Homemade detergent

[LDSmomma]

I used homemade detergent, the kind with fels naptha, borax and washing powder, and another time we used ivory soap instead, on my diapers and all our clothes a while back.  Our white clothes were getting greyer and greyer, and stains weren't coming out as well, so we stopped using the homemade detergent.  Around the same time, we were having a lot of repelling issues with the dipes, and I can't remember if it was related to the homemade detergent or not.  Has anyone experienced this?

Right now, our diapers are disintigrating.  It's weird, but they are shredding apart, and the covers are leaking through the PUL, though I don't see holes or anything.  I think it's the cheapo detergent we've been using.  So, I'm thinking of switching back to the homemade detergent for diapers at least, but don't want to get into a repelling problem.

TIA!

[mamadiamond]

i was just about to post a similar question. i use that same detergent, and some of my AIO's have started repelling. so i'm interested to see what others reply.

[ExuberantDaffodil]

I would say it might be the fels naptha. Replace that with 1/4 grated bar of castile soap, and add 1/4c of oxyclean, and the dinginess and repelling might get better. I used homemade laundry detergent on my clothes and diapers for over a year, and other than the occasional (less than once a month) need to do an extra rinse on the dipes, I didn't have a repelling problem. But also keep in mind the fabrics of your diapers. I noticed homemade detergent didn't work as well on my synthetic fabric diapers, but it worked just fine on my natural fiber diapers. 

[LDSmomma]

Come to think of it, the repelling was in my BGs, not PFs.

If castille soap is hard to find, do you think fels naptha will cause repelling in cotton fibers?

[ExuberantDaffodil]

Yeah, it was my BG deluxe AIOs that repelled. 

Do you have a Cracker Barrel near you? I found Kirk's castile soap there for .99 a bar. Dr. Bronner's is pretty easy to find at Target or natural food stores.