I have hard water and only add Borax to white loads and CS works just fine for me. I don't bother with vinegar, but may try it in SO's clothes this winter instead of fabric softener. The only reason I use FS in the winter is SO will draw sparks and working with electricity that's good. I never have to add anything to my clothes and do just fine with the CS alone.

I also have hard water and use Charlie's Soap, but the truth is, many detergents/soaps don't work well in hard water now that phosphates have been removed from them. Most detergents recommend using MORE than the normal amount if you have hard water and don't use softeners in the wash and the rinse.

Another problem is from using COLD water, along with having hard water. Unless specifically designed to be used in cold water, most detergents don't dissolve properly in cold water.

Water Temperature Recommendations:

HOT (120-140°F) - white and heavily soiled colorfast items

WARM (85-105°F) - most loads

COLD (65-75°F) - only for bright colors with light soil

Cold water below 65°F is not recommended for washing

Note: Detergent manufacturers and care labels define cold water as 80-85°F. I doubt if most of us know what the water temperature is - especially in the winter. If the temperature of water in the tub is too cold for your hands, the detergent will not activate and clean effectively.

I often think we get caught up in the cold water/save the planet issue, when water temperature is a BIG factor in detergent performance and cleaning ability, not just the detergent.

-Grainlady

Thanks for the replies so far.

@Cohoss... I'll check out your other reply, but what water softener do you use? Our municipal water says they have a hardness of 1-7gpg which ranges from soft to hard. I'm guessing it's fairly hard, because they're trying to keep lead from the older urban pipes from leaching, so they keep the water harder.

Anyway, my reluctance to continue with Charlie's is that I'm not even remotely interested in adding a whole house water softener system to my house (which is basically what they recommend for folks with hard water, which is like 85% of the US cities). And the idea of having to add a chemical to soften each load seems a bit much, too. I think if it's something easy, I'd do it. If it means I'm adding TSP to every load I run, it doesn't seem as appealing to me. So knowing what you do would be really helpful.

Thanks,
Kmama

1-7gpg seems to me to be on the lower end of hard water.

If you don't want to get into using STPP or TSP, maybe try adding 1/2 cup of borax. It's inexpensive and relatively easy to find. Most grocery stores carry it, so does Target.

Hi again,
I agree with cryptadrus -- that is a relatively soft water reading already. The water in my area averages 20.46 gpg, so we're on the other end of the spectrum. I usually add 1 tablespoon of either TSP or TSPP along with the 1 TBSP of Charlie's soap.

When I've visited family in areas with softer water, I can get away with adding nothing or borax, washing soda or baking soda to the water to help it along a little bit.

It seems that convenience is key to your laundry routine, so possibly finding another detergent that fits your lifestyle would be better. Charlie's isn't for everybody and by no means works for everyone. One thing I learned on this Forum is that what works for someone else may not work for me. Doing some experimenting and find what works and is easiest for you is the best in the long run.

:-)

Thanks everyone. So it seems that in order for Charlie's Soap to work with my hard-ish water (and the water of about 85% of the nation's big cities) is to add either:
1) STPP, or
2) TSP (less desirable), or
3) Borax, or
4) Oxy, or
5) Baking Soda, or

some combination of the above.

So I still need to figure out what I want to use, the merits of each, etc. It's starting to feel like a bit too much tinkering for me.

Thanks!