My grandma--momma's mom--used vinegar, hot water and brown paper bags to clean everything else but never did hear about the wash. She swore by her vinega and brown paper bags for everything so I'm almost positive she would have used vineagr in the wash in some way. In her day they used real things. Not any of these man made things.
I still use the vinegar, hot water and brown paper bags for cleaning my windows - stops the streaking on the windows - and inside needs. Called my brother and he said she used vinegar but could not remember what, if anything she used with it.
Also use cinnamon for killing roaches. I never allow the bug people to enter my apartment as I have 1 cat that is deathly allergic to that poison. He never has even tasted my cinnamon. Guess the smell turns him off. I just drop a 1/4 teaspoon in out of the way places and the roaches find it. I never see a roach until they spray the other apartments in my building. After eating the cinnamon in my apartment spells their death. I just buy the pur ground cinnamon.