Well I just put DH's dingy old t-shirts in the dryer, except they aren't dingy any more! I think they are whiter! He is a farmer and his t-shirts are worn hard. He keeps them for years until they are threadbare. He just keeps wearing them because they are holding together. They have looked so dingy though. I have used many combinations over the last several months to see how to get them whiter. So tonight, in my Miele, I put HE Seventh Generation liquid detergent, I believe it has enzymes. Then on the clothes themselves I put about 1/2 cup oxygen bleach, and about TBS of STPP. My machine didn't explode either ;) I washed it at "extra white" on hot, and extended wash. I wasn't available to watch the sudsing. I have used oxygen bleach before and really didn't notice much difference. It seems to have been the STPP. I will have to see if I can use less STPP as I might have used too much. Thought I'd share!

Thanks for the info everyone!!!!!! suburbanmd My theory for using the STPP in the pre-wash wash was more to prep the laundry for the main wash rather than actually do any major cleaning. 95% of the time my clothes don't even need a pre-wash, I do it anyway. They way I see it, I am removing any possible soil, and saturating the laundry with softened water before it ever contacts detergent. However, like said, I do add a little STPP to my detergent to compensate for the drained water from the pre-wash. Maybe I should mix a small amount of detergent into my STPP pre-wash batch, Just to help suspend any soil that may be present. Again thanks for the input everyone. ohh... and about the liquid detergent. Personally I rarely use it, but when I do, I will use STPP in the pre wash the same way I do with my powdered detergent.

Bleach kills enzymes. Biz is an enzyme based detergent. Using Tide with bleach along with Biz will cause the enzymes in the Biz to be ineffective. I use Biz and STPP (sodium tripolyphosphate light density from Dafna sold on Amazon or EBay). I have a top loader and I use a 1/2 cup Biz with 2 TBS of STPP. I use Biz over Oxiclean because it has a higher concentration of the active ingredient (sodium percarbonate) along with multiple enzymes. With any enzyme based detergent it is important to note that they must be used in warm water, not super hot. Enzymes work by digesting protein based stains over time. So, soaking is highly recommended for best results. I should also point out that the STPP has to be mixed or agitatated immediately. Otherwise, it will clump and will not dissolve properly. I take a cup and fill it halfway with hot water and immediately stir in the STPP, then add that to the washing machine.

The results are in...I chose these options... Prewash Heavy Duty Stain Treat Soil Heavy Steam (extra rinse was not an option but "warm rinse" was automatically added) Total Time 1:49 I used Larsi's Tide HE for the Main-Wash with a little Persil (not 2in1) Intense Fresh as a Pre-Wash. LCB was used 1/3 cup. Here's the comparison, you can see a little stain remained on the left towel toward the top and bottom right But a pretty good job, if I do say so.