Buying A High-Efficiency Washer? Avoid This One Messy Mistake

If you are in the market for a new washing machine, you may be drawn to those snazzy "high efficiency" (HE) washers that seem to be everywhere these days. Efficiency is good, right? In a washing machine, high efficiency means cleaning more clothes with less water, energy, and even less detergent. But to get your clean right in an HE machine, you'll need to make sure you don't use the wrong kind of laundry soap.

An HE washer uses much less water each cycle, as little as 7 gallons in some HE front-loaders compared to up to 40 gallons per wash in a traditional top-loader. With so little water, your detergent needs to be one that won't create too many suds that can't be easily rinsed away. HE detergents are specially formulated not to get too sudsy. While it may seem like lots of suds means a better clean, HE detergents do just as good of a job removing dirt and oil from your clothes by dispersing easily in low water, not needing to create all those bubbles. If you don't use HE soap in your HE washer, you are in for not only a sudsy mess, but potential long-term damage to your pricey machine. 

If you do accidentally put non-HE detergent in your new HE washing machine, it won't kill your washer right away, but it could cause a temporary error code because of all that extra sudsing. And it is a mistake you don't want to keep making, or all that soap will collect in the nooks and crannies of your machine and lead to long-term impacts like unpleasant odors and mildew. Too many suds can also cause your HE machine to overheat or cause other mechanical issues. If you do make the mistake of adding regular detergent, clean your machine on a self-cleaning or extra rinse cycle to get rid of any extra soapiness, and head to the store to buy the right kind of detergent.

HE detergents come in all forms, from powders to liquids to pods, and even laundry sheets, so it is easy to find the one that fits your laundry habits best. Most HE detergents clearly labelled and marketed for HE washers, with a lower case "he" in a blue circle logo on the packaging. Other detergents may be labelled as "HE compatible," and these should be treated with caution. The American Cleaning Institute warns that some detergents labeled only as "HE compatible" can actually be regular-sudsing, meaning they won't rinse away like the detergents designed specifically for HE washers. Using HE detergent will help prolong the life of your washing machine and ensure it delivers on its promises of clean laundry at a reduced impact on the environment, as well as your water and energy bill.