What should we use to make out wash smell nice? You may think the
question strange or one that we should know the answer to.

Well, we are tired of experimenting. 

Mainly I think someone out there has done the tests and come up with a 
good result. We bought a powerful detergent but by the time we had
dried clothes they smell like the dish rags had been dried with
them!!!

We are trying these little "sheets" of softener and "fragrance" with
not much improvement. I travel and speak in different cities and the
people who house me often do some wash for me. I know I forgot to ask,
but one place my wash came back with a really great fragrance.

Well. Please tell me what detergent(s) to use and/or fragrance
"sheets" to add in the drier. Thanks.
God bless you to know and do His will!
John

This is going to be a really hard question to answer, John. Everybody
is likely to have a slightly different opinion of what smells good. My
grandma used to love the smell of chlorine bleach. She put it in the
rinse water so that the smell would persist. There's no accounting for
taste, as they say!

I like to use borax in the wash. It doesn't leave a chemical smell,
and it freshens the clothes without changing their color.

In my personal opinion, the thing that makes sheets smell nicest is to
dry them on a clothesline outdoors. If this makes them feel too stiff,
you can tumble them in the dryer for a few whirls when they are nearly
dry.

Try a cup of baking soda or white vinegar in the rinse cycle.

One possible problem is the drier vent.  I had a friend who had a
rodent get into his drier vent pipe and die, resulting in everything
smelling like dead rodent.  You might check the vent pipe coming from
the back of the drier and out of the house to be sure there is nothing
dead or moldy/mildewy in there.  If you are having a hard time finding
a detergent/drier sheet that gives a nice smell, I suspect it is
something like this

You might try Downy's Simple Pleasures:
http://www.downy.com/products/simplepleasures.shtml

If you want to make out, wash, smell nice...a nice bar of Ivory Soap
or Dove might be just the ticket.

Just an FYI, for those who are being blind-sided by breathing these
toxins, as I am.
God Bless, ITN,
trueparent-GA

http://www.grinningplanet.com/2004/04-29/stop-static-cling-fabric-softener-article.htm

PROBLEMS WITH DRYER SHEETS AND FABRIC SOFTENER
Your fabric softener or dryer sheets likely include some of the
following not-so-snuggly ingredients: alpha-terpineol,
benzyl acetate, 
camphor, 
benzyl alcohol, 
limonene, 
ethyl acetate, 
pentane, and 
chloroform. 

According to the manufacturers' Material Safety Data Sheets, these
chemicals have the potential to do things to you such as:

CAUSE ----->
central nervous system disorders, 
headaches, and 
loss of muscle coordination; 
irritate mucous membranes and 
impair respiratory function; 
cause nausea, 
vomiting, 
dizziness, or 
drowsiness; 
cause liver or kidney damage; 
cause skin disorders and allergic reactions; 
cause cancer. 

 One of these chemicals even contains the warning, "Do not flush into
sewer system," and another appears on the Environmental Protection
Agency's hazardous waste list.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO
XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO
http://www.ourlittleplace.com/fabric.html

