What Happens if You Use Expired Laundry Detergent?
Are you noticing that your laundry loads require extra detergent or that your clothes are wearing out quicker than expected?
Those signs might be due to expired laundry detergent. Understanding what happens if you use expired laundry detergent will save you money on detergent, keep your washing machine in working order, and avoid potential health risks.
We’ll teach you everything you need to know in this guide so you can have clean laundry without running into any obstacles.
Does Laundry Detergent Expire?
Let’s answer your burning question: Does laundry detergent expire? Many don’t know that sheets, pods, powders, and liquid detergents have expiration dates. But if you leave an old tub of detergent in your utility room, you’re exposing yourself and your machines to a few risks.
How Long Does Laundry Detergent Typically Last?
Expiration dates for your detergent depend on the type you are using and the ingredients within. It comes in several forms, including liquid, sheets, and pods.
Each product should have a “best if used by” date that you should follow.
- Laundry Sheets: 12 to 24 months
- Laundry Pods: 6 to 12 months
- Liquid Detergents: 9 to 18 months
- Liquid Powders: 18 to 24 months
Note that these dates are generally from when the products are made rather than when you buy them. This could mean you have less time to use your detergent than you think.
The date range is usually due to different ingredients. A simple, eco-friendly detergent without harsh chemicals will likely last longer than a blend with harsh ingredients.
What Causes Laundry Detergent to Expire?
To understand why your detergent’s expiration dates occur, we must answer another question: What is laundry detergent made of?
Every detergent has a blend of enzymes and oils that break down stains, add scents, and use temperature to clear dirt away. These sensitive chemicals are sensitive to outside elements like heat, oxygen, and moisture.
So, even in a secure, cool, dry place, the enzymes within your detergent will slowly deteriorate. Every passing month that comes closer to the expiration date, you’ll notice your laundry a little bit less clean, requiring longer wash times or extra detergent to get the job done.
Signs Laundry Detergent is Past its Prime
The “best by” date on your detergent is a good starting point, but there are also signs that indicate when it has gone bad.
Fresh detergent should smell clean, so if you smell any sour or musty notes, they may have gone bad. You should also look for discoloration, clumped-up particles, and unusual viscosity.
Perhaps the most telling sign is in the clothes themselves. Dirty, smelly clothes, dull colors, and stiff fabrics are some of what happens if you use expired laundry detergent. Any of these signs should prompt you to replace it with fresh detergent.
Can You Use Expired Laundry Detergent? Here’s What Happens if You Use Expired Laundry Detergent…
If you notice signs of expiration, can you use expired laundry detergent, or should you run to the store before your next load?
While some detergents retain their cleaning power well after expiration, it’s best to get replacements promptly to avoid significant issues.
Will it Still Clean Your Clothes?
Can you use expired laundry detergent to clean your clothes?
The answer depends. If by clean, you mean some surface dirt gets washed away, then sure, it can still “clean” your clothes.
The reality of what happens if you use expired laundry detergent is simple: it won’t be nearly as effective as fresh detergent. Deep embedded stains will remain on your clothes, as the typical surfactants and enzymes within your detergent will have long faded away.
If you use old soap, those grass marks, spilled smoothie stains, and dust particles will remain on your clothes.
Over time, this “surface-level” clean starts to hide real problems: your clothes will decay due to embedded particles and oils smaller than your eyes can see. If you notice your wardrobe falling apart, it’s likely for this reason.
Is it Safe for Your Washing Machine and Septic System?
An often overlooked consequence of what happens if you use expired laundry detergent is damage to your washing machine and/or septic tanks.
The carefully balanced formulas in detergent are made to ensure that chemicals won’t prematurely activate and damage metal or pipes.
Even if you use a septic safe laundry detergent, it will often only last as long as the expiration date. Degraded surfactants and particles can clog filters, muck up sensor systems, and get caught in other moving parts.
This causes premature wear and tear on pumps and seals, reducing an appliance’s lifespan by months or even years.
Expired chemicals can also disrupt the micro bacteria in septic tanks, creating sludge or buildup that can damage them.
