sshrivastava, unfortunately, the real reason that appliance and detergent manufacturers are unable to answer questions accurately or produce informative manuals is that the general public in the US is not interested in these things. Most people want a washer and detergent that will "clean" their laundry in 30 minutes, and dry the load in the same amount of time. They really don't care if the water is heated or not, if the detergent residue is rinsed out or not or if the detergent has OBs or not. All they want is for their laundry to be magically cleaner looking and smelling "fresh". In my mind, it is the average consumer who drives the level of information and service available. In other words, we get what we deserve. And I'm saying "we" in the general sense, not we as posters on this board. This is the only place where I have met people who care about their appliances and cleaning products enough to research and agonize over smallest details ;-)

Annasaurus: "Where did you buy your Arm & Hammer DeliCare at? I've been looking EVERYWHERE for it (CVS, Walgreens, Target, various other brick & mortar stores, etc.) but can't seem to find it anywhere within the last couple of years. I used to buy it at CVS or Safeway nearby but don't seem to be carrying it any longer ...? The only handwash detergent I ever see is Woolite, which I don't like at all. Is it discontinued (I hope not)? Where can I find it? If anyone knows please clue me in!" We used to use DeliCare, also, preferring it to Woolite, but we have not seen it on the shelf in years. However, before it had disappeared from the shelves, we found a better delicate fabric detergent, Ecover Delicate Wash; we prefer Ecover to DeliCare in every way. Ecover recently changed the scent for some reason, and some people do not like the new scent. Reactions to scents are very highly subjective, but everyone agrees that the performance of Ecover Delicate Wash is outstanding. Then there is Eucalan Lavender Fine Fabric Wash 16.9 Ounce, which you can purchase through Amazon.com. We still use the Ecover Delicate Wash on those occasions when we launder delicates in the automatic washing machine; but for hand-washing delicates, Eucalan has completely supplanted all other products in our household; it is a miracle formulation. Here is a link that might be useful: Link for Ecover Delicate Wash

I also have Biokleen Premium Plus that contains oxygen bleach/enzymes and no brighteners. Would this be safe for colours even though it contains oxygen bleach? Yes! Biokleen Premium Plus Powder is definitely safe to use on colors. I have used it for a few years with no fading problems at all on dark and bright colors.

Most would agree that over time, Laundry Detergents with Optical Brighteners will lead to clothes fading. Although, I have several black and navy t-shirts that are almost 8 years old (that are so soft and I love:) and they were washed most of their lives in a Miele or Electrolux with either Persil or Tide....and while they are of course not a dark as when new, look pretty damn good!!! Cheer (he) powder is now available, and it has no optical brighteners. It cleans and rinses very well. I do not think it is as "tough" as German Persil or Tide, but it will and does clean MUCH better than Vaska. I believe Cheer he powder is only available at Walmart, sadly. I have a big box of new Cheer he powder. It smells very light and clean (it smells NOTHING like any sweet, candy Tide offering), and I really like it. I do not love it, but it is very good. I use it for our daily work and casual darks and brights. I do not use it for our 8 year old's clothes, as I found stains and marks are not totally removed, as when I use Tide he powder or German Persil (yeah German Persil, NOT Walmart Persil, LOL) ;)