Janet,
All I can say is that I replaced my washer 9200 Whirlpool Duet with a Speed Queen FL and after using 1/2 TBL liquid tide HE with my Duet on my towels for 9 months I switched to reg. Gain powder and now after using my older replacement washer and gain powder I have normal soft towels again, I am sure you have read my posts about my problem. I was so agrivated trying everything and nothing helping. But I am very happy now.
I do have soft water, but for 2 months I had bypassed it and there was no better results with the hard water. I dont know what else to tell you. What washer do you have? I cant remember if you had said, I havent been on for a few months.
I had tryed using Vinegar with no difference, and I also washed my towels on sanitize cycle without soap for 5 months and still had soap and stiff towels, it only took a few washes in my new (old) washer to get the soap out.

I hope that you can find an easier way to get better results without having to replace your washer.

Good Luck!

So how can we know whether it was the washer change or the detergent change that did the trick? Did you also change dryers?

How much detergent are you using?

I use 1/8 tablespoon Persil with my Miele 1213 and that cleans the towels and keeps them from being stiff.

You may be using too much detergent.

chipshot,
I had changed to Charlies soap for 2 months and it didnt help, I didnt use it on the towels but on the other clothes like jeans I still had to rinse a couple times to get the suds out and that was using 1/2 Tbls.
I know it was the washer, and the liquid soap because it wouldnt rinse the soap out. When I had my first FL washer frigidair I had for almost 8 yrs, I had always used powder and for some reason the last few months of owning it, I had switched to Tide liquid and I ended up getting the mold issue and towels felt stiff, I also used FS and I would have to use another rinse, but I didnt have suds in the wash, but towels were stiff. I also used reg gain in the whirlpool duet 1/2 tbl on reg clothes and they still had suds in rinse after rinsing a few times.

So I switched soap and a few months later changed machines and its all great again.

I just think that these companys have made it hard for us just to do a simple load of laundry. I have been washing clothes for 30+ yrs and I have never seen anything like what is going on now with these machines, you buy something that is going to make your life a little more simple and it turns out to be a nightmare!

Like I stated above, I'm using Sears HE powder, BUT I have been using the small scoop that came in the Charlie's soap for measuring the Sears detergent.
I believe the Charlie's scoop is one Tablespoon and I think four of those would be equal to one scoop that comes with the Sears detergent. So I guess I am using 1/4 the amount of the recommended Sears powder.

Like I said, I don't have a suds issue anymore, just a scratchy towel problem. All the other laundry items are soft.

I'd sure like to give the Charlie's a try, but can't get an answer as to what would be best to use with my hard water.
Maybe I'll just have to call or email Charlie's directly and ask what they'd recommend. I thought there were a lot of Charlie's users here and someone would be able to help, but everyone must have soft water.

Janet

When I stopped using FS long time ago, I noticed our towels are not as soft but they smell good. And they are not scratchy. I use vinegar in rinsing and I'm happy. We have hard water and using CS too now. I think there is no way to have really soft towels without the FS. I dry our laundry on medium or medium high, never on the highest temperature, maybe the temperature makes little difference?

Janet, I have hard water, but I don't know the level of hardness. I now use Charlie's exclusively and love it. I use the recommended 1 TBSP for extra large loads and less for smaller loads.

email taylor@charliesoap.com He has a couple of pamphlets and information available.

Janet - could it be the type towels you are using? Don't flog me if that sounds like a stupid question, LOL. I just know that I bought some (supposedly very good, fairly expensive) towels a few years ago which stayed stiff and 'starchy', no matter how I washed them. I finally consigned them to drying the dog, and bought better ones. I am so sorry, but I honestly don't remember which kind the first ones were or which kind the current ones are (I honestly think I got them on sale at Wal*Mart or Kohl's; they're not 'premium' towels, for sure). I'm sure that's not much help.

Also - we don't have hard or soft water; the water system says we have 'medium' water. They don't recommend using a water softener. I may have missed this, but do you know what type water you have?

One more thing: Do you wash them in cold water? I read somewhere, a few years ago, that washing them in warm or hot water will actually cause them to turn out softer. I thought that was ridiculous, but that did make a difference - just not enough of a difference for us to keep using them. I've never washed our current towels in cold water, as I didn't want to take a chance on them coming out stiff and scratchy.