Soap for Diapers

[GinaRae]

As I am washing all the dipes, I realized some say no liquid soap. GREAT. Did I just ruin them? I was using Ecos.

I don't know what else to get! Charlie's Soap is apparently dangerous and I would love something I can pick up locally. One of the health food shops has small, expensive containers of natural powdered soap, but Ecos is SO much less expensive and we do A LOT of laundry which can only get much worse with a 4th baby and cloth diapers.

[welldone]

Originally Posted by GinaRae

Charlie's Soap is apparently dangerous

I'd love to know more about this. Lots of people are really happy with Charlie's Soap; I thought there were just a few who had problems? I was thinking of switching all of our laundry over...

My other solution is not the greenest...in a pinch, we use either All Free & Clear or Purex Free & Clear.

[welldone]

Oh, and at Sun & Earth's website, you can get a five gallon bucket of their natural laundry detergent for $54, which includes shipping. I haven't tried it, but I know many love Sun & Earth cleaners. I've enjoyed their dish soap.

[*Lindsey*]

Huh?! No liquid soap...what the? What dipes say that?

I use Dawn dishwashing liquid (the plain old blue kind) for dipes.

[Valerieg]

We were using Charlie's until we got "the stink"!!! I personally didn't like the "smell" of it...the bottle says it is unscented but I just never liked the way it smelled. It says it smells like fresh clean clothes. It just didn't work for us.

Then I got some used dipes of DS...they were so soft that I asked the mommy what she used. She uses Dawn. I had to give it a try and must say that our diapers are no longer stinky and they're soft. No reactions from DD at all either (and she was getting some redness with Charlie's).

I have an email on my other computer with a list of good soaps to use. If I get a chance later, I'll post it.

[MandarijnOrange]

For those of you that do prefolds, do you use one type of detergent for the prefolds and another for the covers?

[*Lindsey*]

I use Dawn for prefolds, covers, and FB.

Link for detergents: http://www.diaperjungle.com/detergent-chart.html

[welldone]

Originally Posted by MandarijnOrange

For those of you that do prefolds, do you use one type of detergent for the prefolds and another for the covers?

Nope. Never have. I use Bummis Super Whisper Wraps mostly, which are nearly destruction proof.

Of course, I do wash wool covers separately, by hand, and air dry.

[lisalulu]

We use either the Whole Foods brand or 7th generation (not the baby one)-both liquids. Most of our diapers are Fuzzi Bunz with some Kissaluvs and Snap-EZ's. I do seem to remember chatting with a friend about cloth and her mentioning something about using powder on hers too-she has a variety of cloth-but I never her asked her why.

[AKmomof2+1inNov]

Originally Posted by *Lindsey*

I use Dawn for prefolds, covers, and FB.

Link for detergents: http://www.diaperjungle.com/detergent-chart.html

Thanks for that link! I clicked on the make your own link on the bottom and have everything they require so I might try to make some for myself. Normally I use All Free and Clear liquid for everything because it's easy to get. But I only have DD in diapers at night (no poo) and half the time they stay dry, so diaper washing for a newborn will be totally different!

[LittleBrownDog]

So how much Dawn do you put in? We had some stink issues with DDs prefolds (we were using them as FB inserts) and I am SO tired of stripping!

[*Lindsey*]

Originally Posted by LittleBrownDog

So how much Dawn do you put in? We had some stink issues with DDs prefolds (we were using them as FB inserts) and I am SO tired of stripping!

When I measure it, about 3 tsp.

I still get stink issues sometimes, it's so frustrating! Saturday I added 1/2 cup of Borax and let them soak in that and then followed my wash routine, and they smelled really clean!

[dcgrl]

Charlie's is dangerous? Can you elaborate? I've been washing our diapers in Charlie's Soap (the powder).

[Ackray]

What is dangerous about charlies? I love it.

I use dawn for stripping. And charlies or gain LIQUID depending on my mood.

[marisa]

I never had luck with liquid soaps as they seemed to leave alot of build up thus leading to stink issues - but I also had a top loading washer back then...now I have an LG front loader.

[GinaRae]

Google it (charlies soap burns) and there are quite a few links.

Lindsey, I will get the dipes and see which ones said so. It might have been the Kissaluvs or the covers! Cannot remember which.

[monocyte]

I bounce between Purex and Allens, depending on which store I get to (or dont get to!)

Have to say, I love just plain old Purex. Never had any stinky dipe issues...no stains, no issues with soap sensitivity (although we dont have any allergies, so that doesnt mean much) but I find it really rinses clean. And its cheap.

[welldone]

I have heard good things about Wind Fresh, which is available in huge buckets at Sam's Club. It's a cheap powder, and cheaper detergents tend to have less of the extra stuff in them that cause buildup.

Just word of mouth, though--I haven't tried it myself. We need something free of dyes and fragrances (due to my daughter's eczema), and even though some claim it doesn't smell much, it only takes a little to irritate her. I would try it if a friend gave me some, but I'm not buying that whole freaking bucket to give it a shot!

[scheelimama]

Not sure what's dangerous about Charlie's. We use the powdered version of Charlie's soap and have been for over a year with no problems! In fact, we love it, and can't stand to use anything else on any of our clothing/laundry. I don't think it has a scent, but maybe the liquid version does. FWIW, I also use a TBS. of Ultimate Care Clorox Bleach and half a cap of Calgon with every diaper load for the best results. We have never had stink or build-up problems with this combo.

[scheelimama]

Originally Posted by GinaRae

Google it (charlies soap burns) and there are quite a few links.

Lindsey, I will get the dipes and see which ones said so. It might have been the Kissaluvs or the covers! Cannot remember which.

I think that has only happened to a handful of people; the majority find they love it! And the price is right for me. Honestly, there will be someone that is highly allergic to (and therefore gets "burns") from just about any soap/detergent there is. You can find negative reviews for anything.