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Detergent freak out-or how do you clean diapers?

589 views 8 replies 8 participants last post by  treeoflife3 
#1 ·
I know I still have a few months to worry about this, and I CD'd my last two children. But after reading GMD's guide that came with the dipes I am totally freaking out. We had super stink issues with my last dd's diapers that caused me to quit cloth diapers for her (though she was potty training so it wasn't really an issue). We usually use Gain because I'm sensitive to Tide and a lot of kinds and I like the smell. Plus I always read not to use free & clear kinds.

Now the guide says not to use any with enzymes or brighteners or any of these things which I agree with. But every time one thing was mentioned as a plus (like Charlie's being awesome) there were negatives in with that and talk about how a lot of people say not to use Borax so Charlie's shouldn't be used and if you use __ kind you have to use __ in the same load to disinfect and all of this complicated stuff I never thought about or knew about before. Like soaking, then prewashing, then washing, then at least one extra rinse or extra cycle with just water-seems like a huge waste of water to me (though we don't have water shortages so it's not a huge issue more just ecological worries).

Like to wash covers seperately and use stuff to disinfect it or something special to strip them every month and how you should use oxygen bleach which I never did with dipes before thinking it was a no-no... And how you need to use this same detergent for all your laundry so that your machine doesn't get buildup and you don't have to strip them-seems expensive for the prices on a lot of those detergents! OMG is it really this complicated? Have I been doing it wrong all these years?


How do you wash your dipes? I have prefolds, a couple fitteds, and a few AIOs. What detergent is best for city water that's not soft but not super hard in an old top loading machine without a lot of cycle/temp choices?

And which non-chlorine bleach? Oxi-clean seems to be a no-no but all the others are SO expensive.

I am in hardcore information overload. Please, somebody talk me down from hyperventilating about detergent choices.
 
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#2 ·
Good grief, I'd be hyperventilating too if I was thinking about all that.

I cloth diapered three kids to potty learning (three at once for awhile) and never did any of that. I used ordinary conventional detergents- whatever was on sale, usually, including the free and clear types and all other types as well. The only detergent that didn't work for us was Charlie's. It worked for a few cycles, and then I started to have problems getting them clean-- they smelled off after even two full wash cycles, and DD1 got a rash.

I never had any problems, other than the incident with Charlies, and a few that were related to MIL using Destitin on my pocket diapers. I used all types of diapers and covers and except for the wool washed and dried them all together on hot with no problems at all. I never stripped, not ever.

Oxi clean works fine on diapers, if you are bothered by stains, but you don't need it. You don't need any bleach.

I used the regular amount of detergent. Or less. Or quite a bit more. I usually didn't measure. Didn't have time-- just dumped some in.

I ran a cold prewash to get rid of the poop. (Yeah, I don't dunk or rinse, even after they start solids. Roll the solid stuff into the toilet, and let the washer get the rest.) Then a hot wash, as hot as you can get, and a double cold rinse. Take the diapers out and sniff-- if they smell clean, they're clean. If not, do another short hot wash with a rinse. Then dry in the dryer. That's all. Easy peasey...

***
 
#3 ·
Eh, I use Ecos and Biokleen - both no-no's because of the oils in them, but I can not use anything else. I've been doing this for several years with no problems. I don't disinfect or use bleach or anything like that.

Sounds like you've already got a routine that works, so why change a good thing?
 
#4 ·
Well, it wasn't working is one reason why we stopped. I don't know what the deal was. Severe ammonia problems and ickiness. So I figured I'd change things up and now I can't remember what always worked well when #3 was cloth diapered. My memory is shot.


I don't dunk or spray, either. Seems gross and messy and that was never a problem for us, good to know I'm not the only one!


Good to know I'm not the only one without a long complicated system in place here. I think the guide was 16 pages and now I feel like a noob!
 
#5 ·
I use Tide but if you can't use that honestly I'd use another heavy-duty detergent like that. It really cleans everything perfectly for me. I sometimes dunk BM diapers, but usually not. Sometimes do a cold prerinse, but usually not. Really only if I waited too long to wash. My basic routine is a normal amount of Tide in a hot wash, then another hot wash.

Easy and no stink or buildup at all.
 
#6 ·
I have been CDing for 2 years, one year of that being 2 in diapers and all that is giving me a headache!! I wash with Tide, I was everything with Tide. I throw everything in a dry pail and wash every other day, and I wash everything together... diapers, pads, breast pads (when nursing), all of it. I do one cycle with soap and one without. If Gain works for you then keep using it!! I love the scents of Gain
 
#7 ·
Oh goodness gracious I have been having the same problem. I thought I was doing such a great thing getting cloth only to find out I have to do several washes??? Not me. I pay to wash, so I pre soak and scrub if I need to and wash on hot. I really love oxiclean as it's the only thing that actually gets out the bm poop stains. For me anyway.

I saw one lady post something about selling diapers and it was kinda funny the way she talked about stains saying: they're diapers afterall. As long as they smell clean and aren't leaving rashes they play on with Gain. I love the smells too.
 
#8 ·
We have hard (well) water. I wash once on COLD/COLD with lots of detergent (so up to the 2nd line in the cap), then I wash again w/o any more detergent on HOT/COLD (I'd do HOT/HOT if I could, but don't have the option). I use Planet detergent, though I've also had good succes doing a single HOT/COLD wash with just a dab of allens naturally in the past. But then I had stains, and this way I have very very minimal stains.
 
#9 ·
I wash everything together haha... I do a cold rinse with nothing just to get out all the extra icky stuff before really WASHING the diapers then I wash on either hot/cold or warm/cold (I don't like to use hot every time because I worry about wear too quickly but I want it sometimes becaues duh, hot water is good for cleaning) and I use purex free and clear up to the first line or just before depending on the load (I PREFER country save but I can only find it at the commissary and I HATE the commissary or jenny's simply clean or lil outlaws but I always forget to order them early enough) and a capful of calgon for our slightly hard but not crazy hard water. After that I do an extra cold rinse to make sure there is no detergent or anything left so they are just nice clean diapers


I dry on warm if I can't hang dry them.

so... cold rinse, hot/cold or warm/cold wash and a cold rinse. not too complicated?
 
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