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CD detergent ??

post #1 of 27
9/21/10 at 8:34am
Thread Starter 
Okay....I've heard lots of different stuff on this one. What is the best or worst detergent for cloth diapers?
For our clothing I usually use that biodegradble eco stuff from Costco but it does have a fragrance to it. I heard Charlies Brand was super good and was thinking of spending the $120.00 for the huge bucket that's like 1200 loads worth, I really like bulk and thought that'd last a long time if used just for CDs. Someone mentioned OxyClean on a differnt post. Do you always have to wash CDs in Hot too?

What's your experience's been?? Thanks my wise mamas!

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post #2 of 27
9/21/10 at 9:26am
yes hot water is essential. oxi clean works well.

i make my own powdered detergent.

2 cups fels naptha soap grated
1 cup washing soda
1 cup borax

2tbs reg load. 1 rounded tbs HE load. 1tbs for dipes or half if HE.
i use it for my cloths too...works great and is like 2 pennies a load maybe...
post #3 of 27
9/21/10 at 10:17am
http://www.pinstripesandpolkadots.co...entchoices.htm

I would not buy Charlie's in bulk right away. Some parents report MAJOR skin reactions, other's love it. If it burns your baby's bum, you're not going to want 1200 loads sitting around!

I tended to grab whatever was on sale from the recommended list above. I've never tried my homemade detergent on cd's.
post #4 of 27
9/21/10 at 10:26am
I bought Allens. You can get it here. Its 1/4 ounce in a HE washer.
post #5 of 27
9/21/10 at 10:43am
I've used Allen's for the past couple babies and really like it. My kidos have ultra sensitive skin but we've had no rash issues from it. I used Charlie's before that and we did have some rash problems with it.
post #6 of 27
9/21/10 at 10:56am
We use Charlie's and love it- actually use it on all our laundry. We use prefolds and Bummis Super Brites covers, and have never had an issue with buildup, stinkiness, etc. We do a cold rinse followed by a hot wash with extra rinse.

That being said, I second buying the small bag (I think it's $10 and does roughly 100 loads). You NEVER know what your child will be sensitive to, and don't want to be stuck with it. I've also found that you don't need to use a whole scoop of Charlie's to get dipes clean.
post #7 of 27
9/21/10 at 11:20am
We started out using Charlie's we really liked it and luckily no skin reaction from my son. We would buy it from our local CD store, but that closed, so we now use Biokleen which we can find at Whole Foods or Central Market.

On a related note, I swear by Biokleen Bac Out to spray the dirty diapers down before putting them in your pail. It really cuts down on odors and stains. Also, it is the BEST carpet cleaner I've ever found and it's natural and not fumey either. Just thought I'd throw that out there too.
post #8 of 27
9/21/10 at 12:04pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by lawmama1984 View Post

On a related note, I swear by Biokleen Bac Out to spray the dirty diapers down before putting them in your pail. It really cuts down on odors and stains. Also, it is the BEST carpet cleaner I've ever found and it's natural and not fumey either. Just thought I'd throw that out there too.


I can't speak yet to Bac-Out's efficacy on cloth diapers, but it is definitely an awesome carpet cleaner and will get funky smells out of stuff! It smells nice and lime-y too!
post #9 of 27
9/21/10 at 12:28pm
Moving to Diapering.
post #10 of 27
9/21/10 at 12:56pm
I haven't been too fond of BioKleen's regular detergent; it doesn't seem to get that "sweat smell" out at all. So I didn't want to try it on CDs.

I made my own liquid detergent out of Ivory soap, borax, and washing soda. It seems to work really well for the other clothes so far, and I hope it works for the CDs. My friend uses it for all laundry needs at her house and loves it.

PM me if you want a link to my blog about making it.
post #11 of 27
9/21/10 at 1:55pm
Right now we are usign Tide free powder I love it but I've had no issues with regular store detergants.. I actually have some tiny bubbles detergant comming cause I liked the results form a sample pack I tried... I don't need a new detergant but I'm all for supporting a CD company a little more if I can...

