Charlie's Soap

[LadyMag]

Does anyone use Charlie's soap for their CDs?  Experiences - pros and cons?  and how about using it in an HE washer?

[Weevil]

I really like it. Haven't used it in an HE, just an apartment sizes washer with good results. You only need to use a tiny amount, I have found if you use too much it makes the diapers/clothes a bit stiff.

[LadyMag]

Do you less than the recommended 1oz?

[cristeen]

I do use Charlies in my HE machine.  I use half a scoop x2 for a load of CDs (1/2 a scoop in the initial poopy rinse and 1/2 a scoop in the actual wash cycle).  And I use vinegar in the final rinse. 

I've tried several different detergents/soaps, and this one is giving me the best results (we have hard water).  And my sensitive bottomed guy has not had a reaction to it yet (been using it about a month or so, washing twice/week). 

I haven't run across any cons yet. 

[rookiemtnmama]

I also only use Charlie's soap in a HE washer with my cds (and everything else for that matter!). The only draw back I find is that when using cold water I have to break up the powder once I turn the water on, because for some reason it gets hard in the detergent dispenser part of the HE machine, if I don't break it up. It must just be the way it reacts with the cold water. However, I don't have this problem when washing cds because I use hot water and this doesn't seem to happen when using hot water. I would say this is the ONLY drawback...I love Charlie's Soap!! I also don't use a full scoop when washing cds, but I always put it on the "extra rinse" cycle.

[kassandramolle]

We use the Charlie's liquid for cd's and love it? We do an 1/8 of a cup for a full load.

[LadyMag]

Thanks, folks! 

According to the label, Charlie's Soap does not disinfect.  What do you recommend using as a disinfectant?

[cristeen]

Originally Posted by LadyMag 

Thanks, folks! 

According to the label, Charlie's Soap does not disinfect.  What do you recommend using as a disinfectant?

Unless your detergent has bleach in it, most of them don't disinfect.  I don't worry about disinfecting.  But I do use white vinegar in the rinse, which I suppose has that effect, although that's not why I use it. 

[Minalas]

I use charlie soap for all my laundry and love it.

For diapers I usually do one cold rinse without any detergent, then I move the inserts and cotton fitted, prefolds, wash clothes etc. to my stove top in a big pot of water and bring to a boil and then I do a hot wash with one Table Spoon of Charlie Soap. I usually do not boil the outer parts of my pocket diapers, though I do so once in a while, when DS had been sick and I feel I want everything sterilized. With this washing routine I never had stink problems, I never had to strip my diapers, and I never had to worry, if the wash cloth I use to clean DS mouth had been last used to wipe his butt. I should add, I only wash every five days a big load in a HE mashine, mostly to keep energy costs down. Boiling every day or every other day would be a rather wasteful. And of course, it's less work that way.

I use quite a few different diaper brands (Bum Genius, Thirsties, Fuzzi Bunz, Butter Bears, Kissaluvs, little Beetle, Chinese and indian prefolds, Happy Heinis), and so far, boiling did not interfer with the performance of any diaper I own. I started boiling diapers about three and a half years ago, when I noticed the first stinkiness problems with DD diapers, and all those diapers are still in use. Nevertheless, once you boil them, the warrenty of pocket diapers is off.

(When DS was a newborn and filled up to 16 diapers a day and DD wasn't quite done with pottty learning, I had to wash daily. I did not boil diapers daily, then, and I didn't have stink problems. Stink problems mostly come in, because microorganisms live in the diapers and break down the pee into stinkier products, the shorter and colder the dirty diapers are stored, the less stink problems arise.)

[Weevil]

Originally Posted by LadyMag 

Do you less than the recommended 1oz?

I generally use 1/2 - 3/4 of a scoop in my apartment sized washer. If I am using a regular washer I do the full scoop for a full load.

[Monkey pants]

I use charlies on everything. I have an HE and use one scoop for large washes. I also use 1-2 T of bleach in the dispenser whenever they get funky. In the summer i hang in the sun and that bleaches them to almost new. :)

[jocelyndale]

Charlie's was great for our diapers.  The best.

Sadly, I still bear scars from the severe eczema it caused.  And now that I'm sorting outgrown clothing (getting ready for our second child), I'm breaking out all over again.  I'll need a different diaper solution next time.

[CookAMH]

I have no complaints. We're on our third tub of powder and I like it pretty well.