by Specop_007 » Tue 15 Feb 2005, 07:35:08
$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('gg3', 'S')eriously though, there is something to be gained in terms of conservation and efficiency, by adjusting detergent usage downward.
Detergent makers are primarily concerned with living up to claims about cleaning power. Thus the amounts of detergent they recommend per load are adjusted to be on the high side. This means that all the detergent doesn't quite come out in the rinse cycle (or requires more rinses, i.e. more water and electricity). Since detergents are tested to be relatively non-allergenic, the presence of residual detergent in your clothes isn't irritating to most people.
I've given this some thought since it has implications for water/electricity usage, and since the majority of commercial detergents are in some way petroleum-derived. There seems to be no substitute for personal judgement, largely subjective: based on experience using a particular brand of detergent, with different sized loads at different degrees of "dirtiness."
The potential savings are greater than 50% for detergent (i.e. using half or less-than-half the manufacturer's recommended amount). And, theoretically, it should be possible to get full cleaning ability *and* extract all the residual detergent via one spin immediately after the wash cycle, followed by one soak/rinse cycle (rather than two), followed by a final spin-dry. The energy and water savings come from eliminating the need for a second soak/rinse cycle and the third spin cycle that would follow.
Interesting ideas....
Any impromptu testing data?