If you've ever wondered what's the difference between regular laundry detergent and those designated as "High Efficiency," if they are interchangeable and if you could possibly make your own HE detergent to cut the cost, you are not alone. Those are questions that frequently show up in my mailbox.

Dear Mary: First, thank you for your column. I love it! I just inherited several bottles of regular laundry detergent. I have an HE front-loader washer. Is there a way to use or modify regular laundry detergent for HE use? — Christin

Dear Christin: Standard washing machines that use traditional laundry detergent (the type of detergent you've inherited) use up to 23 gallons of water per load. Full-sized energy efficient top-loaders, such as my beloved LG high efficiency top load washer (which I loved and gifted it to my son when we moved into a tiny apartment — another long and lovely story for another time), use about 13 gallons of water per load (saving more than 3,000 gallons of water per year). These types of washers operate much differently than a standard machine. This is one of the reasons that HE detergent is quite different than the standard type of detergent.

So, can you use standard detergent in your HE machine? I must advise you that your owner manual is not likely to support such an idea, potentially putting your warranty at risk. That being said, I will admit that I did use standard detergent from time to time in my LG top-loader that required HE detergent. But I used much less per load because it uses so much less water.

Too much detergent will clog up the machine because the amount of water it uses is not sufficient to rinse it out. That buildup can cause the machine to malfunction and to eventually create an offensive odor.

When I say "less," I mean a lot less. Like one-fourth the amount you might normally use. I measured it in tablespoons, not capfuls. And I diluted it in a large container of water before pouring it into the machine.

Would I do that again? Yes, but not on a regular basis. I want you and all of my readers to know that to do so would be, according to the manufacturer's guidelines, taking a potential risk should the machine require service under its warranty.

Given the potential harm you could do to your machine, you might want to consider re-gifting the detergent to friends, family or a shelter in your area that uses traditional washers. Then make a big batch of my new and improved liquid homemade HE detergent (read on to learn more about that). That way others win and you win, too. I hope that helps. And thanks for loving EC.

Dear Mary: I made up the laundry soap recipe that you published back in 2012. It seems like there is way too much Fels-Naptha soap for the recipe. I bought a similar jar of laundry soap mixture at the local Farmer's Market and the vender did not have nearly as much soap in it. It did quite well in my HE washer. I just want to make sure there wasn't a misprint in your article.

I look forward to your articles each time they are in my local newspaper. Thank you for your diligence and pithy advice. — Cheryle

Dear Cheryle: The recipe for powdered laundry detergent you refer to (1 cup grated Fels-Naptha soap, 1/2 cup Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda and 1/2 cup 20 Mule Team Borax) is correct. It may seem like a lot of Fels-Naptha but keep in mind, you use only 2 tablespoons of the final product per washer load.

Since that column ran more than three years ago, I've discovered a much-improved recipe for homemade liquid laundry detergent, one that does not require Fels-Naptha soap (somewhat difficult to find these days, plus all that grating!) and is also HE compliant. It performs better, too.

Briefly, you mix 3/4 cup Arm & Hammer Washing Soda, 3/4 cup borax and 3/4 cup blue Dawn dishwashing liquid (any variety as long as it is Dawn and it is blue) in a one-gallon container, then fill it the rest of the way with water.

To use: Add 1/8 to 1/4 cup of this beautiful, concentrated liquid detergent to one full load of laundry (depending on your machine's size, age and capacity — a little experimentation will help you determine the exact amount for your machine). It works beautifully in top-loaders as well as front-loading machines. It is HE compliant because it is basically "suds-less" and rinses out very well.

You are going to find it a little tricky to make a full gallon of detergent without creating a mess of suds as you add the water to the container. I've created detailed instructions for how I do this mess-free — complete with a photo tutorial — in "Quick 'n Easy Homemade Laundry Detergent: Update with Tutorial" at EverydayCheapskate.com.

Quite possibly the best thing about this new and improved recipe is that it costs about 5 cents per load, as opposed to 35 to 50 cents per load for commercial brands of HE laundry detergent. I can't wait to hear how it works for you.

Mary invites questions, comments and tips at [email protected], or c/o Everyday Cheapskate, 12340 Seal Beach Blvd., Suite B-416, Seal Beach, CA 90740. This column will answer questions of general interest, but letters cannot be answered individually. Mary Hunt is the founder of www.DebtProofLiving.com, a personal finance member website and the author of "Debt-Proof Living," released in 2014. To find out more about Mary and read her past columns, please visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.