Good luck with it. It will take some time to adjust to just the right mix for your water quality and various load types. My general rule is 2 parts detergent to 1 part STPP and have been satisfied. You will also consider the use of bleach and softners to various loads as well. You also can consider the avaliable temperatures of water from the heater and what your machine can heat the water to. My machine only goes to 130 degrees but that has been quite satisfactory for our purposes, though I wouldnt complain if it would do 160 or better :) Good luck! PS Ive been turning wrenches since the 70s and destroyed plenty of uniforms over the years. 90 weight gear lube is the worst and almost impossible. Fortunately I dont mess with gear lubes anymore since I do primarily electrical and electronic repairs in my shop.

@Mitch, thanks for the info! Yes, I think you *need* to order them to give them another try. Or if you want I would be happy to send you some so you can test them out! Do you still like the German or UK persil powders? I tried the German liquid/gel and the scent was too strong for me (I like very mild scents), so wondering about persil powder, but I think I recall Larsi saying that the german persil has changed in recent years and is no longer so great? @Mama, I recall the Ph of Tide liquid being lower than powder detergents....for a while I used Tide liquid F&C and was pretty happy with how it cleaned. Hmm, laundry has become quite complicated--ph, water temp, water hardness, presence of enzymes, rinses, cycle time, soak, brighter, bleaches, liquid vs. powder... OH MY!

Jody, there's a softening of some sort, think its maybe a clay compound in the powders with FS, I notice a very slight difference using them without LFS, slightly more smooth fabrics. But I think as Dadoes says its more of a scent thing. I do like the powders with FS on jeans, as it seems to give them a more finished feel where LFS IMO is terriable on jeans, makes them too floppy lol

Tide with Bleach powder and Persil Universal Megapearls are best for whites and lights, these are two good choices expecially with children's clothing that tends to get heavier soils. For darks Cheer POWDER now has 3 enzymes and is OB free (not the liquid) Purex liquid (whichever is enzyme free) for wool, down, silk) works great. Mexican Ariel powder, is great all purpose detergent and will keep children's clothes cleaner and better rinsed ( less residue). Towels and bed sheets... depends on the colors.