A Chinese business listing on a Bangladeshi online industrial directory included the following TAED product description: "Hongye Chemical Co., Ltd. can supply good quality TAED (tetra acetyl ethylene diamine) low-temperature bleaching activator for sodium perborate. Sodium perborate/TAED oxygen bleach formulation is widely used in laundry detergent, all-fabric bleach, automatic dishwashing and stain removal/cleaning products. The most commercialized low-temperature bleaching activator, TAED is typically applied in domestic laundry detergents, automatic dish-washing, bleach boosters, [and] laundry soak treatments, to improve the washing performance. TAED could be applied in textile bleaching to react with hydrogen peroxide in the bleach bath to produce a stronger oxidant. The use of TAED as a bleach activator enables bleaching at lower process temperatures, and under milder ph conditions. In [the] pulp and paper industry, TAED is suggested to react with hydrogen peroxide to form a pulp bleaching solution. The addition of TAED into pulp bleaching solutions results in a satisfactory bleaching effect. TAED used for [the] detergent industry is in granular form, free-flowing, and has several colors (mainly white, green, blue) to choose depending on users' choice." This post was edited by studio460 on Tue, Jul 16, 13 at 4:29

Yeah, it was me. Our Miele Senior Tech, said that they see the most problems with people who use "green", plant based soaps and softeners. He said they gum up much easier, and are actually harder to rinse! He said of course Persil and Miele Care Collection have been tested the most in Miele machines, but most he detergents are fine. Actually, up until somewhat recently, Miele was listed on the back of Tide he, as a recommended and tested product! I use Persil Colour Gel and Ariel Gel mit ActiLift about 90% of the time. I recently picked up a HUGE bottle of Tide he liquid with a touch of Downy with ActiLift (it was on sale for $9.99...and is HUGE). I've done 3 loads with this he Tide liquid with Downy...and I am actually shocked how clean my clothes are. Smells great too. A soft version of Downy. I still use a little liquid Downy FS in the dispenser, but not too much since this detergent has Downy in it. Stains are gone, odors removed, soft clothes and smells really clean and soft!!

I always disliked Method's fabric softeners - they are viscous and leave my detergent dispenser coated in what looks like vegetable shortening. I haven't tried the new pump softener, but I'll steer clear. Downy Free & Sensitive, on the other hand, leaves absolutely no residue behind and dissolves beautifully in water. I'm sticking with what works for me. By the way, for those who don't like the fakey fabric softener scents but want their laundry smelling fresh and natural, I have a tip! Use Downy Free & Sensitive, dry in your dryer as usual, then when the clothes are dry throw in a wash cloth on which you've drizzled about 1/4-1/2 teaspoon of essential oil and tumble on no heat setting for 10-15 minutes. No need to ever go back to a scented product ever again! Lavender is wonderful as is lavender + citrus.

Well, I don't use it consistently. In fact I haven't used it for several months. I find that it aids rinsing of any remaining detergent, and therefore leaves the clothes a little softer, without using any f/s. I hang my clothes to dry so this is probably skewed by the generally less-soft state of my laundry due to drying on a line, not tumbling in a dryer. I dispense it from a recycled 2L Poland Spring water bottle fitted with a jigger-sized bar whiskey-dispensing thingy, so I'm guessing I'm using a fluid ounce. No, it does not leave any smell in vinegar, at all. Perhaps because the Mieles rinse so well, however, I also use it in my Askos. (My DH abhores the smell of vinegar, so I'm sure I would have had complaints if it was sense-able at all.) What I believe is going on when I use it, is that I am slightly acidifying the rinse water to counteract the higher pH (more alkaline) detergent in the wash liquor. One needs a certain higher pH for good cleaning and soil sequestration, so it's intended that detergents do this. But acidifying the rinse water helps return things to normal, which makes fabric feel better, especially for the largely natural fibers (cotton, linen wool and silk) which make up practically all of my wash. I think it would have less of an effect on man made fibers, though I have never noticed any untoward reaction, either. Even if the fabrics weren't improved by the slightly acidic bath, detergent residue would be precipitated and rinsed away by the vinegar. At the extreme end of things washing soda (and Borax) are highly alkalyzing, and effective, but harsher cleaners. When I do use those, I add a bit more vinegar in the last rinse. BTW, I find the vinegar doesn't evaporate in the dispenser-covered bottle that I use, but occasionally the cats will knock it over and it spills. You might find one of those water bottles with what I call "adult baby-bottle" caps that kind of pull up to open would be more convenient as they are easy to open and close, and when they are closed, they are spill-proof. Molly~