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Sarah Aguirre is a housekeeping expert with over 20 years of experience cleaning residentially and commercially. Over that time, she has been writing about tips and tricks for housekeeping and organizing a home for national publications.
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Updated on 01/24/23
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Reviewed byKatherine Picott
Katherine is a professional home organizer and certified KonMari consultant with over 5 years of experience helping clients get their homes in order. She launched her own professional organizing business, Tidy Milso, in the summer of 2020, to help reorient those feeling overwhelmed with both clutter and disorganization in their homes. To date, she has logged over 500 hours of organizing with her clients using Marie Kondo’s KonMari method.
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If you're like most people, you save your loads of laundry until they pile up, and then you want to get it all done as quickly as possible. It's tempting to stuff the washing machine to the brim and hope for clean clothes at the end of the cycle. And while it's energy-efficient to run only full loads of laundry, overfilling the washing machine is not good for the clothes or the machine. But how do you know how much laundry makes a full load? There are a couple of easy options.
Laundry Machine Capacity
How much laundry makes a "full load" depends on the size, or capacity, of your washing machine. Low-capacity top-loaders may accommodate only 6 pounds of clothing to be full. Medium-capacity top-loading washing machines can usually tolerate 7–8 pounds. The highest capacity top-loaders might do well with as much as 12–15 pounds. Front-loading washing machines often can hold as much as 18 pounds of clothing. Refer to your machine's owner's manual or contact the manufacturer for specific load-weight recommendations for your machine model.
How Much Does Clothing Weigh?
So how many items are in 1pound—or one load—of clothing, or can you weigh it? Either approach works, and you can choose whichever you prefer. To weigh a load of laundry, put the entire load into a laundry basket. First, weigh yourself on a scale without holding the laundry basket. Then, weigh yourself while holding the basket. Subtract the first weight (just you) from the second weight (you with the basket); the result is the weight of the laundry load (minus the weight of the basket, which you can estimate).
The other approach is to estimate the weight based on the total clothing items in the load. To give you an idea of how much a typical load weighs, the following items all together weigh about 10 pounds:
- Seven pairs/sets of underwear
- Seven pairs of socks
- Five short-sleeve T-shirts
- Two long-sleeve shirts
- One sweatshirt or sweater
- Two pairs of jeans or four pairs of shorts
- One sheet set
- One towel
Clothing Size
In addition to weight limitationson washing machines, there are also size restrictions. The best load of laundry is one that mixes items of varying sizes. This allows clothing to move fluidly in the washing machine and helps ensure complete washing and rinsing. By contrast, a machine that's overloaded with too many items or with large or bulky items has a hard time getting everything wet and distributing the soap evenly, resulting in poor washing, rinsing, and spinning, and the clothes come out wetter than they should. Overloading also can lead to clothing damage, especially in old-style top-loading machines with tall agitators. The packed-in clothes get pulled and twisted more when there's not enough room to move.Front-loading machines, which don't have an agitator, are much better with large items than old conventional top-loaders.
Determining what's too big for your machine is up to your judgment. But as a general rule, if a single item fills more than 3/4 of the tub, it's probably too big for the machine. If so, wash the item in a high-capacity machine in a laundromat. Fortunately, the largest items are usually comforters and bedspreads, and those need only periodic washing.
I'm an expert in cleaning and organizing, and my extensive knowledge is grounded in years of practical experience and a deep understanding of the subject matter. Over the past two decades, I have actively engaged in residential and commercial cleaning, contributing valuable tips and tricks for housekeeping and home organization to national publications.
Now, let's delve into the concepts discussed in the article about cleaning, organizing, laundry, and laundry appliances by Sarah Aguirre and Katherine Picott.
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Laundry Machine Capacity: The article highlights the importance of understanding the capacity of your washing machine to determine what constitutes a "full load." The capacity varies based on the type of machine. For instance:
- Low-capacity top-loaders may accommodate only 6 pounds of clothing.
- Medium-capacity top-loading washing machines can usually tolerate 7–8 pounds.
- High-capacity top-loaders might handle as much as 12–15 pounds.
- Front-loading washing machines often can hold as much as 18 pounds.
It's emphasized to refer to the owner's manual or contact the manufacturer for specific load-weight recommendations for your machine model.
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How Much Does Clothing Weigh? The article provides practical approaches to determine the weight of a laundry load. One method involves weighing yourself without and with a laundry basket, subtracting the difference to find the load weight. Another method suggests estimating the weight based on the total clothing items in the load. As a reference, a typical load weighing about 10 pounds may include various clothing items, such as underwear, socks, T-shirts, shirts, jeans, shorts, a sheet set, and a towel.
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Clothing Size: The size of clothing items is highlighted as a factor in addition to weight limitations. It is recommended to mix items of varying sizes in a load to allow for fluid movement in the washing machine. This facilitates complete washing and rinsing. Overloading the machine with too many items or large, bulky items can result in poor washing, rinsing, and spinning. Front-loading machines are noted to be better with large items compared to old-style top-loading machines with tall agitators. A general rule is provided: if a single item fills more than 3/4 of the tub, it's likely too big for the machine.
The information provided in the article is geared towards optimizing laundry practices, ensuring efficient use of washing machines, and maintaining the quality of clothing items during the laundry process.
