My friends broke the high-efficiency (H.E.) washing machine in their new apartment last year because they were using too much soap. Alina Tugend at the New York Times says it’s a common problem–one repairman told her that “most people use 10 to 15 times the amount of soap they need.”

Besides making sure you only use detergent made for H.E. washers, here are some other tips from the article:

• Don’t pre-rinse dishes before putting them in a modern dishwasher.
• Don’t worry that your H.E. detergent isn’t sudsing–it’s made not to.
• Clean out the lint below the lint trap in a dryer, and go easy on fabric softener sheets because they can melt and gum up the works.
• Use the self-cleaning mode on your oven more than once per year to avoid a house full of smoke.
• Don’t use the self-cleaning mode on your oven right before a big event, because if your oven is getting ready to break, that’s when it will likely happen.

“For the Dishwasher’s Sake, Go Easy on the Detergent” [New York Times]
Q&A: What’s the best way to load a dishwasher? [Consumer Reports]

Want more consumer news? Visit our parent organization, Consumer Reports, for the latest on scams, recalls, and other consumer issues.