Toss Your Dirty Detergent Cap In With The Laundry

After you do a few loads of laundry, the measuring cap for your detergent can get all gunked up and sticky. If you’re tired of that, you can give it a thorough cleaning with your next load of laundry.

Photo: Lisa Brewster

[referenced url=”https://www.lifehacker.com.au/2017/12/where-to-put-clothes-that-are-not-quite-dirty-and-not-quite-clean/” thumb=”https://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/t_ku-large/omnnp4z6d3uoazabq6mw.jpg” title=”Where To Put Clothes That Are Not Quite Dirty And Not Quite Clean” excerpt=”What do you do with pair of jeans that you could wear a couple more times? How about a tee that you donned for only an hour? A sweatshirt that isn’t quite dirty enough to be laundered, but isn’t pristine, either? These, as it turns out, are burning questions on Ask Metafilter and people have strong opinions.”]

Redditor bluechris11 suggests you take that grody-looking detergent cap and toss it in the washing machine with your clothes. Just dump in the detergent you need, then plop the cap in there. By the time your clothes are done spinning, the cap will be looking like new.

There are some things, however, to keep in mind when you do this. For one, this tip is best for folks with those newfangled front-loading washers that lock down once you start a cycle. If you have an older washer that allows you to open the lid while it’s being filled with water, you can just rinse the cap out in that.

Also, this isn’t ideal when you’re doing loads of delicates or other easily damaged clothing. The plastic might get caught on something and tear it, or cut really soft fabrics.

Lastly, be sure to shake out each item of your laundry when you move the load from the washer to the dryer. You don’t want that plastic to melt in the high heat cycle.