They all sound like marketing gimmicks to me, and a good way to use more stuff than you need. It's just not that hard for me to put the detergent I need in and to add what I want for that load. It isn't the same thing for everything -- and if you use those 3-in-1 sheets plus the Bounce bar, I bet you towels lose a lot of their absorbency. I've also heard some folks get dryer sensors clogged by softener sheets, so the bar sounds like it would have the potential to create even more problems for those folks.

You probably guessed -- I'm not planning on trying them.

I haven't tried or would try any of those because I also think they are all "gimmicks." One thing I will add about that 3 in 1 product is, I'm sure over time your clothes will acquire a build up of detergent and fabric softener and that will affect their shape and feel.

I no longer use liquid fabric softener now that I use vinegar in the rinse. I'll use a fabric softener sheet in the dryer only when I have some synthetic blankets that tend to have lots of electricity. Other than that, the vinegar is great at removing extra soap from the fabric, keeping the color bright and it's a natural fabric softener. Your clothes will never smell fresher or feel softer.

Sorry, I realize I was absolutely no help in answering your questions. LOL

Oddly enough, one more person who considers these gimmicks, not that I haven't purchased my fair share of advertisement-driven "gimmicks" in my life. I never even go down the laundry isle because I don't purchase anything there.

I've managed to get clean, non-smelly laundry (as in no odor - not even that wonderful chemical "Rain Fresh" odor), and keep the washer clean JUST using a tablespoon of Charlie's Soap (delivered to my door in a 5-gallon pail) and adding vinegar in the rinse of the kitchen towels and the bath towel loads. The clothes and towels are nice and soft - even dried on a line. No softener build-up, no toxic fumes from softeners and softener sheets, no waxy build-up from softeners in the washer or on clothing, or mold growth in that softener "gunk" in the machine. No detergent build-up on clothing.

I actually believe our clothes are lasting MUCH longer since I quit using the dryer and the large assortment of typical laundry products.

Let us know if you have any amazing results.

-Grainlady

So you don't need anything else to make white items really white?

Dingy whites. I think it's better to figure out the cause before you execute a "cure".

Dingy whites is often from not enough detergent, too much detergent and a build-up from not rinsing out of the clothes, and/or a combination of hard water and detergent build-up. Since using Charlie's Soap, I don't have a problem with detergent build-up, so I don't have dingy whites. You can check Charlie's Soap web site for tests done on detergent build-up in fabrics. It's pretty interesting....

If your whites are dingy from soap/detergent build-up, here's an "old-fashioned method" to whiten dingy whites I found in a Cooperative Extension Service laundry guide sheet from New Mexico State University. Wash the dingy whites in HOT water (NO detergent) adding enough water softener product to make the water feel slippery (about 1-cup in a TL). If the water becomes sudsy, the clothes were not rinsed enough, causing the whites to become dingy from soap scum build-up. Wash them again adding ONLY water softener. If the clothes do not whiten, add soap or detergent and rewash.

Hanging whites out in sunshine will also whiten them, without the need for harsh chemicals that can damage fabrics. Sparkling white clothes - yet another benefit from line-drying clothes outside. Hydrogen peroxide is another add-in for whites, but I never use it.

On rare occasions I have added some Cascade Dishwasher Detergent to a load of whites as a laundry booster for the enzymes and phosphates found in the Cascade. I've successfully used this method, and a long soak, on really dirty laundry from yard work, including ground-in dirt and grass stains - especially on white cotton socks.

I can't use bleach in our water because the minerals react with the bleach and causes whites to yellow, and it's really hard on fabrics. Add-ins, like bluing, are only an optical illusion and actually don't whiten anything. That shade of blue tricks the eye into thinking the color is vibrant white.

I'm the white T-shirt queen, some are REALLY old, and still worn daily for work-out clothes, gardening, etc.... All of them are all nice and white - just using Charlie's Soap.

-Grainlady

All my whites are white and bright with just the Persil. All the laundry, including colors, smelly stuff, etc., all exceptionally clean. To give you an example, I put towels down by the front and back doors when it rains to help catch water and dirt as we and the dogs come in and out. I had a towel down that was literally black and I thought for sure it would never come clean. Well I washed it with the Persil in hot water, vinegar rinse and it's like brand new. The Persil is the best detergent I've ever used. No more additives of any kind needed. It is worth every penny.

I've used the Charlie's and I still had to add other things to get the smells out of the cat laundry. Which is my main problem. Being able to use just one scoop of one product is so convenient and when I figure up the costs for all the other additives I would have to use with other soap powders, the Persil is cost effective.

The best thing is I don't have to use smelly bleach.

Brutuses - can you tell me how much vinegar you use in the rinse cycle?