From "Laundry: the Home Comforts Book of Caring for Clothes & Linens" by Cheryl Mendelson (she's one of my favorite authors of books about housekeeping) Washing soda, an alkali, helps cut grease, and is a water softener. Use 1/2 cup per regular load or 3/4 cup for an extra-large load. Washing soda is effective as a pretreatment for many stains, including food stains, grease, diapers, lipstick and crayon. Work 4 tablespoons into a paste with water. Dampen the stain, and, wearing rubber gloves, rub the paste into the stain. To use washing soda as a presoak, use 1 tablespoon per gallon of warm water or 1/2 cup per regular washing load. Drain the clothes before washing. You should exercise caution when using a strong caustic substance such as washing soda; test it first on an inconspicuous area of the garment. It should never be used on wool, silk, or other protein or animal-origin fibers. Also avoid using washing soda on any delicate cellulosic fibers. Use rubber gloves and keep it off your skin.

Thanks for the well wishes you two. This particular daughter felt it in her best interest to break her lease and move out of that apt complex. She couldn't take it anymore. She paid the rent through the end of her lease and was content to live in a cardboard box if need be to be rid of the living conditions. Her physician was convinced she had contracted one of the hepatitis viruses from the filth at the apt complex as she needed several ER visits and subsequent hospital admissions.. Turned out she did not have hepatitis thankfully, but had to have her apendix removed. It was a rip roaring year for sure. She moved to another apt building a few months ago costing an extra $400/mo where it's not The Ritz by any stretch, but it seems to be a bit better from what I can tell from Skype video calls. This complex has a locked gate which seems to keep the 'problems' on the other side of the gate. Right outside the gate, but at least not loitering/fighting, living in the bushes, the hallways, laundry room or stairs of the complex proper. She is visibly relieved. Thus, I am as well. She's pleased with the on-site laundry machines at her new to her building. She has a laundry room on her floor. A Speed Queen set she says has no odor to it. (but her sense of smell is poor, so I hope...) She sees steam coming out of this washer which is a relief as she only does hot washes after the two years from hell at the other complex. She adds Borax and LemiShine powder laundry booster to each load as a little insurance and she feels that her Mexican Ariel covers any other 'cooties' that might be lurking in the otherwise odor-less washing machine she uses. Clorox liquid is also in her cabinet and she runs a bleach only wash before she puts her laundry in if she suspects any monkey business has been going on. She's overseas at the moment as a tutor for her university so is washing her clothes in sinks and hang drying. Lamenting the lack of ice and cold beverages in Europe (I warned her) during the heat wave. I got her a package of the Amazon brand laundry sheets type of detergent to make the many airport and train trips easier. She misses her Mex Ariel, but for 6 weeks, these laundry detergent sheets will do the job. She'll be in several countries during her stay, so the detergent sheets are carry-on bag friendlier. Mama, I offered to buy her a portable washer to smuggle into her apt. She gave it serious consideration, but since she just went through landlord after landlord not wanting to rent to her due to her age, she doesn't want to risk anything that would cause her to lose her current improved crummy apt. It was many rental rejections and she just wants to have a habitable slot in a wall to live in at this point. However, when she moves up in the world, she will never use a communal washing machine ever again--she's told me this I don't how many times. Anyhow, when she returns to the states, she'll fly to the airport in the next city here and stay here for a few days, maybe a week. Rest, eat, get her EU laundry thoroughly washed here at home, then back to Uni. The final year. Not a moment too soon. She's ready to shake the filth of her college town off her feet for good. No love lost there. I don't think she'll ever look back. Or go back. Or refer to it by it's proper name even. Hope you all are doing well! <3

MizLizzie - Funny that you say that about running hot water before the load - growing up, my mom trained me to do just that when getting ready to run the dishwasher. Didn't think about it for the washing machine though, maybe because I wouldn't normally have run my darks or unmentionables on hot. But I do now! It seems to be working! [happy dance] twebbz - I haven't thought about using Calgon because according to the city water report, our water is minimally hard. My last house had a whole house softener because I was on a well, and THAT was some soft water lol. MiMi - I will try pausing during the cycle and see what happens, but I have noticed that I really don't see much of any water when the machine does it's pause and tumble. I can see suds and I see water running down the sides of the drum, but I don't see the items sitting in water. I hope that's normal! Allison Karun - I do that, not every time but often. With everything I've read though, I might try a teensy bit of FS in the washing machine. I was a die-hard FS sheet user but cut that out while I was trying to source my issue. The vinegar just doesn't seem to give the clothes that same feel. littlegreeny - I have seen a 100% change - no more stink - since washing on hot or extra hot. I worry about the longevity of the fabrics a little, but I'd rather replace clothes than have my family stink when they walk out the door. Speaking of stink, DH just doesn't understand what I'm talking about. He doesn't smell it. I had him sniffing the laundry lol, and he just shook his head at me. But he didn't dare say a word about all the products I had spread out on the counter when he walked in the door because he knows this has been driving me crazy, and when mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy. So...after reading through so many posts, this is my current arsenal (yes I may have gone a little crazy lol). Some things I want to have but need to order, like Lemi Shine powder booster and STPP. Please help me know which may be duds or what works best on what: Tide w/ Bleach powder (I really like the scent after drying - so light. Worked great on my sheets and whites.) Cheer powder (I'm waiting to see how the darks do with it, I like that there's basically no scent after drying.) Dreft powder (The scent after washing is really nice, not the cloying baby smell out of the box) Ariel Concentrado and Ariel Concentrado Colors liquids (I went to my local hispanic supermarket and asked about the Ariel. The clerk said the powders are not HE but the liquids I bought are. She said she uses the Colors one for everything in a front loader and it's low sudsing - it is but I do NOT like the spicy scent that is left after the dryer. It's light but I'm just not into it. Maybe for the kids' clothes!) Tide Ultra Stain Release Free liquid and Tide Free & Gentle liquid (tried these to see if it was scent from the Persil.) Persil ProClean Sensitive liquid (works great on my colored towels, was, using it for everything but I want to make sure I'm putting apples and apples together) Kirkland Signature Ultra Clean liquid (This is what I will likely go back to when my Persil is gone. I always liked it and it seemed to do a great job. I used the free and clear version but have read from some of you that the scented one has a great old fashioned but light scent.) Biz powder Borax powder A&H washing soda Thoughts/advice? And a huge THANK YOU to everyone for all of your input. I'm so grateful! I would never have figured this out on my own.

In my experience, yellowing is either bodily oils -- which will generally soak out with regular OxyClean or iron in the water. My dad's office had well water. No laundry there, but the toilet bowls would get mineral deposits or rust stains. I've only had to deal with a small rust spot on laundry -- and I've never dealt with Revive White -- and not going to after this thread. I was going to suggest charcoal or lava rock as an odor absorber -- or sunshine. I had a silicone mat for baking macrons that was on a Fedex truck that had a fire. When it arrived, the mat smelled heavily of what I assumed was burning diesel fuel and/or rubber. Awful, nasty stuff you didn't want in your house much less in you oven baking your food. I washed it, soaked it with baking soda and think I tried OC too. Put it outside in the sun to dry and forgot about it for days -- maybe a week or two, while the seller sent me a replacement. It did eventually deodorize -- so maybe you are onto something. Hope it works.