P.H.
I've been using cheap white vinegar for about 2 years now. It's a wonderful thing!
I have front loaders so I just add the vinegar to the rinse compartment in the dispenser. The machine does the rest.
Occationally I'll use a dryer sheet - but I cut it in half and use it for two loads, then throw it away. Mostly for bath towels and blankets though.
I use a tention rod to hang up the clothes. My laundry area is long and narrow, so I span it against one wall, and the front of the upper cabinet over the washer. It's high enough that the opening and closing of the door doesn't hit it, but not so high I can't reach the clothes. Before I put it there, I'd hang things on the tention rod placed as high as I could in the door jamb between the kitchen and dining room. It was in the way enough that I had to take and put the clothes away- they couldn't just hang there for a week or more. (My own attempt at self dicipline!)