What the suds? One man's laundry hack sparks discourse over detergent measuring cup
A spirited debate washed up recently on social media about how to dispense laundry detergent into the washing machine.
The discussion bubbled up about what you do before you start the washing machine. Do you:
- A) Pour some liquid detergent into the measuring cup then pour that into the machine.
- B) Pour some detergent directly into the machine.
- C) Throw the detergent-filled cap in with the clothes.
The answer to that question sparked a spirited debate after an Australian woman called out her boyfriend online Wednesday for throwing the detergent-filled cap in with the clothes.
"Mental behaviour in the house tonight," wrote a woman in the description accompanying the 15-second TikTok clip, which shows her significant other baffled by the thought that his way of doing the laundry isn't "normal."
"Help?? I just asked my bf where the cap for the detergent is and he said, 'Oh I just fill it up and throw it in?'" the woman wrote over the video in mock horror. "With ALL the clothes??"
The woman's boyfriend, who was "so convinced" it was normal, is later seen searching for a description, or instruction for the use of the cap on the back of the Gain detergent jug.
'1000 percent right': Sides taken in laundry detergent debate
What started as a video documenting a partner's weird behavior online eventually led to thousands of comments, with the bulk of the participants determining the boyfriend's behavior wasn't so weird at all because they do the same thing.
"Girl, don’t make me defend a man," one user wrote.
Most, but not all, found tossing the measuring cup into the wash perfectly acceptable behavior since it not only keeps the cap clean but also doesn't let the last bit of detergent go to waste.
Another wrote: "i have done this my entire life! keeps the cap from getting sticky and gross and you use every last drop of your detergent dose."
Others called the comments agreeing with the boyfriend "crazy," writing that they have never met anyone else who does that or that they rinse the cup with sink water or water from the washer.
"Girl I've NEVER heard of anyone doing this either this blew my mind, are the people in these comments gaslighting," a user wrote.
Someone else wrote: "There's no way this comment section is real. Do you people also bake measuring cups inside your bread?"
The woman, who took the viral video, agreed with those in shock, writing she may have not been familiar with the hack because she's from Australia.
"Genuinely i’ve never met someone who does it but maybe because i’m Australian?"
A few commenters brought up the fact that there's no need to use laundry detergent in excess, that the amount of detergent used per load should not exceed the measurement of the cup.
More reactions to the 'laundry detergent cap' discourse
This story was updated to fix a typo.