"Danger Will Robinson!Danger! Danger!"
Never,Absolutely never should any detergent be mixed with a fabric softner!!!I had so many customers who , after about a year,would come and talk to me about the black spots that would acumulate on their freshly cleaned laundry.It didn't matter whether they had a top or front loading machine.They were using either Bold,Tide or an off brand detergent with fabric softner in the mix.What happens is,because of the wax that is in all fabric softners and the anionic and nonionic surfactants in the detergent,it causes a gummy wax build up in the outer tub lining which,after a few washings,begins to peal off from the friction and vibration of the spin and drain mode and mix into the rinse water.That causes deposits of this tar like substance to deposit onto the clothes you just washed.The top loaders that have the agitator with a built in fabric softner cup on top work well but,most users do not dilute the liquid which will build up a gummy like substance that causes the same problem and is a bitch to take apart to clean.
In order to remove the spots on the clothes,the best thing to do is take a bar of soap and treat each spot indidualy by rubbing the soap bar onto each spot.Then,wash it in a regular or HE detergent that has no fabric softner in it.The soap will remove the wax and the clothes will be fine.
Many of the washers,mostly models less than 6 years old,we get here are full of this wax deposit.I usualy use meratic acid and run it through using hot water and run yhem through the entire 18minute wash followed by two full rinses.I use the entire gallon and get great results.When the wash water drains with the acid in it,it flushes out all the gook that has built up in the years of abuse these washers go through.There ought to be a law against this horrible mix!!!Maybe I need to start the SPCA but for appliances as well as animals!!