Thanks Rococogurl, I've heard about Vaska but haven't tried it yet! I agree Persil is the best at cleaning but too expensive for the amount of laundry I do. Also trying hard to find a good green detergent but I can't compensate for not having clean clothes!! Just curious what would happen when you used Vaska being that you have soft water? Before I tried caldera I tried Nellys and it didn't clean my clothes at all they looked clean but smelled like they weren't washed actually had a dirty laundry smell. Reviews for Nellys were mostly all great. Just strange how it works for some and others not good at all.

Great tip -- will give it a try. I have some freesia oil in the house. I've found I can get a similar effect using Caldrea laundry liquid. It isn't super concentrated, a small amount does a good job of washing, and it both deodorizes and leaves a slight fragrance. They have lavender. I also like their Sweet Pea (though they market it for nursery) and Sea Salt Neroli. Currently I'm using the Palmarosa and Wild Mint. Their linen spray with the same fragrance makes bed sheets smell heavenly, too. Mrs. Meyer's is the sister brand.

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.

Did the exterminator have any theory on the snake's cause of death? Electrocuted? or just plain got stuck & died? Do we even want to think about how it got in there? Ew.