I've been using Dove Ultimate Clear, and have been very happy with it. It doesn't leave white marks on my clothes, and I haven't noticed the underarm staining/fading since I've been using it either. Here is a link that might be useful: Dove Ultimate Clear

The dinginess is due to precipitated calcium carbonate. If your washing machine has a heating element chances are it is already getting build-up. You need to take immediate action for the sake of your clothes and washer parts. You don't need to jump through a lot of hoops, just get yourself some STPP (sodium tripolyphosphate) and add it to your wash. IT WORKS. You can order STPP here. In the meantime while you are waiting for your shipment of STPP, see if you can find a bottle of liquid Calgon water softener in the laundry section of your local Albertson's or other grocery store. Most stores in hard water areas will have this. Or a similar product called White King. Most people start with 1-2 TBS of STPP per load, but that will depend on the size of your load, machine size, hardness of water, etc. I would also advise a tablespoon or citric acid in the final rinse. You can get citric acid in the dishwasher section of your grocery store under the name LemiShine.

I use either All Free and Clear or Cheer Free. Finding Cheer isnt always easy for me; it seems Tide has a monopoly on the market in my neighborhood. Most of the time I can only get All Free and Clear. I found Tide was the worstÂall of their detergents really faded my clothes--fast. I found Tide HE takes the dye off dark clothes, but leaves the dirt and stains on lights like towels and sheets. Years ago I took a textile class, the professor was adamant we NOT use Woolite--she said the stuff was caustic for fibers. I noticed since I stopped using detergents with perfumes and dyes my clothes don't fade as much. Allergies and psoriasis forced me to switch to perfume and dye free detergent; less fading of my clothing was an unexpected bonus. I live in black: black jeans; black t-shirts; black slacks; black jackets; black warm-up suits; black sock; black everything. If itÂs not black, itÂs navy blue. I have at least 2 dozen black t-shirts and 12 pair of black jeans in regular circulation--and a couple dozen "faded" ones for back-up. Because I wear so much black, fading is very noticeable to me. IÂm wearing a pair of deep (nearly black) navy jeans right now. IÂve washed them 4 or 5 of times (in All Free and Clear), yet they are still so dark you would think they were brand new. I admit it took me awhile to get use to the absence of perfume. I used scented detergent and fabric softener for years; I associated the artificial scent with "cleanliness"Âwhen I was forced to make the switch I really missed the clean "smell" of my laundry:( My "No Fade" Laundry Routine: (*I understand I have the luxury of time now that my kids are grown and I no longer work--not everyone has such luxury and/or the desire to put this much energy into the task of laundry.) 1) I wash my darks inside out. 2) I do not over load the machine; I only fill my machine one-half to three-fourths capacity. I ignore what the manufacture says about capacity, soak six pair of jeans in water and see for yourself how heavy they get. Sure, the machine can handle more than six pair of soaking wet jeans, but friction destroys fiber--itÂs the jeans that cannot handle the weight and friction of six pair of jeans. I place items loosely in the tub so nothing is balled up. 3) I Measure! Measure! Measure! I use the correct amount of detergent for the load; too much detergent will cause fading. 4) I shake each garment out before I place it in the dryer; this allows for more even drying as nothing is balled up, twisted up, or knotted up. 5) I do not over dry; I stop the machine before cycle is up and remove clothing when there is just a tad bit of moisture in the fabric and hang everything up dry the rest of way. Note 1: Mineral content in water will make clothes fade. If you have "hard" water a cup of vinegar added to the wash cycle will dissolve the minerals if you donÂt have a water softener or if you water isnÂt "hard" enough to justify the expense of a water softener. But a cup of vinegar is for a full load, using a standard agitator machine; I donÂt know how much vinegar to use in a FL or HE TL machine. Note 2: ShrinkageÂmy former textile profession told me most shrinkage of natural fibers occurs when clothing sits in the residual heat in dryer after the cycle is finished; so if time constraints donÂt allow you to remove clothing just before the cycle is complete; try to remove and cool clothing as soon as the cycle ends.

Thank you for the update, andi2928! I have since tried out the Colorguard myself, and did in fact find the scent to be on the overwhelming side. The first time I filled the cap to the lowest fill line and washed a load of darks on Wrinkle Free and ended up having to rewash a lot of the shirts because of the smell. The second time I used about halfway to the lowest fill line and added borax to the drum and vinegar to the rinse plus an extra rinse - that load came out much less scented, and definitely *much* softer than with powdered Persil (for some reason no matter how I adjust the dosage, I still get fairly rough clothes with the Megaperls). I think I'm going to use it up on colored towels and such!