I have a Maytag Neptune MAH7500 and I use 2.5 tablespoons of Persil detergent to 1.5 tablespoons of STPP. This is a total of 1/4 cup. It does great. Now that is for a typical load of everyday wear items. For my greasy work uniforms (I am an auto technician) I use double that.

Try that and see how it does with your Tide since you have had acceptable results with 1/4 cup detergent.

Hi Fordtech,

Thanks for the help! I use about ¼ cup of Tide HE for small loads of my own clothes, which arenÂt very dirty to begin with. For my husbandÂs work clothes (he works outdoors installing commercial fencing) or a large load of whites, I have been using up to ¾ cup. But I will adjust the STPP accordingly.

I am very familiar with greasy work clothes, as we ran a gas station back in the 1970Âs and his clothes were a nightmare to get clean. I usually washed them at least twice. Wish I had this washer with the onboard heater and the STPP back then!

I just put in a large load of whites (I saved them up all week waiting for this delivery) and I am anxious to see the results. But I used the Sanitary cycle to get the hottest water, so this will take a while.

Thanks again!

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.