Which Laundry Detergent Do You Recommend for Newborn?

[virgo]

Hi Ladies,

I want to wash all of the clothing and linen before baby arrives and was looking for laundry detergent recommendations for a newborn. I have very sensitive skin but hopefully the baby will have perfect skin like DH.

What did you love? What did you not love? Why?

1) Dreft
2) Tide Free
3) All Free and Clear
4) Seventh Generation
5) Other

Thanks

[jeminijad]

I recommend any powder free & clear detergent. More importantly, I recommend only using about 1/2 the manufacturer's suggested amount, OR doing an extra rinse.

[fruitfulmomma]

We use BioKleen or Ecos Free. Both of them work well for me and the girls, we all have allergies/intolerances and I have major chemical sensitivities.

[slgt]

Seventh Generation Free & Clear, either powder or liquid. Definitely go with a real free & clear - if for no other reason than you want your baby to smell like your baby, not like laundry detergent!

[texaspeach]

we use 3) All Free and Clear - it's what we used before ds came along.

[CherryBomb]

I definitely would NOT use dreft, I think that stuff smells so chemically and nasty!

I usually make my own (with dr bronners, washing soda, and borax). If I'm out or don't feel like making any, or whatever, I use all free and clear. I don't necessarily wash baby things seperately.

[jump mama jump!]

Seventh Generation baby liquid. Baby and I both have sensitive skin, I have chem sensitivities and asthma, often triggered by chemical scents so unscented is the most important thing for me. We also use arm and hammer free and clear for me and dh, and I accidentally washed a load of dd's stuff in it recently, it seemed to be ok but I'm thinking of switching us all to 7th gen since it's vegan and probably better for the environment.

[lach]

We use Charlie's Soap for everything in the house. It's cheap, works really well, and though it's unscented I think it smells "clean." Sorting out baby's clothes for its own load always seemed impractical to me, anyway.

[aramat]

We are sensitive-skinned here, but I use any detergent (hard for me to find special detergents where I am now)-- I just use less than the recommended amount and always put vinegar in the rinse cycle. This works for my cloth diapers, too.

[Blessed1]

Some of the ones you listed have chemicals..enzymes, phosphates, brighteners, dyes and fragrances...

We use Country Save and Rocking Green Detergent for ALL our laundry. I would suggest you wash all clothes in a sensitive detergent. Because the baby is going to be resting her little cheek on your clothes and sheets too.

HEre is a chart:
http://www.diaperjungle.com/detergent-chart.html

[somegirl99]

I have very sensitive skin and we have hard water. We've been using Country Save with a vinegar rinse on all laundry (ours, baby's, and diapers) and it has been working great.

[cocoanib]

We use country save for everybody and diapers too.

Originally Posted by Blessed1

Some of the ones you listed have chemicals..enzymes, phosphates, brighteners, dyes and fragrances...

We use Country Save and Rocking Green Detergent for ALL our laundry. I would suggest you wash all clothes in a sensitive detergent. Because the baby is going to be resting her little cheek on your clothes and sheets too.
HEre is a chart:
http://www.diaperjungle.com/detergent-chart.html

ITA. Remember baby will be touching you and the linens in the house, so it's best for everybody to use the same.

[virgo]

Thanks for all of the responses everyone.

Originally Posted by Blessed1

HEre is a chart:
http://www.diaperjungle.com/detergent-chart.html

This is a great chart! Has anyone ever used the Trader Joe's brand laundry detergent?

[Blessed1]

Originally Posted by virgo

Thanks for all of the responses everyone.



This is a great chart! Has anyone ever used the Trader Joe's brand laundry detergent?

I was going to try it but I love Country Save so much that I never got around to it. lol Check out Country Save's website...they deliver to you for free!!! It's really cheap too. I bought my Country Save at a local Sprouts for about $14 i think...but I am going to order directly from them next time..I think it was 8.99 with free shipping!
My hubby is a firefighter and it works great on his clothes too!

[staceychev]

We used 7th Generation Free & Clear for a long time, and with the baby I added 7th Gen fabric softener. When we switched to cloth diapers, I switched to Ecos Free & Clear because the 7th Gen isn't recommended for cloth diapers from what I've read.

[Knitting Mama]

Originally Posted by CherryBomb

I definitely would NOT use dreft, I think that stuff smells so chemically and nasty!

I usually make my own (with dr bronners, washing soda, and borax). If I'm out or don't feel like making any, or whatever, I use all free and clear. I don't necessarily wash baby things seperately.

Do you make a liquid? I totally want to make my own liquid detergent, but hadn't found a good recipe. Right now I make my own powder detergent with Kirk's coconut oil castile soap, washing soda and Borax.

OP, I highly recommend making your own. It's so cheap, and lasts forever since you only use a tablespoon or so at a time. And you know for sure what's on your baby's skin (and yours)!

[ErinYay]

I always used whatever we had in a tiny portion with white vinegar (even on baby clothes before she was born), but I'm lackadaisical about stuff like that. If one of us had sensitive skin, I'd probably use a dye & scent-free kind, but for babies (even newborns) who don't have issues with environmental dermatitis etc, I don't think it's necessary. (Now, the overall chemical issues with detergent are a whole other story...)

[lach]

Originally Posted by virgo

Thanks for all of the responses everyone.



This is a great chart! Has anyone ever used the Trader Joe's brand laundry detergent?

I haven't, but in general I have good luck with TJ's brand. Their "brands" are usually some other brand, repackaged as their own. Sometimes if you ask at the store they can tell you what the name brand is, and sometimes if you Google enough someone on the internet has mentioned it. Sometimes it's a European brand, since they're owned by a German company and sometimes it's something available in the States (for more money). But then you can search for reviews of the name brand, too.

[colemom]

Originally Posted by virgo

This is a great chart! Has anyone ever used the Trader Joe's brand laundry detergent?

Yes, this is what we primarily use. I love it! The powder is completely scent free and no softening and lasts for a long, long time. The liquid has a very slight lavender scent (so light I didn't really notice it until we used the powder for awhile) and a touch of soy for softening and that little bit does make a difference. I find the liquid does not last as long as the powder, but I prefer the liquid and I use less than recommended. They both clean well, I do add a scoop of oxi clean to most loads since 4 year olds get mighty dirty. We have sensitive skin and it has been great for everyone, even when my babes were newborns. HTH!

[angelpie545]

I used Dreft, which worked fine but I agree with the above poster-it does kind of make the clothes smell like chemicals. All Free and Clear is good for sensitive skin but not necessarily for stains. Unfortunately I haven't come across a detergent that can clean stains well and is good to my skin. The search continues. I haven't tried Seventh Generation yet, so that's still on the list. The only reason it's still up there is because it's expensive and I'm low on $$$ until I can work again (likely when ds, almost 6 months, turns 1).