I live in an area with very hard water and I use this in every wash. My first washing machine has just stopped working after 23 years so I must be doing something right! This stuff smells nice and because it is liquid you don't have to worry about it dissolving. I just put it in the washball with the clotheswash liquid and shove the whole thing in the drum. You can use less clotheswash as well as it washes more efficiently in softened water.