This Is How Much Laundry Detergent You Should Actually Use — And Yes, It’s Shocking

“The dirt and germs come off the clothes and go into the water,” Richardson, the author of the bestselling “Laundry Love,” explained. “They get trapped in the surfactant [compounds in detergent that lift dirt and stains from clothes] and then, when the rinse comes, the surfactant goes down the drain. If you use too much detergent, it can’t rinse out, so the surfactant actually resettles back in your clothes, and all of the dirt resettles back into your clothes with it. So more detergent means your clothes are actually dirty.”

This is why Richardson advises we shouldn’t use detergent pods.

“I don’t like pods because I don’t like that you can’t control the amount,” he said. “You don’t need a pod’s worth of detergent [to do a load of laundry].” 

Richardson also gave us tips for zapping static electricity using aluminum foil, told us how to avoid pit stains using vinegar, and much more.

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This article originally appeared on HuffPost.