I have washed everything but towels and sheets in cold water using liquid Tide or Era for years, and my clothes are clean. I don't have kids or a husband who gets grease on his clothes, so I don't have those kinds of problems - but when I did, I used Amway's SA8 and cold water - that worked, too. I have a Kenmore top loader, but would love to have a front loader to save water and NOT have an agitator that twists clothes into a mess!