Good laundry detergents for cloth diapers??

Jennifer - posted on 03/25/2009

I have the BG 3.0's and I use Charlie's ... we have started using it on all of our clothes cause it is soooo great!

Jolene - posted on 03/25/2009

20 Mule Team Borax Old as th ehills and it works. Hang the diapers outside to dry if possible that will kill most fo the germs adn bacteria that the washer didn't. Vinegar works well to keep the smell down

Charmaine - posted on 03/25/2009

Quoting Yanika:

I make my own natural laundry soap thats works great with our cloth diapers and all other laundry. The liquid soap is easy to make and for aprox 10$ you get 6-9 months worth of laundry soap!! i would be happy to pass on the recipe if your interested.

I would love to know your recipe! 

I have moved twice in the past year, and used to use Arm and Hammer Sensitive at my old house and it worked great.  I also had a new washer there.  Then we sold the house, moved into my Mom's until we could find a house, and either her water was too soft or her washer wasn't as effective, I started having stink issues!  I switched to a WAHM-made natural detergent which worked well for a bit, but I think eventually caused a build up and I stopped using it.  Now we've moved into our own house again and the washer here is older, and I have been going back and forth between Arm and Hammer Sensitive and Essentials and Purex Free and Dawn and Calgon and washing soda and Borax!  Even with a vinegar pre rinse AND rinse, the smell still lingers :( I only use less than half the recommended amount of detergent, rinse twice and hang them in the sun when it's possible.  It's very  frustrating!  I would really prefer to use detergents that are readily available at the general retailers since the health food stores near me have a very limited selection.

Beth - posted on 03/24/2009

We have cloth diapered for over a year. We have a little boy with severe allergies including disposables. I tried a lot of different types of free and clear detergents and then was told the free and clear detergents can make the diapers non absorbent. My friend who cloth diapers told me about Charlie's Soap so we gave it a try. We LOVE it and now use it on all our clothes. We have never had a burn problem like a previous poster but I always double rinse his clothes and diapers due to his allergies. I also use distilled white vinegar as fabric softener as we hang almost all our clothes outside to dry. With Charlies Soap we found it at Earthfare which is an all natural type of grocery store. It only takes an 8th of a cup of liquid or a tablespoon of the powder.

Candice - posted on 03/23/2009

I consulted this website to help me choose a detergent.



http://www.diaperjungle.com/detergent-ch...



We use Planet and Ecos Free & Clear.

Yanika - posted on 03/23/2009

I make my own natural laundry soap thats works great with our cloth diapers and all other laundry. The liquid soap is easy to make and for aprox 10$ you get 6-9 months worth of laundry soap!! i would be happy to pass on the recipe if your interested.

Amber - posted on 03/22/2009

I have had great luck with trader joe's powder detergent and oxyclean.

Sierra - posted on 03/22/2009

Just look at the ingredients on the detergent box/bottle. Optical Brighteners can cause buildup (stink and absorbancy issues) and enzymes and fragrance can cause rashes. so even though there are some great products out there like Allens. you don't need them. Sun and Xtra are super cheap and therefore don't have either of the nasty ingredients. they have fragrance but that's sort of the least offensive ingredient and i don't think many people have problems with it.  SO: just stay away from optical Brighteners and Enzymes and you should be ok. also stripping your diapers (washing them with HOT water until there are no more suds during agitation-you can add a teaspoon of blue dawn dish detergent the first cycle) monthly as a preventative is great too. i hardly ever have to go more than one wash and rinse cycle.  for more info look at Pinstripes and polkadots website.

Megan Brown - posted on 03/17/2009

My daughter had ultra sensitive skin, and still does at 12.. Of all things that worked we use Tide, with no extra fresheners.. We also used borax to soak them in. Good Luck..

Karen - posted on 03/17/2009

I use Country Save on diapers and clothes. Amazon.com has free shipping on a case of 4 boxes. It's really cheap if you have a front loader because you get 160 loads per box (it's about 8 cents a load).

Simone - posted on 03/17/2009

We use soap nuts, and I wouldn't go back to any detergent now. However, Purex Free and Clear, Sunlight Ultra Sensitive Skin and All Free and Clear are some brands that work pretty well, but you still might get build up depending on your water.

Diane - posted on 03/16/2009

We use country save

Diane - posted on 03/16/2009

We use country save

Caroline - posted on 03/15/2009

I use Xtra.It's cheap, doesn't have a lot of additives and works great on my daughters diapers. I only use a small amount.

Noel - posted on 03/15/2009

the best one if you arent going to use one made specifically for diapers is Arm and Hammer with oxyclean... it works wonders but I also reccomend http://liloutlaws.net/ she is a WAHM who has great CS if you end up ordering...

Sarah - posted on 03/14/2009

I use Arm and Hammer too.  We have no stains!!!!  We have had no problem and we buy it at Wal-mart.

Erin - posted on 03/13/2009

Cottonbabies.com ships detergent for free.

Jessica - posted on 03/13/2009

I use All Free & Clear (this is my normal detergent for eveything). I use a scoop of Sun Oxygen cleaner in the first cold wash. I tried 7th Gen detergent but it has enzymes in it which give my daughter a diaper rash. They say some kids experince this with the enzymes and others don't. We've been using the same Fuzzi Buns and Imse Vimse's for 1.5 years... they are holding up great and no stains! (oh and I hang in the sun to dry).

Good Luck!

Elise - posted on 03/13/2009

i find soapnuts work really well... they make the nappies really soft but also clean thoroughly and are very gentle on the nappies. they also contain natural substances that can be used topically for skin problems, so are an excellent option if your baby tends to get rashes at all.

Emily - posted on 03/12/2009

I use soap nuts too! But I've never used them on cloth diapers. I have no idea if they're at all effective at removing stains.

