In some cases, the best way to solve major problems is to use more cleaning supplies. This is not the case with laundry. Even if the recommended amount of washing powder seems to be insufficient, it is best to follow the instructions on the container. Adding too much soap to the washing machine will prevent your clothes from becoming clean, or worse: make them dirtier than they originally were.

As reported by Apartment Therapy, detergent manufacturers warn against using more products than recommended. According to Tide, too much detergent can cause too much foam, which may be the opposite of the soap formula. Soapy water sometimes acts as a cushion between clothes. When there are too many of them, they prevent the clothes from rubbing against each other in the washing machine and are as clean as possible.

These bubbles can also collect dirt falling from the clothes. If soapy water is trapped in hard-to-reach folds of clothes—such as pockets or undersides of shirt collars—any bacteria they carry will stay there and rot.

Modern washing machines are designed to rinse off detergent, so if you find excess soap on your clothes, it may indicate that you are using too much soap. Your machine may also work harder to wash away excess foam, causing the pump and motor to wear out faster.

The best way to avoid excessive soaping of laundry is to pay attention to the filling line on the inside of the detergent cover. If you still notice remaining foam within the recommended dosage range, try adding less detergent next time-and check if your machine is operating properly.

Before throwing clothes into the washing machine, it is best to deal with difficult-to-clean stains. For example, fabrics stained with grease can be pretreated with a small amount of detergent. Here are more tips on cleaning tricky laundry mess without using too much detergent.