I don't mean hard like that. I mean it has lost it's softness. It feels like sandpaper. They fold and bend just fine. But they feel rough, which they didn't used to. I used to extra rinse them. I can't now because of the drought here in California.

Try using some vinegar in the rinse or I would leave off the Oxi for one wash and see how they turn out. I didn't mean mine were actually hard as a board although they are really stiff. They can be folded and all that and I am talking towels etc but personally I love a stiff towel cause it soaks up the water better. Another thing I have noticed if you have a front-load or a top load that spins really fast, the more moisture spun out of the towels the stiffer when dried outside. Like the threads are more compacted due to the speed and then they dry that way even if you shake them before putting them on the line. Have read where some people put theirs in the dryer for 10 mins or so then hang them out. I'm not doing that cause I am using the line to save power and if I am going to use 10 min worth of power I will just add 30 more min and not have to deal with the hot and the line---BUT that is just my idea--to each his own.

Do you have a liquid detergent you could experiment with? I've noticed that powders leave clothes stiffer than liquids, regardless whether they have oxy/zeolites or not (although powders with zeolites such as the one you're using now seem to make clothes even stiffer than powders without them).

I had the same problem several years ago when I used Oxy Clean. For items that don't go in the dryer are tumbled with no heat to ten min. then hung to dry. I stopped using it. Also, any powder detergent leaves my clothes less soft and almost scratchy, even using FS.

Sounds to me like residue from oxi lbeach and/or detergent that is not rinsing out all the way. Reducing the dose of oxi, detergent, or both, might help. All the oxi-bleaches have detergent base products, like sodium carbonate, added to them, so I normally reduce my detergent when I add oxi bleach.

Peteyjd, are you refering to Miele's detergent for whites?? What kind of washer, hard or soft water, and how much Mielies detergent do you use? Could be detergent built up, almost sounds like sodium carbonate build up. Did you try washing the clean clothes in hottest water they can handle without any detergent and watch for sudsing? This will tell you if you have detergent built up in the clothes.

Peteyjd...I've reread your question, and I'm not sure if your using Miele's detergent for whites with added oxygen bleach ( sodium percarbonate) or if your adding a seperate oxygen bleach additive?

I am not talking about stiffness. I am talking about softness, or lack thereof after using ox bleach. Here is the background. I, like many of you, use two detergents. One for colors and one for whites. Presently I am using Miele which is made for Miele by Kreussler in Germany ( http://www.kreussler.com/en/home.html ). It is a terrific detergent and I think better than Persil (Hankel), but to be fair I am not a fan of Persil's scent. But the Miele UtraWhite Powder, which works incredibly well even getting tea stains out, seems to be making my underwear scratchy and coarse over time. It contains ox bleach and optical brighteners. I am not adding anything. I don't think this is a rinse issue because up until the Governor told the state of California to cut back on water, I was tipple rinsing whites. And I have very soft water.

So this is my question: Has anyone who uses oxygen bleach on whites experienced this? It's conceivable it is my underwear, not my detergent.

Thanks

Sorry I misunderstood. I thought you were adding the oxi to your detergent BUT at the same time I can't give you a better answer than you already gave yourself. You went from 3 rinses to 1 so that has to have something to do with it especially with the soft water. If I had that problem, I would take the underwear after they finish their cycle, run some water in the tub or where ever and see if the water looks sudsy or milky and just rerinse the underwear 2-3 times. More saving on water that way than rinsing the whole load. Then you can respin then to prevent stiffness. They could be adding more chemicals to your water since you are in a drought and that could cause them to be stiffer. Maybe try a little Woolite or something like that for now to see if it will help and at least the clothes would be more comfortable to wear..And "Has anyone who uses oxi bleach on whites experienced this" Yes .

Pete, I agree with Sparky, you were doing more rinses, now your doing one...its probably caused from detergent build up.

I have issues with some additives that contain sodium carbonate, since its in power detergent and most additives its overkill. ..sodium carbonate is very hard to rinse out.and sometimes requires a vinegar rinse to help strip it out of fabric. you could try vinegar..many people use it in the rinse, however if you are using it to strip detergent out you should use a 2nd rinse. With your water restrictions I don't know if that's something you want to do. Sparkys idea of rinsing in the tub is a good one..I'd do the 1st rinse in the tub with vinegar and a final rinse in the washer..

Miele's ultra white powder is on my list of must buy..I hear wonderful reviews about it..even some die hard persil users that have tried it have said they won't go back to persil for whites, besides it is loaded with sodium percarbonate and I'm a sucker for that.

Recordaras also had a good suggestion liquid detergent often leaves fabrics softer, but careful dosing is a must since it is notorious for over sudsing. Whatever you decide let us know the results.

You could bring your laundry here..no water restrictions, its rsined ALMOST daily all summer...lol

I have really liked the Miele UltraWhite and have noticed a difference in how white my kids' fencing uniforms have been since switching over. The kits are a dense, synthetic material and are washed in warm water on an extended cycle with an extra rinse. Hot water seems to make that kind of fabric feel crunchy.

White cottons gets washed in very warm or hot water and turns out nicely. I spot-treat cuffs and collars with Persil 2-in-1 liquid for dress shirts that are very dirty and otherwise try to avoid adding Oxy or anything else to the laundry except possibly a half-dose of fabric softener.

Peteyjd, how much Miele UltraWhite are you using? I'm using 2-3 tbsp, for a medium size load, as I figure the Persil used for pre-treating counts toward the total amount of detergent.