my cousin with her not yet one year old swears by oxyclean. she soaks the clothes in it then washes as normal in the machine with detergent
for smelly towels add vinegar to the load and wash on HOT.
for whites, we use tide with bleach powder plus liquid bleach
brand name detergents make the difference, as does adding fabric softener such as downy to the load. also use bounce sheets in the dryer
for ironing, find a good dry cleaner
and today MY laundry drove me crazy! i washed a blanket and put it outside to dry in the sun (best way imho. smells yyyuuummmm) and when i went to bring it in i found some birdy used it as a bathroom. YUCK. had to wash a freshly cleaned towel ALL over again. dont worry, i used hot water and extra soap 🙂