On Monday, February 10, 2014 8:35:29 AM UTC-7, wrote:

The machine is a mid-level Estate series by Whirlpool, about 5 years old. The
fabric softener is liquid Downy. The directions on the bottle are "Add to the
machine dispenser or final rinse." - EXACT WORDS.

This doesn't say anything about a "bleach" dispenser.

My 12 year old Kenmore washing machine has a separate fabric softener dispenser on top of the agitator (and growing up, my parents ca. 1970's Whirlpool had one too). It's basically a cup that uses centrifugal force of the spin cycle to fling the softener out of the cup and down into the drum to be mixed in with the water when it fills for the rinse cycle.

I'm surprised you're "mid-level" doesn't have this, but since it doesn't, dilute the softener with water about 50/50 and then dump it in after the washer fills for the rinse cycle.