I like pure essential oil in lemon or peppermint depending on my mood..after the towels are dry I put some drops on a cloth, throw it in the dryer with the towels and turn it on no heat fluff for 10 minutes. I don't do it often, usually only when I hs ve company comming.

Mama...I bet the results are better than those scent boosters.

I have the Gain Fireworks "Sweet Sizzle" (purchased after larsi sang praises, but before the scent was "messed up"), and Dreft Blissfuls. I only use them occasionally, and only on towels/sheets. I also put some in my upright vacuum bag, which aids in keeping away funky smells.

@ vetwife....How I miss the Gain Fireworks Sweet Sizzle. I think it was P&G's way to get the classic April Fresh Scent back on the market, since they lost the rights to the classic & beloved and much missed April Fresh scent. I think word got out about how Sweet Sizzle smelled almost identical to Classic April Fresh....and P&G had to ruin/change it with their god awful sweet, chemical, candy, sweet-tart smell they add to everything.

I had purchased about 60 or 65 bottles (I am not kidding). I recently finished the last bottle of the original Sweet Sizzle.....bummed!!

I had so many of them...it lasted me years & years! I think I finished my last bottle in May or June of this year. It was a sad day, LOL. I tried to keep one as a remembrance... but I had to use it on sheets and towels. Love it!!! Miss it!!!

Lmao@ Vet and huffing laundry detergent. .hahaha..that is exactly what we do, and the sick part is, if we like it, our eyes roll, and we let out a moan of pure pleasure..haha

Larsi would have taken that last tiny morsel and watched as it slowely disolved in the window of the washer, and wondered, When Will I See You Again, Must I wait Forever...I've been watching Ollies warehouse Larsi sometimes they get old stock in, if they ever do I will have a case sent to you.

OMG....Mama. YES. PLEASE. I will mail you money. Or if you ever come across Fab 1 shot packs! Ahhhhhhhh!! I still smell EVERY bottle of Downy April Fresh, at any little store or gas station I come into. Still hoping I'll find a bottle of that soft, powdery April Fresh scent!

I'm looking everywhere I go Larsi..strange things are known to happen..in the spring I came across Cascade with phosphates right on the shelf in a little country corner mom and pops store lol. And its been like 10 years since they stopped putting phosphates in D/W Detergent lol

1. I am so bummed about April Fresh being gone too. Clean breeze is ok-i guess. But it's not April Fresh.

actually theyve even changed clean breeze! it's not quite the same either. :(

I still have a Sams Club super-size bottle of Downy April Fresh from 2008 at home. I of course use it sparingly, but when I do, I call it "Domestic Bliss" ;)

On another note, I'm pretty sure Fabric Softeners go bad overtime. I shake the bottle to death, before I pour... but if I don't, it's so thick... it barely dissolves.

And they did change Clean Breeze. That was my favorite scent :/

Mitch...WHAT...you have the original April Fresh Downy? You MUST clone it!

Take it to a chemist and have them make more!

Mitch....we will all chip in. Please take this to a chemist, and duplicate the scent as close as you can. We will help you. OMG....My heart just did a backflip!!! You have some. You have some!!

@Larsi, somewhere at home... I have a one load sample pack, of Downy with the old scent. I think it's from 2009/2010.

If I find it, I'd be more than happy to mail it to you. :-)

As for taking Laundry Products to a chemist, I'm not completely sure they could find a way to duplicate the exact "perfume", even though I'd be hopeful.

I wonder though if someone specializing in Perfumes would have any luck? :-)

Also, Riteaid here has been coming up with the weirdest of Old Stock. I mean, a few days ago I saw bottles of Tide from 2011, and Clorox Cleanup (probably not as effective) from 2008, even the older Downy bottles ;)

I haven't bought any, mostly because I'm trying to get rid of droves of Detergent. But it's sure tempting, that's for sure :-)

Well, it's tempting until the Amex bill shows up, lol.

I just heard a thud coming from Larsi's direction!

Like discussing fine wine LOL

@jean, lol :-)

@always1stepbehind, not really a fan of Wine myself, more of a maragarita guy ;)

Although, collecting Fine Wine would probably be easier... That's for sure. :-)

LOL Jean. A thud and a gasp heard through the internet!!! LOL There is even a Facebook page, that I naturally belong to, petitioning P&G to bring back April Fresh Downy. Of course, P&G 100% ignores it. As*holes! ;)

What does the clean breeze smell like now?

