Last winter we had a washer/dryer maintenance man out to our house about four times before we realized that we had a sneakily-wedged Elsa sock stuck in our washer’s drain. Over the course of those visits, I spent some time talking with the man disassembling our washing machine. I learned a handful of really useful tidbits:

1. Too much soap is as much trouble as too much laundry in one load–newer washing machines are built to sense bubbles and will rinse (and rinse and rinse until it doesn’t detect too many suds). *Pay close attention to high efficiency instructions.

2. Fabric softener builds up in your washing machine & dryer (as it is made out of waxy agents which are what makes clothing smooth and wrinkle-resistant). It also builds up on your clothing and skin, and may lead to a variety of unpleasant side effects.

3. If you make one change to your laundry routine, he said, switch to dryer balls to prevent cling as well as the coating of both your washer and dryer (liquid fabric softener or dryer sheets), as well as your personal exposure to a variety of harmful chemicals.

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