MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – I don’t think laundry is anyone’s favorite thing, but we all deal with it — and you’ve got questions about it.

Kris Hanson in Minneapolis asked: What’s the difference between high-efficiency and regular laundry detergent?

Kris, I had no idea how much work laundry detergent has to do. It foams up, removes stains and then keeps that dirt suspended in the water so it doesn’t get the clothes dirty again.

High-efficiency detergent is specifically designed for newer, high-efficiency washers.

High-efficiency washers use way less water than the old-style agitator units. Because of that the detergent has to be less sudsy, so it doesn’t overwhelm the water.

It also has to have a different chemistry to keep the dirt suspended in that low water volume.

(Note: You can use regular detergent in those high-efficiency washers. It won’t hurt your machine, but it won’t work as well as high-efficiency detergent would.)

TJ saw me at the State Fair and asked: Why do my socks keep disappearing in the wash?

We’ve all fallen victim to the missing sock phenomenon. But there are a couple places you can look inside the laundry system. Sometimes socks get stuck in the agitator, and on newer machines you can often just pull that part out.

Sometimes they get stuck in the sliding seal, which is a rubber barrier by the door.

I’ve also found socks in the drain pipe or in the exhaust tube.