Deanna
post #12 of 27
9/21/10 at 2:14pm
I use my own detergent as well. Fels, washing soda, and borax in equal proportions, dissolved in hot water (5 gallons for 1.5 cups of each); 1/2 cup per load.

I would like to try the bac-out for pre-spraying her poopy diapers, but it's not sold locally and I'm waiting to batch an Amazon order.
post #13 of 27
9/21/10 at 2:22pm
owlgirl, do get a detergent that is recommended for the type of water you have (hard or soft). I've used All free and clear for 9 years on CD and haven't liked anything else as much. Homemade wasn't satisfactory to me either. I wouldn't risk putting soap on my diapers long term with hard water.
post #14 of 27
9/21/10 at 2:56pm
Not sure if you're only after a detergent, but when we were washing cotton diapers/nappies a year ago we would soak them in a pail with a solution of water and Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) for a few hours, then wash at 40 degrees with minimal amount of detergent, no need for a hot wash as the H2O2 is much better at killing bacteria.

I can't really help with suppliers in the US, as we were in Thailand at the time, used to get H2O2 from a swimming pool supplier and had to make do with the least noxious detergent we could find, not very up on organic/natural products!
post #15 of 27
9/21/10 at 7:15pm
I use Sportwash--it's the only thing I buy at Wal-Mart. It works fine on my baby's diapers but doesn't always get the man smell out of my dh's clothes.
post #16 of 27
9/21/10 at 9:27pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by MyFullHouse View Post
http://www.pinstripesandpolkadots.co...entchoices.htm

I would not buy Charlie's in bulk right away. Some parents report MAJOR skin reactions, other's love it. If it burns your baby's bum, you're not going to want 1200 loads sitting around!

I tended to grab whatever was on sale from the recommended list above. I've never tried my homemade detergent on cd's.
That was a really helpful link, thanks!

We have a trial package of Rockin' Green and I assume this is what we will use. Though we typically use Nature Clean on all our laundry so I guess according to this chart it might work too. Though my sister in law just had an issue with her pockets and found out that it was best to use rockin' green...I might go with her experiences and stick to what is known to work best.
post #17 of 27
9/21/10 at 9:49pm
I think it really all depends on what type of water you have/machine. We move quite a bit and I have found that depending on the water my detergent might need to change a bit or my washing "procedure". I personally always used purex free or all free and never had a problem but I also make sure to cut the amt of soap and I also have a thing for doing long water pre-rinse/re-rinse cycles.
post #18 of 27
9/21/10 at 11:16pm
Thread Starter 
Wow!! Thank you all!!

First I WILL NOT buy bulk until I have tested it out, geez, seems so obvious now, what ever was I thinking?? Duh....

Thanks you especially for that awesome link myfullhouse!! Looks like I will have some experimenting lots of great ecofriendly brands to choose from. I will p/u a bottle of the bac out, have seen it for years at the store. Also interested in the H2O2 presoak and not having to use hot water, may experiment with that, not sure. The soaking thing kinda wigs me out. Anyone else do this?

FYI I have an He front loader and we are on well water. I think we have great water. I had hard water once and it stained everything orange and smelled bad. Our water tests good with normal PH, super yummy to drink and no need to filter.
post #19 of 27
9/21/10 at 11:25pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by lawmama1984 View Post
On a related note, I swear by Biokleen Bac Out to spray the dirty diapers down before putting them in your pail. It really cuts down on odors and stains. Also, it is the BEST carpet cleaner I've ever found and it's natural and not fumey either. Just thought I'd throw that out there too.
Can you tell me how you use it? I saw somewhere that it is diluted 50% with water and to rinse out well because it has enzymes right?
post #20 of 27
9/21/10 at 11:26pm
We use Charlies and love it
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