How full the machine should be

Short answer: A machine filled to about three quarters washes best. If it is packed full, water cannot circulate freely, and the clothes end up neither clean nor gently treated, whatever program you choose.

Your hand should fit on top

You should be able to lay a flat hand on top of the clothes in the drum without pressing down. If there is no room for that, the machine is too full. See bamboo clothing for women for fabrics where correct loading makes a clear difference.

An overfull machine wears more

When clothes cannot move freely, they rub against each other instead of against the water. That creates lint, pilling and unnecessary wear on both knitwear and finer fabrics over repeated washes.

A too empty machine is wasteful

A quarter filled machine uses nearly as much water and power as a half filled one. Better to wait until there is a reasonable load, unless you have a single urgent item you need soon.

Water needs to circulate freely

The point of the drum's movement is for water and detergent to reach all the way around every item. See bamboo t-shirt for women for thin fabrics where poor circulation shows most clearly as streaks or spots.

Mix large and small items together

Feel free to mix large and small items in the same wash, since that balances better in the drum than only large or only small things. A mixed load moves more evenly and lowers the risk of uneven spinning.

Bedding needs special attention

Duvets and large towels take up a lot of room and should be washed with fewer other items, even when the weight seems right. Large areas of fabric take up more drum space than their weight alone suggests.

Overloading also damages the machine

Beyond the clothes, a constantly overloaded machine puts more strain on bearings and motor over time. See bamboo underwear for women for finer fabrics where both machine and clothes suffer from too tight a load.

How to judge it quickly

Open the door and look at how much room is left at the top of the drum after loading. If there is still air and room to move, you are within three quarters. If the drum is packed solid, take something back out.

A habit that pays off

Judging the load correctly only takes a moment, but it saves time, power and the clothes' lifespan over months and years. It is one of the simplest habits to change with the biggest effect.