What year did they stop the original scent of April Fresh?

Larsi-65 bottles?! You are hardcore. When the Old Coca-Cola was changing to New Coke many moons ago my Mom and I emptied out every single store in Topeka,Ks and surrounding areas. Coke-a-Holic! She was not me I was just cheap help!

Mama..I think the last time April Fresh Downy was April Fresh Downy was like 2009, 2010?

Jean...My mom's best friend did the same thing with Coke in the 80's. She filled TWO backyard sheds with original Coke, after she filled 1/2 of her two car garage. She hated New Coke.

See P&G, Coke brought back Coke, you can bring back April Fresh Downy!!!! :)

larsi I sure hope you get your wish for the Downy! I just got back from the Mom and Pop store to get the makings for goulash. Of course I went down the Laundry Aisle. I spotted Downy with Whitening. When I turned it over the date was 2005! Dare I try it? Has anyone here ever used it -10 YEARS Ago?!

Damn...Jean, how come everyone is finding these old versions (or different) stuff I've never seen before?

I can't believe this stuff is lasting this long on the shelves....probably better ingredients.

Jean, I'm sure it was bluing added. That is one version I have forgotten. Smell it. I bet it is rancid by now.

Sparkys correct it is bluing, if you use it dilute it first, it was known for staining issues, and shake that bottle up good before you use it. Do the sniff test before you buy, make sure its still good, unless its just the jug you want for your collection lol.

Scent boosters: who was it that first brought them out? I'm thinking purex or A&H but they claimed they were a softener, wasn't long before the **softens clothes** was removed from the bottle, I don't know why. And I never used it. I do wish someone would bring out a powdered fabric softener, big laundry facilities can get it, but its not formulated for home machines.

mama, georgect and sparky-it smells funky and is also super thick so I left it on the shelf. It's literally a mom and pop store and has been forever. It will probably be there another 10 years!

Jean, better luck on your next find..did you look at the powder detergent there, maybe the ones in the back behind newer ones..never know what you will find.

My personal opinion is that scent boosters are ridiculous. For one...they are unnecessary. Laundry products are already heavily fragranced...and stinkies (hello. those of you who like a lot of extra scent. hahha!) tend to layer them...so we start with a basic detergent, we can add pretreaters, bleaches and whiteners, liquid fabric softeners, and then dryer sheets. We stick them in the closet with a plug in and a cedar hanger, and then spray it all with wrinkle reducer and febreze before adding clothes to our own fragrance cloud of soap, shaving cream, shampoo, deodorant, lotion, hairspray, perfume, body spray...my Lord. And we need more fragrance? Considering that the scent boosters do nothing except smell...and the other products already offer scent....well...that makes them not only unnecessary but very expensive. I get that you guys have elevated laundry to a hobby and maybe even an obsession...but honestly, more is not always more.

Also really please consider that these fragrances are all artificial and can be super assaulting to your respiratory system, and can contribute to the development of allergies. If you don't have them...it still affects your immunity and can help seasonal illnesses (cold and flu) to take you down. Your body has to process fragrances and other toxins and this does in fact distract us from fighting real illness. Aaaaaand loading up your clothes with that much fragrance can be hard on people you meet in public who are sick or allergic.

If you want to wake up your nose...my humble suggestion is to cut BACK! Get one really nice detergent that you enjoy, and add baking soda to your wash water, and vinegar in your rinse cycle, both of which deodorize and freshen. Then add unscented dryer sheets. If the rest of your world is over-fragranced as well, cut back on that stuff too...sprays, candles, etc. Maybe switch out for some essential oil or aromatherapy diffusers. Over time your sense of smell will return and you will appreciate fragrance even more now.

More is NOT more!!!!

It took me a couple of hours but from what I gathered, complaints starting coming into Procter & Gamble about a "new" scent, in June of 2010. Which sounds about right.

I think they originally introduced "scent pearls/silk touch" with the old scent, and then went onto changing the scent. At least, that's what I recall, however... it may have been a overnight change, all together.

