inside of their washing machine.
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Run your preferred washing cycle based on what you’re washing. Don’t change your wash settings based on the type of detergent you’re using. Launder your clothes the same way you would with normally would. Set the load size, choose your soil level, and select the water temperature before pressing the start button.^{[4]
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- High-efficiency (HE) washers—which includes most machines made after 2010—automatically detect the load size and set the water level accordingly.
- Once your clothes are done washing, toss them in the dryer or hang them out to air dry.

Section 2 of 3:

Benefits of Powder Detergent

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Powder detergent is a lot cheaper than liquid detergent. Powder detergent generally costs around $0.10-0.24 per load, while liquid detergent can run you up to $0.47 per wash. That means that the average family can save up to $70 a year just by switching to a powder detergent—and your clothes will be just as clean!^{[5]
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- Powder detergent is also a lot easier to measure out accurately, which means you’ll save money by not wasting detergent from overpouring.
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Storing powder detergent tends to be a lot easier. Liquid detergent is mostly water, which means that you need to keep a giant, heavy jug around in your laundry room. Powder detergent, on the other hand, is usually 100% pure detergent, and it comes in a tiny, compact, and lightweight box. This makes it a great option if you’re short on space or live in a building with shared laundry.^{[6]
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- If you don’t have a washing machine at home or in your building, powder detergent is a lot easier to haul to the laundromat!
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Powder detergent is a lot more effective for mud and dirt. Powder detergent contains a handful of cleaning chemicals that most liquid detergents don’t, which makes it better at wearing away mud, dirt, clay, and grass stains. You can even pre-treat these kinds of stains by spot cleaning them with powder detergent and water if you’d like.^{[7]
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- While powder detergent is quite phenomenal, you’re better off using liquid detergent on grease stains.
Liquid detergent comes in a thick plastic container, while powder comes in a biodegradable box. On top of that, liquid detergent requires a lot of clean water to manufacture, while the powder stuff is pure cleaning ingredients. All things considered, it’s a lot less wasteful to use powder detergent if you’re trying to be eco-friendly.^{[8]
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Section 3 of 3:

Best Practices

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Packing your washing machine to the brim makes it difficult for the clothes to spin around, which can keep them from getting clean. This is especially important with powder detergent, since the powder may form clumps on the clothes if they can’t move around.
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Choose a shorter wash cycle for small loads. There’s no point in wasting a full cycle’s worth of electricity and water when you’re only washing a few articles of clothing. Use the quickest cycle setting available if you’re just laundering a few things.^{[9]
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- A high-efficiency washer will automatically measure water levels, but they won’t artificially change the wash time.
- Most washing machines have a timer setting. You don’t need more than 20 minutes or so for a handful of items.
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Always read the label on your clothes to avoid ruining them. Those labels aren’t arbitrary. If you throw something that needs to be hand-washed in the washing machine, you’re going to destroy it. Check the tags on your clothing to see if you need to use cold water, the delicate cycle, or if you can wash it using whatever settings you’d like.^{[10]
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- This is especially important for any clothing items that are made of organic materials, like cotton or wool. You can really ruin the shape or feel of handwoven or natural materials.

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Warnings

Never mix powder and liquid detergent. Mixing these two together will cause the powder to cake and clump up.^{[11]
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