Judging by how long it took the grated soap to melt in the pot, I'm wondering if the powder would leave little bits of gooey soap on the clothes in the washing machine? I think that might be a valid concern, Nicole. And it doesn't "melt" as well in hard water, which I have. I think I will stick with the liquid form. Joann, my front loader calls for the "HE" detergents, and I put the homemade liquid in the dispenser in the top. No goopiness there. The water fills thru the dispenser & thus rinses out the dispenser. I would think if there is a problem with it not all getting out of the dispenser into the wash tub, it would happen regardless of if the detergent were liquid or dry.

Most of the time stiffness is due to laundry detergent build up or hard water conditions. It can also occur with lack of breeze. Laundry flapping in the wind is less stiff due to the fabric constantly moving. I live in a hard water area and still hang my clothes outside. I do not mind the stiffness, even in my towels and have not found the stiff towels to be less absorbent. In fact, I read somewhere, can't remember where, that still fabric is actually good for your skin as it exfoliates there in by keeping your skin healthier. Besides most stiffness goes away with wear and/or use. As for the smell of the clothing line dried, it has been my experience that unless you use a heavily perfumed detergent, the fresh air pretty much removes any scent. Now if you live in an area where the air stinks, then you may end up with that smell on your clothes. I had a prob with that a while back due to a near by resturant and all their greasy smelling cooking. My clothes were smelling like old hamburgers. Thank God they moved their business else where and I have had no further problems. Detergent build up and using fabric softner can make your clothes smell nasty too depending on what you are using, aka ingredients in them. Type of fabric can have a factor as to scent too. On a final note regarding odor in lined dried fabrics, many people are so use to the smell they get from detergents or their driers, which actually alters the smell of clothes even washed in perfume free detergents, that they have absolutely no idea what actual fresh clothing smells like. Clothes washed in a scent free detergent and then put in the drier smell different from those that are lined dried. Once you learn what an actual outdoor fresh smell is, the rest is a piece of cake.

It's always a good idea to have a drain pan especially in your circumstance (the Thin Twin should have had one.) Murphy's law states "if you add a drain pan, it will never be needed. If you do not add a drain pan, you will need one soon." You can tether the Bosch to the wall with a strap (a short rubber strap)near the mid point of the unit. The point on the wall should be into a stud if at all possible. In addition to an anti vibration pad (designed for laundry machines), I personally would prefer this more aggressive measure. Here's something you might try (I like the strap/pad idea better). The site below has a product you might want to look at. Even if you don't want that particular product, it gives you and idea what to look for related to vibration and walking. http://www.asistorefront.com/p-216-vibe-away-washing-machine-anti-vibration-pads.aspx

I have a laundry chute original to the house. There were two doors to the chute when we bought the house, one upstairs in the hall bath & one on the main level next to the kitchen. I added an angled chute from the master bath that ties into the one in the hall bath. (There was dead space behind the shower in the master.) Used a section of HVAC metal ducting. Sometimes, the dirty laundry from the master bath needs a little extra push to get it down the angled chute. I 'feed' bulky items like sheets into it until gravity kicks in. Smaller items get 'tossed' with a bit of force. The angled section is fairly short--around 3' in length before it ties into the vertical drop from the hall bath. When we bought the house, the chute openings were just that--holes in the wall. I built some small doors for all of them. Chutes are great; save a lot of steps and get the stinky laundry out of the room. Great low tech/ no tech intercom system, too. I can be in the master bedroom & easily converse with anyone in the basement.