What is 'HE' laundry detergent?

Answer 1

HE stands for High Efficiency. These detergents have been designed to work in high-efficiency washers, which is a certain kind of washer that has been designed to use less water.

Answer 2

What is HE high efficiency detergent and when is it used?
Can just any detergent be used in front load washers? Washer manufacturers recommend 'he' detergents be used in their front load and high efficiency washers, is this necessary?
A. Washer manufacturers recommend that only 'HE' high efficiency detergents be used in their front load and high efficiency washers, and most will even recommend a particular brand of HE detergent.

There is a good reason for using detergent that is specially formulated for these newer front load washers. HE detergent is a concentrated laundry soap that is low-sudsing especially for use with low water high efficiency washers.

If regular detergents were to be used in front-loading and high efficiency washers, the presence of too much suds could 'confuse' washing cycles, cause delays and make proper rinsing of clothes difficult.

Similar to why dish detergent does not work well in a dishwasher which requires specially formulated no-sudsing dishwasher detergent, performance can be severely affected by the use of improper detergents in low water washing machines.

HE detergents can readily be found where regular laundry soap is sold - look for the 'HE' symbol the next time you shop.

Answer 3

Adding to drshorty's comment.

HE detergents are concentrated and produce less suds compared to conventional detergents. HE detergents are often used with front-load washing machines - if you used a conventional detergent, you could have a lot of suds which may leak from the door seal.

From Tide's website:
Tide® HE 2X Concentrated Liquid has more active ingredients in every drop, so you can use less. One small cap can get a whole load clean. Plus you get the same number of loads in a smaller, more convenient bottle.

Using traditional detergent in an HE washing machine can cause excess suds. Excess suds could lead to washer problems, and just using a smaller dose of regular detergent won't solve the problem. According to the Soap and Detergent Association Tide HE is a low-sudsing formula. Only the use of an HE detergent ensures the proper performance of your washer.


Since HE washers use less water to clean, the water is dirtier. Tide HE has special dirt capturing ingredients to help suspend dirt and dyes in the water, which helps keep them from re-depositing on your clean laundry.

Answer 4

"HE" stands for "High Efficiency".
This is a formulation designed specifically for "High Efficiency" clothes washers, such as frontloaders and the Calypso. The tumbling/showering actions of these machines tend to generate a lot of suds, and excessive amounts of suds in the drum can hamper the wash action (by cushioning the clothes). In extreme cases, the suds can build up to such a degree that they overflow the drum, and wind up oozing out the dispenser drawer or top or back of the machine (not unlike the situation resulting from putting hand dishwashing detergent in an automatic dishwasher)!
Thus, the most important characteristic of an HE laundry detergent is a low level of sudsing. High-quality HE detergents may also have additional properties beneficial to HE washers, such as dye-transfer inhibitors.
Although use of HE detergents is highly recommended in frontloaders, it's not strictly necessary to use brands that carry the HE label. A low-sudsing "conventional" formula can also give good results, depending on the hardness of the local water supply and the level of soiling in the washload. The chief advantage of very low-sudsing detergents is that one can add greater amounts for improved cleaning of tough loads, without fear of oversudsing. While it is of course possible to use reduced amounts of ANY detergent in a frontloader (to limit the amount of suds buildup), the resultant cleaning performance may be less than optimal.

Answer 5

Obviously a product that will jump out of the box and take care of the laundry itself.

Answer 6

its some of persons doing washing business wise its called that