[imcarthur]

What that Alabama grandmother knew was you have to get it hot. I was briefly in the pro laundry chemical biz.

The key to clean laundry:

Temperature. 150F is about ideal.

Good agitation. The average housewife will cram too large a load into a washer. Side load washers give better agitation - if you don't overfill - with laundry or water. Too much water will dilute the chemicals & reduce agitation.

Detergent. Commercial detergents will burn your hands. It is a nasty alkali. Tide etc is pretty much crap but you use what you can. Liquid detergents will disperse better & faster than granular.

Bleach. Use fresh bleach. It does have a shelf life. The stuff you buy in a store is 3% - if it is fresh. After a month - not so much. Commercial bleach is 7%. It burns your hands & destroys any clothing it touches directly. Chlorine gases off optimally at 155F (if I remember correctly). If it doesn't all gas off due to low temps, residual chlorine will dramatically reduce life of the fabric & could irritate sensitive skin. A cold bleach soak will work if given time & a good wash & rinse afterwards.

Ian