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I usually just buy what’s on sale, but my laundry always comes out smelling like nothing. Right now it’s “Purex naturals linen and Lilly” with wool dryer balls (I tried air drying for scent but the towels felt gross and crusty)
I know the “airbnb hosts tried and true products” thread says tide + downy, but I’d love to hear other suggestions too.
Also, any tips to make a home always smell welcoming? I know a clean home usually has no scent, I’d like something to smell a bit more fresh
I’m in the camp of “no smell” is most welcoming. For example, many people love Febreze and I really can’t stand it. If you have to have a smell, going with something that is widely used and very popular would be a good choice like vanilla or lavender. Maybe a spritz of lavender essential oil mixed with water on the finished bed linens?
I like the smell of Gain. But personal preference
There is no life without Tide.
My wife does nearly all of the laundry for the ABB. She likes the Kirkland liquid from Costco in our front-loaders.
I guess it also depends which country you live in???
I always use non bio (as many people react to bio washing powders) , eco products and agree its good to keep strong perfumed products to a minimum.
I use any powder with Comfort ‘Sunshine’ conditioner/softener/whatever it’s called, have had 2 guests ask me how I get the beds smelling so lovely with this. 
I like Tide “free & clear”. I’ve stopped using softener for the most part. Towels stay absorbent and fresh with white vinegar in the compartment intended for softener.
Sometimes I run through with Febreeze (I like the “Spring” scent) if it smells stuffy.
I like to hang linens on the line if the weather is good.
The problem I’ve run into in summer is insects on the laundry. So now I’m only hanging airbnb linens on the line in winter. My personal stuff I don’t care, I just shake it off before taking it in but I don’t want guests finding a bug in the bed.
Don’t your towels get hard? I do this with my own clothing, but I’ve always found that the towels lose their softness when hung to dry
Just a side note here…if you towels get dingy or crusty feels or not fluffy it is because you have a build up of soap on your towels. You can check it out by placing a freshly laundered hand towel, place in water for a few minutes and work it like you are trying to suds up. If you get a soap film in the water you have soap build up. Try double rinsing, using less soap or some times vinegar can cut thru it. I occasionally will wash my towels w/o soap first, the add 1/4 of the normal amount and wash again with dbl rinse. Towels are whiter and fluffier.
I too use whatever is on sale but add Borax. When drying I use scented dryer sheets but I toss in like four at a time to get that nice linen scent. When I make the bed, I also put a couple of dryer sheets under the mattress.
I run them in the dryer until they are damp.
We used to wash the odd load without soap.
Gain for sure. Tide makes my towels smell funny, so we have not used that in years (Google it, it’s a thing)
We use Ecos liquid purchased at Costco. It has virtually no scent. Early on someone complained that they were very sensitive to detergent scents and have had a couple of other guests specifically ask if we used scented detergent or cleaning agents so I’ve tried to use unscented everything.
Mandi is right. You can save a bundle on drying and still have soft towels if you dry them just to the still damp stage, but good and hot. Then hang them up to dry. My friend, who was adverse to extra work, back when ironing cotton was almost a requirement to make garments look nice, taught me Mandi’s trick. The other part is to do the same thing with your clothes, and as they come out of the dryer, hang them on hangers and smooth down the garment with your hands. Most shirts and jeans looked pretty darn good doing it this way, and almost no energy bill for the dryer.
Costco fragrance free detergent, with 1/2 cup Oxy every most large loads. I have fragrance allergies, so never one of those smelly bogus softener sheets.
To freshen rooms, I use LemonMate. Strong enough to kill bad baby diaper or almost any kind of smoke odor, but delicate enough I can just swing a light spray in the air before adding the top sheet. Mostly lemon skin oil.
I use Ariel and I line dry everything. I leave until they’re almost completely dry and then tods everything in the dryer to soften it up.