You may be doing your laundry wrong, according to one cleaning expert.
Melissa Pateras, who shares tips on her popular TikTok account, says common laundry mistakes can cost you money and ruin your washing machine and dryer.
One common misconception, she says, is that fabric softeners and dryer sheets are necessary.
"You are not supposed to be using fabric softener, it creates a chemical layer on your clothing and on your linens, it's not good for your machine," Pateras told CTV's Your Morning on Friday. "Dryer sheets are not good for your dryer because over time, that chemical sticks to the sensors making it difficult for your dryer to know whether your clothes are dry or not."
In a demonstration, Peteras showed how one cloth is less absorbent after being washed with fabric softener. Instead, she suggests people add a quarter cup of vinegar for softness and scent beads for the smell.
"Save your money, save your clothes, save your machine, you don't need that," Pateras said of softeners and dryer sheets.
When using laundry detergent, Pateras said the recommended labelling is far more than needed for a load. According to her, people only need one to two tablespoons of detergent instead.
"We have been programmed to believe that we need more detergent because more detergent equals more clean and detergent companies love it because the more we use the more we buy," she said. "But I promise you, you only need two tablespoons in any load."
To hear all of Pateras' tips, click the video at the top of this article.