Monessa - posted on 03/12/2009

We use Country save detergent on our diapers and it works great, I have seen it at grocery stores but not at wal-mart or target. I'd check the grocery store or if you have a health foods store they may have natural detergent. I've heard great things about soapnuts too...

Elizabeth - posted on 03/12/2009

SoapNuts!!!  My son has the most sensitive of skins, I was using free & clears and I assume the brighteners in it were building up cause he was getting an awful rash...I couldn't stand it anymore nothing was working...so I researched online till I was cross-eyed...and I ordered soapnuts on a whim and in 2 days his rash cleared up and it has been clear skies ever since...they are "Wonder"nuts.

Emily - posted on 03/12/2009

Alright...I just bit the bullet and ordered Charlie's Soap. In fact, I was so impressed by the reviews I read that I ordered a kit that included their All-Purpose cleaner and a few other cool things, too. Let's hope it works out!

Joanne - posted on 03/12/2009

I love Charlie's Soap and have been using it for all our laundry since I discovered it solved my itchy/sensitive skin problem. Both of my kids have never had a diaper rash, although we do have soft water where we live.  We recently bought the 5 gallon bucket online. It is the best bargain and shipping is free. So, I guess we are committed until my youngest is well out of diapers : )

Malinda - posted on 03/12/2009

Quoting Barb:

Ah yes, the hard water problem. I friend who had that problem just told me there are instructions on the WonderWash/Charlie boxes (dry soap) for those with that issue. Vinegar to soften the water works. I haven't had problems with irritation or smell, I am also on well water so maybe that helps too

We also use Calgon water softener every once in a while for our hard water.

Veezie - posted on 03/12/2009

oh, and i get 7th generation at target, babies r us, and kmart.

Veezie - posted on 03/12/2009

i use 7th generation. i also have bum genius. but even on my prefolds and lightwraps, it works fine. i double rinse. but i do everything else like normal laundry. never had even a slight problem.

Anne - posted on 03/12/2009

With my son we used mostly the All Free and Clear, and used about a quarter of what I would use in a normal wash. Every now and then I would throw in some oxiclean or do an extra clear wash. I tried Allen's Naturally for a bit, but found it fairly expensive (I may have also been using too much). He's out of diapers now, but I am expecting another and recently switched to Charlie's Soap for all of our laundry. I'm alittle nervous about Keri's post about the burns from the Charlie's Soap. 

I have found Charlie's Soap occasionally on EBay with free shipping and it was a few $$ cheaper than other sites.

Barb - posted on 03/12/2009

Ah yes, the hard water problem. I friend who had that problem just told me there are instructions on the WonderWash/Charlie boxes (dry soap) for those with that issue. Vinegar to soften the water works. I haven't had problems with irritation or smell, I am also on well water so maybe that helps too

Keri - posted on 03/12/2009

I use Fuzzi Bunz and started with Charlie's Soap...it gave my daughter severe burns (I later found out that this happens to alot of kiddos) I have been using Purex free and clear for 6 months and have had no issues (I use just a little bit)

Barb - posted on 03/12/2009

Charlies or Allens, both are recommended. I prefer the Charlies and it can be used as a cleaner throughout your whole house. Non-toxic and no strong smell

Jen - posted on 03/11/2009

Charlies really is the best; you don't need much so it lasts forever and it works really awesome.

Vilate - posted on 03/11/2009

I have a list of enzyme free detergents on my web page.  http://www.niftynappybyvilate.weebly.com     I use Arm and Hammer and love it .

Lauren - posted on 03/11/2009

Charlie Soap is what we use. Go to the website and I think you can search for retailers. We found a few local baby stores that sell it here.

Paula - posted on 03/11/2009

Baby OxiClean gets the really dirty diapers clean. Ivory Baby is a brand that was made for baby's clothes and is sold in most stores. My mum buys it and uses it when we come into town.

Emily - posted on 03/11/2009

I use what Kelli Peters uses, the Naturclean and oxyboost.  I buy it at the Loblaws superstores

Erin - posted on 03/11/2009

I use Planet and love it. Got it at Kroger (King Sooper) Target also has a few of the listed ones.

Joanne - posted on 03/11/2009

free and clear and nautres own are both great products. Vinager and backing soda are just as good.

Ramona - posted on 03/11/2009

I was told and reading "Planet" detergent is a good one. I believe King Soopers has it.

Here is a good link too...:  http://www.modernmommygear.com/v/vspfile...

I like this website: www.modernmommygear.com

Kelli - posted on 03/11/2009

I use NatureClean detergent and oxygen bleach and it's been working great.  A few of the grocery stores carry it, and health food/organic shops if there are any near you.

Dessa - posted on 03/11/2009

I use charlie's soap and love it. You can only get it online charliesoap.com, but there's no shipping charges.

Belle - posted on 03/11/2009

I started out using All Free and Clear (bc its what I use on clothes). It worked OK, but the diapers where stinky. I switched to OxiClean Baby (from BabiesRUS) and it is working great! Its a little more expensive, but not outrageous. Hope that helps!

Katie - posted on 03/11/2009

I just use a free and clear unscented store brand (Publix) and I've been using cloth diapers for a bit and haven't noticed any absorbency issues.

Rosa - posted on 03/11/2009

I pm'ed you on what I use :-)

Malinda - posted on 03/11/2009

We use Mountain Green, but we have a local store that sells it. Here is a good list of what works really well:

http://pinstripesandpolkadots.com/deterg...



I have seen the Planet Ultra at Walmart I think, and the All Small and Mighty Free and Clear and Arm & Hammer I have seen at Target. They aren't "ideal" but if they are close and you can buy them, I think it's worth trying.



GL!