Well this thread is all over the place and such..passionate opinions!
I tried going the no fabric softener route. I got wool dryer balls, I put on scented essential oil and pfft. Nothing. It didn't speed up drying time, it didn't reduce static in my clothes. It didn't add any scent at all. I gave it a full year before I gave up.
I live in a dry So Cal climate, static in clothes as you take them out of the dryer is a thing. It's not me rubbing my clothes as I wear them (although that happens too, I'm sure), the clothes tumbling in the dryer get static.
I use dryer sheets to combat that. I had also read that you shouldn't use dyer sheets on towels because it reduces the absorbency. I missed the cozy softness though, so I'm back to drying them with the Bounce. No one in my family has noticed them being any less absorbent. Maybe in the testing lab they detected a difference, but we can't.
What I care about is my senses. My sense of smell, my sense of touch. Soft, good smelling towels that I wrap around my body are a pleasure.
Now, the vinegar thing. I can't stand the smell of vinegar. It literally makes me gag. I can't stand to sit next to someone dumping Tabasco on their breakfast because of the smell. Its gross to me. However, due to so many people going on and on about vinegar I decided to try it. Didn't notice a difference when I cleaned and then there was that disgusting smell left behind (to ME, remember, MY opinion here).
So I Googled. and look what Consumer Report says about the 9 Things You should Never Clean with Vinegar
:Washing Machines
Vinegar is sometimes used as a fabric softener or for getting rid of stains and odors in laundry. But as with dishwashers, it can damage the rubber seals and hoses in some washing machines to the point of causing leaks. It’s a problem that Steven Grayson, owner of Foothills Appliance Service in Wilkesboro, N.C., sees fairly frequently. “With continual use, vinegar can literally melt hoses, causing leaks and thereby possibly all kinds of additional damage to the house,” says Grayson. In his experience, front-load washers are especially susceptible to vinegar-related damage.
Plus, it may not even be doing much. “Vinegar isn’t very useful with stains that have already set into clothing, including food stains and bloodstains,” says Sansoni. Consumer Reports' recent tests of laundry stain removers reveal products that are great at removing tough stains, and you don't have to worry about any of them melting the rubber in your washer."
So vinegar is out for me, which takes me back to Bounce Dryer sheets. I did read an article in the LA Times that they did testing on liquid fabric softener and they did find that it does reduce the effectiveness of flame retardancy so for that reason, and that reason alone I now stay away from liquids.
That brings me to the the Downy/Gain Unstoppables. I love them. IDK what the heck myshelly is talking about that they are waxy and create buildup. They aren't made of wax at all. That's just crazy untrue and a bunch of hyperbole.
I have no issues with buildup or funky smells in my washer, I regularly run a super hot water sanitize cycle and also use the Affresh cleaning cycle and leave the door propped open at all times. I also fairly regularly clean out the dryer vent with a little vacuum cleaner attachment I bought.
I also did research on stripping and from what I read it doesn't do anything your washer doesn't already do. All that funk you see left in the tub is fabric dyes as well as dirt, but you never see that come out in the washer so it's dramatic when you strip in the tub.
I love my soft, fresh smelling laundry and will never go back to scentless, rough towels again.
I can't explain it, bc I know the item is clean, but there is always this underlying smell. I assume its bc they are locked in some bin 3/4 of the year, so when my kids get the uniform, its been washed, but I wash it immediately and I dont dry them, I hang them to dry. But I swear I smell something... 