Chemicals Found in Fabric Softeners/Dryer Sheets
 
Alpha-Terpineol
Causes CNS (central nervous system) disorders... "highly irritating to
mucous membranes" ..."Aspiration into the lungs can produce
pneumonitis or even fatal edema." Can also cause "excitement, ataxia
(loss of muscular coordination), hypothermia, CNS and respiratory
depression, and headache." "Prevent repeated or prolonged skin
contact."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Benzyl Acetate
Carconigenic (linked to pancreatic cancer). "From vapors: irritating
to eyes and respiratory passages, exciting cough." "In mice:
hyperanemia of the lungs." "Can be absorbed through the skin causing
systemic effects." "Do not flush to sewer."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Benzyl Alcohol
Causes CNS disorders ..."irritating to the upper respiratory tract"
..."headache, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, drop in blood pressure, CNS
depression, and death in severe cases due to respiratory failure."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Camphor
Causes CNS disorders. On EPA's Hazardous Waste list. Symptoms: "local
irritant and CNS stimulant" ..."readily absorbed through body tissues"
..."irritation of eyes, nose, and throat" ..."dizziness, confusion,
nausea, twitching muscles and convulsions". "Avoid inhalation of
vapors."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chloroform
Neurotoxic. Anesthetic. Carcinogenic. on EPA's Hazardous Waste list.
"Avoid contact with eyes, skin, clothing. Do not breathe vapors
...Inhalation of vapors may cause headache, nausea, vomiting,
dizziness, drowsiness, irritation of respiratory tract and loss of
consciousness." "Inhalation can be fatal." "Chronic effects of
overexposure may include kidney and/or liver damage." "Medical
conditions generally aggravated by exposure: kidney disorders, liver
disorders, heart disorders, skin disorders." "Conditions to avoid:
Heat..." Listed on California's Proposition 65.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ethyl Acetate
Narcotic. On EPA's Hazardous Waste list. "...Irritating to the eyes
and respiratory tract" ..."may cause headache and narcosis (stupor)"
..."may cause anemia with leukocytosis and damage to liver and
kidneys". "Wash thoroughly after handling."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Limonene
Carcinogenic. "Prevent its contact with skin or eyes because it is an
irritant and sensitizer." "Always wash thoroughly after using this
material and before eating, drinking ...applying cosmetics. Do not
inhale limonene vapor."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Linalool
Narcotic. Causes CNS disorders. ..."respiratory disturbances"
..."Attracts bees." "In animal tests: ataxic gait, reduced spontaneous
motor activity and depression ...depressed heart activity
...development of respiratory disturbances leading to death."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Pentane
"Danger - Harmful if inhaled ...Avoid breathing vapor." "Inhalation of
vapors may cause headache, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, drowsiness,
irritation of respiratory tract and loss of consciousness. Repeated
inhalation of vapors may cause CNS depression. Contact can cause eye
irritation. Prolonged exposure may cause dermatitis (skin rash)."
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
CNS = Central Nervous System
Your brain and spine. CNS disorders include: Alzheimer's Disease,
Attention Deficit Disorder, Dementia, Multiple Chemical Sensitivity,
Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinson's Disease, Seizures, Strokes, Sudden
Infant Death Syndrome.

CNS exposure symptoms include: aphasia, blurred vision,
disorientation, dizziness, headaches, hunger, memory loss, numbness in
face, pain in neck and spine.

ACT NOW
File an official complaint. Call the U.S. Consumer Product Safety
Commission at 1-800-638-2772; press 1; press 999 to file your report
on fabric softeners. Emphasize CNS disorder symptoms caused by
chemical poisoning from the product. Allergic symptoms are not given
priority in Commission investigations. Demand a recall. Everyone you
know who reacts to fabric softeners should call - the tally will be
useful in litigation and publicity.

Attain copies of reports from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety
Commission. Call 1-301-504-0424. Consumer product reports are
available under the Freedom of Information Act. Request any of the
following: Emergency Room reports; Consumer Complaints; Death
Certificate reports; In-depth Investigations.

Contact manufacturers: 1-800-543-1745 - Proctor and Gamble (Downy and
Bounce); 1-800-598-5005 - Lever Brothers (Snuggle); or call the maker
of the product you know makes you ill.

Call the Air Quality Management and the Air Resources agencies in your
area. Request a list of their board members. Ask for information
regarding their policies for presenting issues to their boards.
Request the boards consider the issue of fabric softeners in dryer
exhausts as a factor in air pollution. File a complaint.

Well done and amen to......trueparent-ga on 14 Sep 2004 21:47 PDT.

In working out the problem one big item is to use the amount of
detergent the manufacturer recommends (or less if you are also adding
baking soda or washing soda or borax or vinegar to the wash water).

Another point is to not overload the washer or the dryer.

Another point is to not let the clothes sit in the washer for 24 hours
before drying!!

I hope you find your magic formula!

The problem is the water, and given that we don't know what you're
water's like, the question is tough to answer. However, adding some
vinegar to the water should do the trick.

And, in case you're wondering, no, your clothes won't smell like salad
dressing when they are dry :)

Kristina