Health Risks of Using Expired Detergent
Have you ever had a mysterious rash pop up? It’s common for a patient to show up in a doctor’s office complaining of skin irritation, only to realize they’ve caught a rash from laundry detergent.
The degraded chemicals can cause several skin issues like eczema, dermatitis, or itching.
Additionally, detergents are essential for removing allergen particles from clothing, such as dust, pet dander, and pollen.
Expired detergent is less effective at doing so, causing you to deal with unexpected allergy flare-ups.
A Greasy or Musty Smell After Washing
The most embarrassing result of what happens if you use expired laundry detergent is an outright horrid smell. Expired detergent leaves behind leaky surfactants that create a greasy smell when exposed to heat.
It can also create mildew by failing to eliminate harmful bacteria and stains.
That means when you throw your wet, expired detergent-covered laundry in the dryer, you’re immediately creating a nasty smell.
So, can you use expired laundry detergent? We don’t recommend it, as it can leave your clothes messier than when you started.
What to Do With Expired Laundry Detergent
Given what happens if you use expired laundry detergent, your first instinct might be to recycle or throw away any old products.
But depending on the brand, there may be a few other use cases
Can You Use Expired Laundry Detergent for Other Purposes?
You can sometimes use expired sheets or liquid for other cleaning tasks. For example, you can wet your sheets with hot water and use them to wipe down outdoor surfaces like recycling bins, garage floors, or patios.
Keep it away from surfaces with frequent human contact, like your kitchen counter or bedroom.
However, you should dispose of your detergent containing harsh chemicals such as parabens, formaldehyde, phthalates, or synthetic dyes.
Safe Disposal Methods for Old Laundry Detergent
As with alternative use cases, you must understand the ingredients list to identify a safe disposal method.
Trash bags work for most types of old laundry detergent. However, if your products contain harsh ingredients like formaldehyde, you should contact your community’s hazardous waste collection instead.
If you’re using wholly toxin-free and septic-safe sheets, you may be able to dissolve them in hot water in your sink or bathtub, but we recommend putting them in the trash to avoid any issues.
Don’t Take Any Chances, Get Fresh Laundry Detergent Sheets or Pods at Clean People!
You enter your utility room eager to clean your clothes for the coming week. But when you reach for your detergent, you realize something is wrong—the clothes are expired, musty-smelling, or discolored.
That means you need new detergent, which begs the question–where should you go to buy new soap?
Traditional laundry detergents expire sooner than you may think. Harsh chemicals like SLS, sulfates, and plastic jugs degrade quickly, posing a danger to your health, washing machine, and clothing.
At Clean People, we found ourselves exhausted trying to read detergent labels. It felt like you needed a degree in chemistry just to understand what you were putting on your clothing.
That inspired us to create the world’s most eco-friendly, gentle laundry detergent sheets. You don’t need fancy dyes, harsh chemicals, and an ingredient list that takes up an entire page to get your clothes clean.
Our detergents contain only a handful of necessary ingredients, including no phosphates, parabens, optical brighteners, or other harsh chemicals. This makes them completely eco-friendly, safe for allergies, and cruelty-free.
Our sheets are compatible with all types of washing machines, including top-loaders, front-loaders, and HE models for commercial cleaning.
We also sell convenient laundry detergent pods in a variety of scents. Just one pod is enough for an entire load of clothing.
We offer free shipping on every order (even the small ones) across the US and Canada, as well as a money-back guarantee so you can shop confidently. That even includes free returns if you don’t like your chosen scent or want to try a different one.
But with over 1400 verified reviews featuring happy customers, we’re sure you’ll love Clean People detergent.
Final Words on What Happens if You Use Expired Laundry Detergent
Expiration dates are nothing to mess with. Using expired detergent can damage your clothes, irritate your skin, and even mess up your septic tanks or washing appliances.
Most detergent expires within two years, so now is the perfect time if you haven’t bought a new soap.
Clean People has the most eco-friendly and effective laundry sheets. Our detergents have simple ingredient lists without harsh chemicals like formaldehyde, parabens, or SLS, and we use recyclable materials in our packaging instead of harmful plastics.
Check out our store risk-free; we have a money-back guarantee if you aren’t delighted with what we have to offer!
