I’ve never been unsatisfied with our laundry results (even with my running clothes), but I’ll refer to the tips here if needed in future. It’s interesting to read the other suggestions. I retired this summer and and my major efforts are declutter (including a bunch of stuff moved hastily from my mother’s apartment this summer) and gotta-do tasks. But someday I hope that my husband and I can start up some good cleaning routines.
I think everyone is using too much laundry detergent and/or fabric softener. We had a repairman fixing our front loader and he could tell that we were using too much detergent from a line running down the front of the machine (I think he called it the “trail of shame” or something like that). Since then we use about a tablespoon of liquid detergent per load.
A few drops of bleach added to a white load works better for me than more detergent.
Seventh generation, no perfume detergent absolutely works best for me, but I really think it depends on your water.
ETA
The only product that removes hard water stains from my toilets
Throwing in a colorcatcher also helps with dingy-ness. It’s amazing how much dye comes out of things, even with cold water, and to the extent it gets picked up by other items, the colors can dull.
It’s no answer to the yellowing from body oils, etc., but I think it helps.
But oxi-clean for the whites does. But extra steps like bathtub soaking? Not happening in my house! I love the idea of a sparkling home but it pretty much stays an idea in my life.
Hmm… I may use too much laundry detergent (especially when I use the tablets with no small-load option). But we are OK on the fabric softener risk - we’ve have never used it. That may be why no complaints on laundry, but more likely we just lucked out with decent water.
I am so much happier with the bare minimum on my kitchen counters. We keep out the coffee maker, a fruit bowl, and paper towels & hand soap by the sink. That’s it. It just doesn’t take that long to stash something in the cabinets. And, it forced me to get rid of small appliances an such that I just was not using. If I can’t hide it, I don’t buy it. No knife blocks, no canisters. Nothing like that.
I also started following Gocleanco on Insta during the pandemic. I have mostly enjoyed it, but like others, the laundry stripping just seems to be too much effort. I was disappointed in the Dawn Power Wash they featured this week. I was hopeful it would help with hard water spots, but it did not. Seemed to be good for soap scum, however. For hard water spots, I read a hack (here, I think?? On a different thread? Might have even been one I started) for using a mix of half blue Dawn and half vinegar with 0000 grade steel wool. It worked great. My biggest challenge is trying to figure out how to rinse our shower door because it has a gap under it. So I just can’t throw/spray water on it.
Thanks for the Shaws pad recommendation above. We have a hard water ring from a million years on the toilet at our family cabin. I’m going to give it a try
My skin reacts to isothiazolinones (MI/MCI) in liquid soaps, shampoos, detergents, etc., so I buy sensitive skin products and read labels obsessively.
For laundry I add Borax and use about half the suggested amount of detergent then do a second rinse. Some things get white vinegar added to the rinse cycle. When I feel the need for fabric softener, I use an unscented type and dilute it in a pitcher then add it after the rinse cycle begins.
I have started to use wool dryer balls instead of fabric softener sheets because I have somehow acquired a lot of “performance fabric” type clothes with instructions not to use fabric softener. I really like how the dryer balls work on things like sheets and towels; they dry faster and more evenly. I just leave them in the dryer all the time and I have not bought fabric softener sheets for a year.
Interesting feedback @NJSue. Perhaps this idea belongs in Stocking Stuffers thread too 
I do not like fabric softener sheets and very rarely use them. Possibly I tear one in half if I am drying a load of flannel sheets or a lot of fleece.
I use the wool dryer balls all the time. I put a drop of lavender essential oil on them and it lightly scents the clothes. I can’t stand the artificial smell of dryer sheets plus the buildup they cause.
Another dryer balls fan. I also do lavender essential oil on them when I think of it. You can find them online - I got mine at Trader Joes.
Are the dryer balls super noisy? We live in a condo, and our laundry closet is right in the middle of it.
What my grandmother claimed is: it’s not just sun bleaching that whitens, but laying the whites on the grass or green bushes. Maybe some cholorophyll reaction?
My mother is the one who told me you can get away with half the amount of detergent. We’ve always done it that way.
The endorsement of Meyers may get me to try it.
@lookingforward – laying out the whites flat would allow for more direct sun but chlorophyll would do nothing.
My dad said less detergent is better and I agree–I always use half the amount called for.
On dryer ball noise…our dryer is in the basement so it’s not an issue nor have I paid a lot of attention. But I imagine they will make some noise! Mine are a little lighter and a little smaller than a tennis ball. I usually put 3 in a load.
The wool dryer balls do make some noise. Our laundry room is off the kitchen and next to the dining room/now office. I’ve stopped using them mostly because of the constant teams meetings from the dining room. They aren’t terrible but definitely make some noise. We do have a door to the laundry room which can be closed and that helps a lot.
We don’t have a laundry room - just a closet. And it is near our kitchen and dining area. There is a bathroom in between it and the 3rd bedroom we use as an office, but since it’s just a closet, I leave the door open when we are using them. As intriguing as they are, I think I better pass. Thanks for the info!
Any suggestions for mold in a tile shower? Before Covid I used a product (I can’t remember the name) once a week, and then another spray daily. The once a week spray isn’t available anymore. I tried another brand and it isn’t working that well. There is a window in the bathroom and I run the vent fan. I am not sure what I am doing wrong.
@Hoggirl I used my wool dryer balls today and really listened to the sound. This is my inexpert findings.
Towels, almost no extra sound. Could not tell any difference with or without.
Other laundry, shirts, pants and such. Louder, I can definitely hear them