I sometimes have that problem and I think it's because I overfill the cup. Try to fill it to just below the gray insert.

Hi
I do not have a GE harmony, I have a whirlpool duet . wanted to share in case it may help........
I also add vinegar to the softener cup, I fill to the line. When I use Borax, I add it right to the soap cup mixed in with the soap. I am not sure if this is the "right" way , but this is how I have been doing it.. the complications of laundry..lol
Ree

I usually see post on different forums where people are adding 1 cup to their rinse cycle. I don't think that the softener cup holds 1 cup. What if I add it after it fills up with the water? My hubbie is missing the fabric sheet smells on his clothes LOL. I tried to explain to him that I am trying to be as chemical free when doing the wash. I hate using Spray N' Wash because it has a horrible smell and makes the whole load smell that way, what is a good alternative?
Thanks for the info!!!

maxaraxa
I have a front loader, so I can't add it to the rinse cycle, so I use the FS cup. I have heard you can do that.(add one cup to rinse cycle) Shaklee sells natural, fragrance free fabric softener sheets.. I use natural laundry detergent. I find your clothes really does not need fabric softener when using natural products. (only if you really feel you need it) when using reg. detergent, it has a lot of chemicals in it, which makes the clothes stiff..so therefore we need fabric softener (another chemical to soften the first chemical up..lol) I use two brands of laundry detergent. One is CharlieÂs soap. the other is Shaklee Fresh Laundry Concentrate Powder. As far as fighting stains, I use Nature Bright Laundry Booster and Stain Remover..it works WONDERFUL!!!!! You can treat stains directly, and add it right to your wash. My daughter just got permanent black marker on her new "webkins" she was so up set, crying and wanted a new one.. I wet the spot, used shaklee laundry powder, then I took Nature bright and really rubbed it in, let it sit and it came out! I was amazed!! Nothing has ever removed permanent marker. Try it and throw away your spray & wash.. (smile)
I hope this was some help.. If you decide to try any of these products, let me know..I would like to hear how you like them. Here is a link to Shaklee dryer sheets..you can also look at their laundry powder and nature bright.
Ree

Here is a link that might be useful: Fragrance Free Dryer Sheets

You can add a few drops of essential oil to the vinegar to give your sheets a nice smell. Also, make sure you wait to add the vinegar to the rinse cycle (if you do it manually). Vinegar cuts grease and soap so if you add it too soon you'll negate the effects of the soap.

ree ree said: "when using reg. detergent, it has a lot of chemicals in it, which makes the clothes stiff..so therefore we need fabric softener (another chemical to soften the first chemical up..lol)"

Almost sounds like getting a perm lol!!

I will try those laundry products. You can only get them online?

Where do you get your essential oils at?

I really appreciate the info. So far I am loving my Ge Harmony.

If you have a Whole Foods near you they stock Seventh Generation products. My brother-in-law raves about their products and when I run out of my ECOS detergent I will be switching to Seventh Gen. Some of the Linens&Things are also carrying them on a trial basis. If you have one near you and a coupon you can save some money. You can also go to the Seventh Generation website and print coupons. As for essential oils you should be able to find them at most health food stores. You can do a little research online about different kinds, what they do (such as tea tree which is a great disinfectant) and any warnings (I've heard you shouldn't use lavender oil if you're pregnant).
I'm happy to hear of some other Harmony owners who are happy. I've had mine for about 3 years and I wouldn't trade it for a top of the line FL!!

maxaraxa

That was too funny..like a perm.. you got it!! LOL!!!!

I am so happy you love your machine! That is always a plus (smile) I buy Charlies and Shaklee on line. Charlies has free shipping, Shaklee does not. When I first started using natural laundry detergent, I did use 7th generation, and just me personally, I wasn;t crazy for it..it was OK..but just that..you need to try different brands and see what works best for you. You may like it the best...??? They sell it at Target.
any way, here is a link to Shaklee..their laundry detergent comes scented and unscented..I never used the scented, but heard it was very mild and a really nice smell for those who want a scent.. copy and paste this link..

http://www.shaklee.com/products_prod_getclean.shtml

I do use some of their products besides the laundry detergent..I am a big fan of Basic H2..check out their site and see what products they have... on the bottom is a link for charlies... hope you like some of the products! Ree

Here is a link that might be useful: Charlies

With regards to Charlies, and Shaklee, seventh generation, do they clean your clothes? My hubbie thinks I am nuts going the all natural way, he is skeptical that his clothes will smell and be clean. Give me some ammo I can use on him LOL.

My husband thinks I'm nuts too, but this is one instance where I've put my foot down because it's worth fighting for. I'm turning into a regular tree hugger but when you start to look at the facts it makes sense. Chemical cleaners pollute our water and our soil. If these things become unusable we are toast. The chemicals in our house compromise our health and without that everything else is gravy. The best examples I can provide are that:
1) I have asthma. It used to get really, really bad during certain times of the year. Since changing to natural cleaners I can feel the difference in our air. My asthma is much better.
2) I was getting ready to move into our spare room because my husband snores so badly that he would wake up choking. Of course it would wake me up and I would be so upset I couldn't go back to sleep. Soon after getting rid of chemical detergents and dryer sheets he stopped. He still snores pretty bad but the choking has stopped. All I can think is that the chemical residue in the sheets was affecting him, sort of like an allergy.

