If you’re referring to the viral laundry trick: putting an empty plastic bottle in the washing machine can help prevent clothes from clumping together, particularly bulky items like jackets, blankets, or towels.
The basic idea is that the bottle moves around with the laundry and creates extra agitation, helping separate garments and improve circulation of water and detergent.
How to try it
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Use a clean, sturdy plastic bottle with the cap screwed on tightly.
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Make sure it’s empty and has no sharp edges, cracks, or loose pieces.
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Put it in the drum along with the laundry.
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Run your normal wash cycle.
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Remove the bottle afterward and let it dry.
A couple of cautions
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Check your washing machine’s manual first. Some manufacturers don’t recommend adding hard objects to the drum.
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Don’t use a brittle bottle that could crack and leave plastic pieces behind.
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For delicate fabrics, it’s safer to skip the trick.
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A plastic bottle isn’t a substitute for properly loading the machine—overloading is still one of the main causes of poor washing performance.
The trick isn’t magic: any benefit mainly comes from the bottle providing an additional object that moves through the load and helps separate fabrics.
