While retail containers of Downy Unstopables are sold in various package sizes, sample size packs that are good for 1 load give us an indication of how many of the beads you should use each time you do washing.
A single pack of Downy Unstopables laundry beads weighs 1.37 oz and is for one load of laundry. While you can use this amount if desired, you can also experiment by adding more or less depending on how long you’d like the scent to last on your clothing.
Interestingly, you can also find smaller sample packs of 26 grams which is a bit less than 1 oz so the thing to remember with Down Unstopables is that you decide how much to use each time and directly impact how long your container lasts.
You shake the desired amount of beads into your washing machine before loading clothes in so you can control how quickly you use the beads. You can use less beads to make the package last longer and if you’re happy with the scent, you could try reducing the amount next time to make the container last even longer.
So if you find the scent you have on your clothes isn’t strong enough, add more beads next time. Otherwise, you can leave things the same or even put a bit less in your load to see if you notice a difference next time
Downy Unstopables package sizes and expected washes per container
1 pack of Downy Unstopables in trial size format contains 1.37 oz of beads which is for 1 load of laundry. But trial sizes of 26 grams (just under 1 oz) are also available.
The great thing about this product is that in order to achieve the benefit that it offers – a nice scent on your clothes – you can use as little or as much as you like. The product instructions from Downy says “Simply shake a little (or a lot) into the cap” so you can choose exactly how much this is.
Using this info as the yardstick – using both 1.37 oz and 1 oz of beads per laundry load – here are the package sizes for Downy Unstopables that are available and the washes per container (rounded down) you can expect.
| Size of container | Washes using 1.37 oz of beads | Washes using 1 oz of beads |
| 5.7 oz | 4 | 5 |
| 8.6 oz | 6 | 8 |
| 10 oz | 7 | 10 |
| 14.8 oz | 11 | 14 |
| 20.1 oz | 15 | 20 |
| 37.5 oz | 27 | 37 |
Interestingly, an Unstopables container of 30.3 oz with Tide laundry scent is also available and is marketed From Sam’s Club as offering 63 loads of laundry in one container. This would mean a size of .48 oz of beads per laundry load which is significantly less than the 1.37 oz and 1 oz of beads suggested by the trial size packages mentioned above .
When I first tried the trial packs, I actually split 2 packs in half and used them for 4 total laundry loads. I found the results very positive and the scent was noticeable and lasted until the next time I washed the same laundry.
What ingredients in Downy Unstopables provide the nice scent?
Downy Unstopables contains the following ingredients to provide the scent to your clothing:
Polyethylene Glycol – Helps to disperse the perfume of the concentrated beads throughout the water to leave the scent on all clothing you are washing.
Fragrance – Provides freshness to the clothing and leaves the specific scent that you chose. So the fragrance for the Tide product is difference from the Spring option.
Various Colorants – Depending on which scent you choose, the color of the beads will be different. The color that is used for each scent is simply to make the product more appealing to look at and distinguishes it from the other scents that are available.
Since the benefit of Downy Unstopables is the nice scent that it leaves on your clothes after washing them, you can ultimately decide how long you want the scent to last and thus, how much of the beads you use each time.
Quick overview of how best to use Downy Unstopables in your laundry
- Add Downy Unstopables to your empty washing machine before adding your dirty clothes.
- Experiment with how many beads you add to each load to figure out how you like the scent.
- Don’t forget to continue using detergent. Unstopables is not a detergent, just a scent booster.
- Don’t forget to continue using fabric softener if you normally use it. Unstopables is not a fabric softener.
- Don’t forget to continue using dryer sheets if you normally use them. Unstopables is not a dryer sheet replacement.