Originally Posted by NJ Quilter

Can anyone recommend a good laundry pre-treater/stain agent? DH manages to get the collars, cuffs and sleeves of his shirts disgusting. I have tried just about everything on the market (I think) to no avail. Seems to me that with the removal of all the phosphates in the laundry detergents now, that none of them seem to work overly well. It doesn't help that we have very 'hard' water. I've tried borax; washing soda with detergents; am spending a small fortune on Tide detergent based on consumer reports and nothing seems to get clothes clean any more. My old favorite, K2R Spot Lifter, apparently isn't made any longer.

I have a Maytag top load washer - about 10-15 years old - that was pretty much top of the line at the time. I don't think the issue is with the machine (as DH does). But I feel like all that washing machines do any longer is swish the clothes around with the detergent to make them smell better - not get them clean!

Any hints/suggestions gladly welcomed.