I agree with reeree, you have to try different brands to find what works for you. I use Seventh Generation, ECOS, Mountain Green, GTC, etc. Sometimes you will find that certain lines have good and bad stuff and it just takes some time to weed through it. For instance, I love my ECOS laundry detergent but their dishwasher detergent leaves something to be desired. Good luck!

maxaraxa
I agree whole heartedly with ebear. She couldnÂt of explained it any better! I went to all natural cleaning a few years ago. We learned our son had mild asthma and allergies. I honestly feel natural cleaning is so much better. When we use store bought cleaners, it leaves chemical residues on surfaces.. that is not ÂcleanÂ. natural cleaners leave no chemical residues and everything is clean. Our air quality is 100% better! I use Shaklee products to clean, but I also use steam. I have a hand held steamer for surfaces. I use it in the bathrooms, kitchen, windows, basically every where. I have a steam mop for my floors. I love it! As far as clean laundry? Absolutely !!! I wouldnÂt put Âdirty  clothes on our backs.. not a chance! My laundry is clean, and smells clean.. really clean!!! What makes our laundry not really clean is all the chemicals from regular detergents that deposits in our clothes. It doesnÂt hurt to try it out you can decide from there , if you are truly not happy with natural products, then you can go back to what you normally use. Worth a try! One thing I must tell you, it will take a few washes to remove chemicals out of your clothes to get the full results. Same thing with cleaning you home, once you remove all the chemical residues, you will have truly clean everything. I am not trying to be a preacher here, just telling you what I really believe in. I have always been a clean Âfreak and I can honesty say my house and air quality is truly clean.

Let us know if you decide to try it.
Hope ebear and I have helped!
Ree
PS, Shaklee has been on the Oparh show a few times already..she really endorses their product (smile)

I am also a very happy Charlie's Soap user. I use their laundry powder and All Purpose cleaner. For pre-treating stains on my laundry I use the Charlie's All Purpose cleaner and it works great.

It's amazing how good your clothes smell and feel when they are truly clean and without detergent residues. I haven't used dryer sheets since I gave up conventional detergents. I'm hooked on Charlie's.

stbonner
oh so good to hear that! I love charlies also! I agree, clothes are truly clean..love the way they smell and how soft the clothes are when you take them out of the dryer!
Thanks for sharing!
Ree

I am going to order me some Charlies Soap and try that. I will just use it and see if he notices LOL. Last night I tried to put vinegar in the FS holder, pouring very slowly and not over the top and it still leaked through :(

maxaraxa, I have the Harmony also. Do you find that you have water remaining in the soap and softener dispensers after you do a load? I always pull it out and empty the water. Perhaps that is the problem with the vinegar leaking? It does that sometimes for me too, but only once in a blue moon.

how do you take the whole dispenser tray out? I am always so afraid I am going to break it just getting the thing open. Last night I unplugged the USB from the washer to the dryer as I always have to reset the settings plus, I am not very studious about removing the laundry out of the dryer so sometimes I will run the dryer for 10 mins. and then fold and I hate waiting for the washer to send its thing to the dryer and then having to change it to what I want. That is about the only 2 things that I can say that does not thrill me with the Harmony. The other funny thing is that my cat was so use to jumping up on the dryer and laying in on all the clothes while I do laundry, he always liked to watch...when I got the new Harmony, because it isn't flat, he tried to jump up and went sailing onto the floor, lol, poor thing. I do miss him up there playing with the clothes. He hasn't tried since that day to participate on laundry day. :)

i have the same issue with the tray being filled with water and i can not seem to find the cause. it never use to do this and we have had it for almost a year. it started about 3-4 months after we got it. every single load the tray needs to be emptied. it is a pain and i am still trying to figure out why it does this.. anyone else have this issue

My Harmony detergent tray has always had water in it. I just assumed it was a design flaw. The rest of the machine is so great that it didn't bother me.
maxaraxa, I have the older model (no glass top or internal heater) but I doubt they changed much else. To get the detergent tray out just pull. Sometimes I have to give it a little wiggle after which I wipe out the space where it sits and the bottom and sides of the tray. Sounds like a lot but it's 30 seconds, tops.

Well I was able to take the dispenser tray out without breaking the darn thing lol and empty the water and it does help. The vinegar stays put, thank you ebear!! I am still happy with the duo, I have noticed that I don't need to use bleach on my whites anymore, it is amazing. I have been experimenting with Oxyclean to see if that does anything. I was wondering about baking soda. Have you tried that with whites?

I don't use baking soda, washing soda works better. You can get it in the laundry aisle. For whites (for me that just means socks) I wash in hot, toss in a couple scoops of oxyclean, put a cup of peroxide in the bleach container and presoak for about 1/2 hour. The socks stay white, not quite bleach-white but I figure the trade off is worth it. If you do try washing soda be careful. I usually let the water fill or at least get a good head start before I put the soda in. I have occasionally noticed spots that look like bleach stains when I just throw it on top of the laundry.
If you still need a good story for your husband about natural cleaners I've got one for you. My sister's washer broke so she brought some clothes to my house. I washed them with my detergents (all natural - nontoxic) and when I pulled them out of the dryer you could still smell her detergent and fabric softener on them. The stuff just doesn't wash out but the chemicals do penetrate your skin because of the constant contact. Yuck!!

You have to be careful with vinegar -- it can act as a bleach on certain kinds of dyes. I had two blouses ruined from vinegar and I no longer use it on laundry at all.