What’s the Palm Trick for Loading a Washing Machine?

Not many people look forward to laundry day. It can be tempting to shove as many of your dirty clothes into the drum of your washing machine as possible. It saves water and time, right Unfortunately, filling the drum too full might not actually clean your clothes properly.

Thankfully, if you don’t know how to load a washing machine the right way, the palm trick can help.

According to the laundry experts at Tide, you can easily check to see if your washing machine is overloaded by placing your hand into the drum. If your hand fits between your clothes and the wall of the drum, the load size is perfect!

If you can’t, it’s best to remove an article or two. If you have extra room, you might be able to add a few pieces to save water.

So, what’s the big deal? Why should you care about having the right load size every time you do laundry? First, overloading your drum could decrease the efficiency of your washer. It could cause it to work harder and burn out quickly.

In addition to being hard on your machine, over-filling your drum makes it harder for the clothes inside to “jostle” around the way they should. If everything is in a tight mass, the clothes won’t be able to move around and get properly cleaned. They also might not rinse properly, leaving a film on the fibers.

While it might seem easier to pack your washing machine to the brim, you really won’t be doing yourself—or your clothes—any favors. Use the palm trick to get the perfect load size, and your clothes will look and smell great.