So after hours of perusing this forum, I'm more confused than ever. Is there a current consensus on whether liquid detergents are to blame for buildup of slimy scum on the outer drum? Or is it only liquid when used with cold washes? Will regular use of a "sanitize" high temp load or a load with Oxy eliminate that build up? (I use the sanitize at least once a week with sheets and towels, so I suspect/hope I don't have that nasty buildup.)

I've had a FL for about 2 years with absolutely no problems with odors. I've just decided I'd like to switch to a more eco-friendly laundry regime and want to find an alternative to TideHE---though other than the fact that it's a huge brand name petrochemical, I generally think TideHE works great for us. I'd love to find these results in a natural brand, preferably a powder because it would have less packaging and less fillers.

So for powders, I had narrowed my choices to Persil and Charlies.

I love the way powdered Persil smells, and I absolutely *want* to love it. Reminds me of my childhood detergent. I can see my mom folding our childhood laundry when I smell it. But it didn't seem to clean anything in my wash. Most of my kids jeans and tee shirts smelled and looked like they were still dirty after washing with Persil. So that's out.

I know lots of people love Charlie's... my mom included. She just gave me a bag of it to try. But it doesn't seem to clean my clothes as well as the tide, and I tend to like a tiny bit of a scent to my clothes when they're done. I'm going to continue trying it, but I just don't yet feel like a convert.

So I keep coming back to the liquid detergent options. I'm considering Method's HE Liquid and Seventh Generation Liquid HE. Both seem to have some sort of plant based softener, so I'm wondering if that's potentially going to gunk up the machine worse than something like a TideHE liquid. Or is that a non-issue if I'm using a sanitize mode once in a while and not over-dosing.

Thanks,

Kmama