June 19, 2023

How to choose a laundry detergent for reusable cloth diapers

First of all, we will recommend a conventional laundry detergent that is easy to get in supermarkets or on Amazon. Cloth diaper specific detergent is not a must have, you just need to use a detergent that’s SAFE for your cloth diapers. As long as it doesn't contain additives such as bleach, fabric softeners, pure soap, brighteners, and dyes, it will be a cloth diaper safe detergent.
 
There are a few things to watch out for when shopping for a cloth diaper detergent.
 
▪Surfactants: It will be indicated on the ingredients list. It helps the detergent to mix with the water better, softens the soils and releases them from fabrics. It is essential for cleaning your reusable cloth diapers and accessories.
 
▪Enzymes: Enzymes will speed up biological processes. It will efficiently break down stains, proteins and oils, and give the surfactants an extra boost. Enzymes have a slightly controversial reputation on leading to irritations and rashes for those with very sensitive skin.

▪Sensitivity: For babies with sensitive skins, you could try the detergent with light scent or fragrance free. A free&clear formula or plant based detergent will be your options as well.

    1. Detergents for Baby Cloth Diapers

    We've always seen many parents get stuck on choosing a detergent for cloth diaper laundry over so many choices. If you tried a detergent and it worked fine, you can keep using it. If you were running into problems with it, then you can try something else. Here we listed out some brands for you to refer to. We hope they are helpful for you to get started with cloth diapers.
     
    ▪Tide Original: Tide Original is highly recommended in the Mama Koala community. This detergent is compatible and will work well in cold water and hard water. It is safe to HE washing machines. To some families, its scent is too strong.

    ▪Tide Free & Gentle: Tide Free & Gentle is safe for washable cloth diapers and is exceptional for sensitive skin. Based on some customers’ feedback, it is weaker in cleaning soiled diapers so you could try to increase the amount as needed. It is safe to HE washing machines.

    ▪Seventh Generation Ultra Power Plus: As a plant-based option, on one side, Seventh Generation Ultra Power Plus is easy on the planet yet tough on cloth diaper smells and stains. On the other side, based on some customers’ feedback, you might need extra cleaning help from warm/hot water for best results and some water softer (such as borax) to deal with hard water. It’s safe to High-Efficiency(HE) washer.

    ▪Arm & Hammer Plus OxiClean: Arm & Hammer Plus OxiClean contains enzymes designed to break down over 100 different stains. It is strong in cleaning and please be aware of that if you have sensitivities. This detergent is safe for High Efficiency (HE) washers. To some families, its scent is too strong.

    ▪Gain Liquid Original Scent Detergent: Its low-sudsing formulas make it works well in soft water and safe for HE washers. This detergent is highly scented and not great for sensitive skin. You could also try Gain power detergent if you have a regular washer.

    ▪Foca Powder Biodegradable Laundry Detergent: This powder is formulated with biodegradable surfactants and enzymes. If your water hardness is over 150 ppm, you can add a half cup of Borax to ensure the detergent is working effectively. It’s phosphate-free but not safe for HE washer.

    ▪Purex Free And Clear: This detergent is also recommended in our community as it is safe for sensitive skin and HE washers.

      2. Need-to-Know

      At the beginning of your cloth diapering journey, you might feel overwhelmed on choosing the detergent. In fact, it really depends on your water hardness, laundry load, diaper fabrics, and your washing machine. Here are some tips we would like to share with you.
       
      (1) Type of Washing Machine:
       
      A regular washing machine is cheaper to purchase but the HE one will save your money in less consumption of water and energy.
       
      ▪High-efficiency (HE) washing machine: It washes clothes inside a rotating tub that tumbles the clothes during a wash cycle.

      ▪Regular washing machine: An agitator moves clothes through soapy water in a constant clockwise and counterclockwise motion.
       
      Please use a detergent that is specially formulated for regular/HE washing machine accordingly. Compared with the regular detergent, HE detergent is specially formulated with fewer suds. The He detergent is more concentrated so usage amount is less for each laundry load. A symbol of “HE” on the detergent container/packaging will help you to identify if it is safe for your HE washing machine.
       
      Reference link:

      (2) Adjust Your Laundry Load

      We recommend storing used cloth diapers for no longer than 3 days. A good-sized load for most washers is between 20 and 35 diapers & accessories. You can adjust it based on many factors, such as your washer capacity, if the diapers & accessories are soiled, how long they have been storing. Also you can adjusted it based on the products, for example, pocket diapers and 6-layer hemp cotton bamboo inserts will be heavier than covers and 3-layer inserts respectively.

      (3) Water Hardness

      Before shopping for a cloth diaper safe detergent, please test your water hardness. You can purchase test strips on Amazon, in Walmart, or in the fish/pool section at Home Depot. The water hardness depends on how much of minerals are in your water. Please refer to the following table:
       
      In hard water, though the detergent is dissolved, it will be less effective because its active ingredient isn’t totally inactivated due to the hardness. The diaper and insert fabrics will turn dingy, gray or yellow over time, and the mineral building up will make the inserts stay stiff, rough to the touch and less absorbent. Besides using a laundry detergent formulated for hard water or use more detergent to do the job, water softener will help to combat this.
       
      Generally there are two types of water softeners:
       
      ▪Non-precipitating water softeners: Such as Calgon Water Softener or Cadies RLR Laundry Treatment, they react to hard water minerals and form a solution that easily washes away. They do not increase the alkalinity of water and do not leave behind a scum in the tub.

      ▪Precipitating water softeners: Such as such as Borax or Washing Soda, they react to hard water minerals and form solid particles which will clog your washing machine or leave residue in your tub. Also, they might increase the water alkalinity and makes our skin dry, irritated and sensitive.
       
      Reference link:
       
      On the other hand, in soft water, you need to decrease the detergent amount to prevent your washing machine from being overwhelming with suds, and ensure your cloth diapers & accessories are rinsed thoroughly.

      (4) Powder or liquid detergent

      Some people say powder is better while some do better with liquid. In general, as long as you are using the recommended amount for your laundry load and the proper formulation for your washing machine, both of them are good to use.
      In consideration of your water hardness, powder detergents often have higher concentrations of water softeners than the liquid ones.

      3. Not Recommended

      ▪Fabric softener: If your detergents contains fabric softer, it will make your diapers to lose absorbency and result in repelling issue.

      ▪Soap-based detergent: Soaps are primarily made up of natural ingredients, such as natural plant oils or animal fats. They will react with the minerals in your water, and will build up and trap bacteria & other particles in the in the fabric’s fiber, so our cloth diapers will repelling or not well cleaned.

      ▪Detergent pods: They are pre-measured so you might meet difficulties in controlling how much detergent to use or adjusting the amount used. Also they often contain more additives than regular commercial detergents.

      ▪Bleach: Please don’t use bleach or a detergent with bleach on your cloth diapers in the daily washing routine. They are harsh for cloth diapers’ fabric. Occasionally you can use it in sterilizing pre-loved reusble diapers or for a yeast or bacterial infection.

      ▪Homemade Laundry Detergent: Usually it is made of water softeners, boosters, and soaps. We don’t recommend it because soap is not cloth diaper friendly.

      ▪Dryer Sheets: They are composed of lubricants, liquid fabric softeners, fragrances, and a layer of fabric. The fabric softeners will cause repelling and leaking issues. Please don't dryer sheets if your family members have allergies to fragrances or dyes.

        4. How to get more information about Mama Koala products or chat with Mama Koala Team?

        Facebook Community: @Mama Koala Cloth Diapers Addicts
        Email: support@mamakoala.com
        Written by Mama Koala

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