badger - I use all the green products as well. Right now, I'm using Ecover for most everything because I find it does the best cleaning job. I don't notice that any of our stuff smells odd after a few days. I hang dry about half our stuff and use the dryer for the balance (mostly towels & cottons) and I notice no difference in smell.

I DO rinse every load with white vinegar. We stopped using fabric softener when we moved into our current house (over 2 years ago) and instead we throw a 1/4 cup of baking soda in with the clothing and I fill the fabric softener cup with white vinegar (HE front loading machine). Since white vinegar neutralizes scents...maybe that's why I don't get the play-doh smell? I've since stopped bothering with the baking soda, but I still use the white vinegar with every load. Maybe you could try that?