Has your water company changed what they are putting into your water? Our water company puts in a chemical, once a year, that bonds to lead pipes. We live in a very old city where many of the homes still have their original lead service.

Liquid fabric softener does kill suds. MORE suds in wash than in rinse is a bit odd, though.

My water hardness varies. It was almost 19gpg in the summer, now it is 4. Maybe your water has gotten softer.

I wonder. If liquid fabric softener kills suds, does this mean that the detergent and surfactants have not been getting thoroughly rinsed out in the first place?

Thank you for all of your responses. It is appreciated.
I will definitely go to my villages website and check on the status of our water. I know the hardness can vary here but it usually doesn't vary that much.

If worse comes to worse, I'll just go back to liquid fab softener, or wash everything in vinegar for a couple weeks and see if they just all need a good stripping.

I still think it is a little odd that I'm getting more suds in the rinse than in the wash. Maybe it is the difference in tempurature. Even my cold wash is set at a certain temp, but I think the rinse is set at whatever temp comes out of the tap.

happymomof2kids,

I know from my experience as you have probably read, I found that from using 1/2 TBL liquid HE Tide and others was the culprit along with the fl washer not using enough water to rinse, I too didnt notice suds in the wash cycle as much as I saw in the rinse cycle, but after using tide he for about 4 months I had alot of soap buildup from using it, even Charlies soap using it for 2 months didnt change performance, I had switched to gain reg powder and it seemed to do better on the clothes, but I had quit using soap all together for 5 months on my towels and there was still suds untill I switched washers, I have no problem now.

I also ended up with really stiff towels, but finally I have nice soft towels again.

I dont remember what washer you have but I bet its not getting enough water to rinse the soap out.

mc58,

I got a Frigidaire Affinity. I think you are right. I know there have been times I have had to completely restart the machine during the wash to get more water in it. I bet the rinse is malfunctioning too. I'll have to get the tech out here to take a gander at it. Most likely the sensor is screwy.

Thank you so much for bringing that up. It hadn't dawned on me till now that it was probably the machine. : D