My mother, was a huge Sam's Club & Costco fan, so... everything we bought, was "super-size" and we didn't tend to run out of stuff right away. A good example was our Glad Trash Bags, which took a whole year to deplete the box, and had a nice, light scent to them.

Anyway... the Downy scent change, occurred right during the phosphate ban. Keep in mind, Downy never has had phosphorus/phosphate in the formula, however it's interesting, P&G was making two big product changes at the same time.

I think P&G also introduced "actilift" technology into Tide, during the exact same time, but don't quote me on that. It sure is interesting though...

@mamapinky, I'm 99% sure, it was Purex first. Because, I remember being in the laundry aisle, noticing them... and thinking "that's different". I was very hesitant, and didn't purchase them, although I'm not sure why.

http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/institute/a20627/purexs-new-crystals-fabric-sof/

I also noticed a bunch of Bloggers, talking about it, in December of 2010, although they may have been asked to review it before it's big launch.

But... I know I searched, and looked into them. There was nothing else like it, then. :-)

@Larsi, didn't there used to be a bottle of Purex Crystals you liked? I think there is one, that sorta-kinda smells like Persil, if I recall.

Mitch...I used to like the Purex crystals (blue bottle) when it first debuted. Now, it smells too "perfumey".

PUREX....was the first one to offer in wash scent boosters. Purex is owned by Henkel, which owns Persil.

Henkel used to sell Vernel "Crystals" here... and they failed. Germans seem resistant to change when it comes to laundry for the most part. No scent beads, (almost) no Pods, hardly any dryer sheets. The marketing guys at P&G must have given up on us. *lol* Ariel Pods were never introduced here and Lenor Unstoppables have been postponed since forever.

Germans are resistant to change, when it comes to laundry since they way it is done there is near perfect ;)

German detergents and softeners are the best I have ever used. When I lived in Germany & Austria (Dresden, Berlin and Vienna)....I was in laundry heaven. My MIL is in Stockholm, and Swedish laundry products are good, but nowhere near as good as Deutschland!

larsi_gw, are Austrian laundry products as good as German ones? I'm going to be in Croatia in a couple of weeks, and it seems that they mostly have Austrian versions of Persil/Ariel, and I'm trying to figure out whether I need a separate detergent suitcase or not.

@ recordaras....Austrian products are almost basically what us Germans have too. One MUST always have a separate laundry product suitcase. Always! ;)

Thanks, Larsi!

Although I burned myself on that in Japan - still have a bunch of Japanese detergent that I have no use for, since it's both sudsy and harsh on clothes.

So I take it Japanese detergent isn't something I should worry about hunting down? Are there any that can be recommended? My daughter is so into everything Japanese, I've been looking for one for her, shipping from Japan is torture, but there's a Japanese market in Pittsburgh that I've been wanting to go to but its in a not so safe neighborhood lol.

um. No love for my sermon against scent boosters? hahh :D it's okay I love you all, aaaaand I will pray for your conversion, Stinkies.

mamapinky0, would you like me to mail you some of the Japanese detergents? They are in individual single use packs, so it'll be pretty easy! The ones I have are Heyaboshi Top (the Japanese hang dry clothes, and due to the high humidity levels musty smells are a huge issue - the heyaboshi is supposed to help that) and Attack (that's a link to the Singapore site which is in English).

We were in Japan for 3 weeks, and did our laundry twice with JP detergents. Unfortunately even though they claim that everything is good for both colors and whites some dark shirts faded terribly, which is why I'm not too keen on using them again. I guess in order to balance out the cold water only washes they have to have some really harsh ingredients in there.

By the way detergent is incredibly, shockingly inexpensive there - a box of Attack (which is considered TOL, if I understand correctly) was like $2. Oh and the washers are bizarre, for example, they can be set up to reuse bath water (which the whole family has taken turns soaking in). We rented an apartment in Kyoto through airbnb and our washer was on the balcony!

Reusing bath water? Yeah, heard that before. Washer on the outside? Seen that before as well.

Did you also know that, theoretically, Asian people wouldn't use blueing but redding? Because a red hue looks whiter than white to them - while we prefer a slight blue undertone on our whitest whites.

Recordasas, I would love to take you up on your offer of the Japanese detergent, that would brighten my daughters day..but I insist on paying you for it. You can mail me at mamapinky0@gmail.com

That's a zero at the end of my name and thank you a ton.