How many laundry strips do you need per wash?
How many laundry strips do you need per wash?
Just switched to POWR laundry strips, or about to start? Then this is probably your first question: how many strips do I actually put in the drum? Good news: dosing with laundry strips is a lot easier than lugging around a dosing cap of liquid detergent or a scoop of powder. In this blog you'll find out exactly how many you need, by load weight and by type of laundry.
The simple rule: look at your load weight
For an average wash there is a clear rule of thumb. The amount depends on the weight of your laundry and how dirty it is.
| Laundry | Weight | POWR strips |
|---|---|---|
| Small or lightly soiled load | up to 3 kg | ½ strip |
| Normal load | up to 6 kg | 1 strip |
| Large or heavily soiled load | up to 9 kg | 1.5 to 2 strips |
POWR laundry strips are easy to tear in two along the perforation. Measuring out a half dose is simply a matter of tearing, with no guesswork with caps.
Did you know?
With a pack of 40 strips you can do 40 washes if you use a whole strip every time. If you use half a strip for your small loads, you can easily get 50 to 60 washes out of it. That way you never overdose, and it's kinder to your wallet.
Dosage by type of laundry
Not every wash is the same. Here are a few specific situations where you adjust the standard rule:
Bedding, sheets and towels
Always use a whole strip here, even if it isn't heavily soiled. These textiles are heavy and absorb a lot of water, so they need more detergent to come out evenly clean. Don't cram your machine too full: it's better to wash twice than to overfill one drum.
Delicate fabrics: silk, wool, lingerie
Half a strip is enough. These fabrics are usually not heavily soiled and benefit from a gentle wash. Washing by hand? Dissolve half a strip in lukewarm water, let your clothes soak for about fifteen minutes and then rinse carefully.
Sportswear or workwear
Always use a whole strip here, sometimes one and a half. Sweat, dirt and stubborn odours call for the full cleaning power. Half a strip falls short here.
Do you have hard water? Add an extra half strip
In large parts of Belgium and the Netherlands the tap water is hard, which means it contains a lot of limescale and minerals. Those minerals can weaken the performance of your detergent, so your laundry comes out less fresh.
The solution is simple: add an extra half strip if you have hard water. It's also best to rinse with slightly cooler water, which helps limit limescale residue.
Where do you put the laundry strip: drum or detergent drawer?
In the drum, behind the laundry. That's the standard. The strip comes into contact with water as soon as the machine starts and dissolves completely. No residue in the filter or on your clothes.
There are two situations where it's better to put the strip in the detergent drawer:
- With an extra full drum, where the strip could otherwise get stuck between the laundry.
- At low wash temperatures (below 30°C), so the strip is sure to get enough water to dissolve completely before the cycle starts.
Using a prewash? Then put the strip in the drawer too, so the detergent is released at the right moment.
Which POWR strip for which laundry?
Besides the amount, the right variant matters too. POWR has three strips, recognisable by their colour:
- Orange for coloured laundry. Your everyday strip for T-shirts, jeans and coloured textiles.
- Blue for white laundry. Keeps whites bright without chlorine or bleach.
- Purple for dark laundry. Cleans thoroughly without dulling the dark shade.
Not sure which one you need? Go for the orange. It works for most of an average wash day.
View the full range of POWR laundry strips →
The 4 most common dosing mistakes
- Too little for dirty laundry. Half a strip is fine for everyday washing, but not for heavily soiled sportswear or workwear. Use a whole strip then, otherwise odours and stains will stay.
- Overloading the drum. Even with the right dose, you won't get clean laundry if your drum is jam-packed. Clothes need room to move. Rule of thumb: your hand should still fit easily between the laundry and the top of the drum.
- Ignoring hard water. Do you live in an area with hard water and does your laundry not come out of the machine quite fresh? Then it's often not down to the product, but to the dosage. Add half a strip.
- Not sorting by level of dirt. Sort your laundry not only by colour, but also by how dirty it is. Lightly soiled clothes go together with half a strip, heavily soiled laundry separately with a whole one. That way you always use just enough.
