The Magnetic Laundry Gadget That Seems Useful But Is A Waste Of Money

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If you've ever wanted to find a laundry solution that's cheaper and better for sensitive skin than regular laundry detergent, we can't blame you. Should you go looking for one, chances are you'll stumble across a product that claims to completely replace detergent — and best of all, you only have to buy it once. We're talking about magnetic laundry balls or disks.

Wondering what magnets have to do with your laundry? Some companies have created small magnets that attach to the inner walls of your laundry machine. They claim that these magnets are powerful enough to ionize the water during your laundry cycle, which gives the water cleaning powers rivaling that of regular detergent. How are they different than regular magnets, you ask? They're made of "special materials" (via Magnetic Laundry).

Saying that magnets can clean your clothes as well as detergent is a baseless claim. Magnets do not affect water, nor do they ionize it. In a washing machine, they can't remove common laundry stains or lift oil residue, no matter how "special" they may be. The only thing that can completely help you do better laundry is detergent. Its surfactants literally attach to dirt and oil, lifting them away from your garments and allowing buildup to be rinsed away during the cycle. If you only rely on magnets to clean your laundry, you'll be subjecting it to stains and residue that will shorten its lifespan and dull its colors ... and you'll be out $70. 

Part of why these magnetic laundry balls are so convincing is because they claim to have been extensively studied. If you look at the original Magnetic Laundry System, it does claim that its efficiency has been "proven in Independent Laboratory Testing."  The results of these tests are available on the brand's official website. First, the study examined the differences in dye loss between a load of laundry washed in plain water and one washed with the magnet system. The conclusion was that the results were about the same, meaning the magnets did not prevent dye loss any differently than plain water. 

The lab also tested a load of laundry to see if it came out cleaner than it went in when washed only with the magnets and water, and found that it did. However, the issue is that the lab did not include a control sample to compare a wash without the magnets. 

 On its own, water is fairly good at cleaning, especially when paired with a washing machine's agitator. If the lab had conducted a proper study, the results would have demonstrated that laundry washed with water and laundry washed with magnets achieve the same result. K&J Magnetics, Inc. compared laundry washed with plain water to laundry washed with magnets and found the results were the same. It also found that detergent was far more effective than magnets. Water is what's actually making your clothes cleaner, not the magnets.