not the dispenser is being held level while filling it this is also important to accurate measurement after filling and closing the valve 42 dispenser 10 is gently placed in the washer prior to starting the wash cycle when the wash water rises dispenser 10 floats in the wash water buoyancy helps prevent dispenser 10 from becoming entrapped in clothing or being battered by the extended agitator fins of the washer below the water level although dispenser 10 employs a flexible chain and pull ring and a completely recessed valve member to minimize the chance of premature opening in the wash cycle excessive clothing or agitator contact is nonetheless undesirable since severe collisions tend to cause the dispenser to open prematurely if this happens the product fluid is lost with the wash water and is not available for the rinse cycle as desired dispenser 10 is preferably shaped like a barrel and has a length greater than its circular cross section so that its most stable orientation is at rest on a side 14 rather than on an end fig2 shows how the dispenser 10 may position itself by resting against the innermost surface of the washer 39 s drum 60 during a spin cycle a side 14 contacts the drum 60 during the spinning cycle which follows the washing cycle in this orientation the centrifugal force of the spinning drum acting on cantilevered weight 30 generates a bending moment at valve 42 the bending moment required to open the valve 42 is relatively predictable as a function of drum rpm if valve housing 20 were resting against the drum during the spin cycle the centrifugal force would act to hold.