Should You Put an Empty Plastic Bottle in Your Washing Machine? Here’s What You Need to Know

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Should You Put an Empty Plastic Bottle in Your Washing Machine? Here’s What You Need to Know

Household hacks spread quickly online, and one of the latest trends suggests placing an empty plastic bottle inside your washing machine during a laundry cycle. Supporters claim the bottle helps improve washing performance, reduce wrinkles, or even save water and energy.

But does this trick actually work? The answer is more complicated than many viral posts suggest. While there are theories behind the idea, experts generally recommend using laundry appliances according to the manufacturer’s instructions rather than relying on untested hacks.

Here’s what you should know before trying it.

Where Did the Plastic Bottle Trick Come From?
The idea has circulated on social media and home improvement blogs for years. Different versions of the hack claim that an empty plastic bottle can:

Improve the movement of clothes inside the drum
Help separate laundry during washing
Reduce wrinkles
Increase cleaning efficiency
Save water or detergent
However, there is very little scientific evidence to support these claims.

Does It Actually Improve Washing Performance?
Modern washing machines are carefully engineered to clean clothes through a combination of water, detergent, drum movement, and programmed wash cycles.

Adding a lightweight plastic bottle is unlikely to significantly improve this process.

In some cases, the bottle may simply float, bounce around the drum, or become trapped among clothing without providing any measurable benefit.

Could It Damage the Washing Machine?
Although a small empty plastic bottle may not immediately damage every washing machine, there are potential risks.

Depending on the size and shape of the bottle, it could:

Become lodged between clothing items
Create unnecessary noise
Interfere with normal drum movement
Wear down or crack during repeated use
Manufacturers generally do not recommend placing unrelated objects inside the washing machine unless they are specifically designed for laundry use.

Better Ways to Improve Laundry Results
Instead of relying on internet hacks, consider proven methods for cleaner clothes.

Avoid Overloading the Machine
Clothes need enough room to move freely during the wash cycle.

An overloaded machine reduces cleaning performance and may leave detergent residue behind.

Use the Correct Amount of Detergent
More detergent does not always mean cleaner clothes.

Using too much detergent can create excess suds, leave residue on fabrics, and reduce washing efficiency.

Always follow the detergent manufacturer’s recommendations.

Sort Laundry Properly
Separating clothes by:

Color
Fabric type
Soil level
helps protect garments and improves washing results.

Choose the Right Wash CycleDifferent fabrics require different care.

Selecting the appropriate cycle helps protect delicate items while ensuring heavily soiled clothing receives adequate cleaning.

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My dad raised me on his own after my mom left me behind at 3 months old in his bike basket — 18 years later, she showed up and interrupted my graduation with a shocking claim. My dad never expected to become a father at seventeen. Especially not the night before his high school graduation. According to the story he’s told me my whole life, he was heading home from a late shift when he noticed something unusual leaning against the fence outside his house. His old bike. And in the basket on the front… A BABY. Me. There was a note tucked into the blanket. Just two short sentences. “She’s yours. I can’t do this.” That was the first and last time anyone ever heard from the woman who gave birth to me. My dad didn’t even know she had been pregnant. The next morning, he walked into his graduation ceremony holding his cap and gown in one hand—and me in the other. We have a photo from that day framed in our living room: an overwhelmed 17-year-old boy in a graduation cap holding a three-month-old baby like she might break if he even breathes wrong. But he didn’t run. He didn’t give me away. He raised me. He worked construction, delivered pizzas at night, skipped college, and even learned how to braid hair from YouTube videos. He packed my lunches, helped with homework, and somehow made sure I never felt like the kid whose mom had disappeared. To me, he was always enough. So when my own graduation day came this year, I didn’t bring a boyfriend. I brought HIM. My dad walked me across the football field where the ceremony was held, trying to act tough even though his eyes were already red. Then, right in the middle of the ceremony, a woman suddenly stood up from the crowd. She walked straight toward us. Her eyes locked onto mine. “My God,” she whispered, her voice trembling. She looked at me for a long moment. Then she said quietly, “Before you celebrate today… there’s something about the man you call your father that you don’t know.” (I know you’re curious about what happens next—so if you want to read more, just comment “YES”

My dad raised me on his own after my mom left me behind at 3 months old in his bike basket — 18 years later, she showed up and interrupted my graduation with a shocking claim. My dad never expected to become a father at seventeen. Especially not the night before his high school graduation. According to the story he’s told me my whole life, he was heading home from a late shift when he noticed something unusual leaning against the fence outside his house. His old bike. And in the basket on the front… A BABY. Me. There was a note tucked into the blanket. Just two short sentences. “She’s yours. I can’t do this.” That was the first and last time anyone ever heard from the woman who gave birth to me. My dad didn’t even know she had been pregnant. The next morning, he walked into his graduation ceremony holding his cap and gown in one hand—and me in the other. We have a photo from that day framed in our living room: an overwhelmed 17-year-old boy in a graduation cap holding a three-month-old baby like she might break if he even breathes wrong. But he didn’t run. He didn’t give me away. He raised me. He worked construction, delivered pizzas at night, skipped college, and even learned how to braid hair from YouTube videos. He packed my lunches, helped with homework, and somehow made sure I never felt like the kid whose mom had disappeared. To me, he was always enough. So when my own graduation day came this year, I didn’t bring a boyfriend. I brought HIM. My dad walked me across the football field where the ceremony was held, trying to act tough even though his eyes were already red. Then, right in the middle of the ceremony, a woman suddenly stood up from the crowd. She walked straight toward us. Her eyes locked onto mine. “My God,” she whispered, her voice trembling. She looked at me for a long moment. Then she said quietly, “Before you celebrate today… there’s something about the man you call your father that you don’t know.” (I know you’re curious about what happens next—so if you want to read more, just comment “YES”