Homemade laundry soap, soap nuts, “all-natural soap,” or “cloth diaper soap” are all hard-no’s when it comes to cloth diapers. Laundry Soaps, Soap Nuts, and Other Alternatives Put that bottle down and pick up the one next to it that’s talking about its superior cleaning power or its no-additives or fragrances. In short, if a detergent is selling you on how soft it will make your clothes, it likely has softeners in it. This means Purex Baby Soft is not a good detergent for cloth diapers (though many other Purex detergents are just fine). Most of the time, these detergents will have “softness” or “soft to baby’s touch” as part of the sales copy on the front of the bottle.Īn example is Purex Baby Soft (you can take a look at it here on if you’re wondering which one I’m talking about.) Though it doesn’t explicitly say it has softeners in it, but does market itself as “baby soft.” Sure enough, Disodium Diaminostilbene Disulfonate is an ingredient, which is a fabric softener. Some baby-marketed detergents will have softeners added and not mention a brand of fabric softener or anything. The only exception to this would be some detergents marketed to babies. Most detergents with added softeners like to advertise the heck out of them and will have, “With the added softness of Downey,” or something similar written on the bottle. Most products warn against use on flame-resistant clothes or kids’ sleepwear.” How to Tell if a Detergent has Softener in Itįinding out if detergent has softener in it isn’t usually as hard as it seems. According to Consumer Reports, “Past tests have shown that even the best fabric softeners can build up over time, especially on fleece and flannel, which can reduce the flame resistance. Though it’s not our main concern here, it’s worth noting that using fabric softener on anything baby related can also be dangerous. Worse, this leftover residue can attract and hold dirt and body oils which the detergent can’t remove.” This is why the towels sometimes don’t seem as absorbent over time, as the fibers are coated with the active and can’t pick up as much water. Unfortunately, not all the softener is removed in the next wash. The problem is the coating that fabric softeners leave behind on fabrics.Īs Clorox explains on their website, ” The softener active deposits on the fabric leaving a slightly greasy material that provides a better ‘feel’ after drying. Fabric softeners added to detergents are no exception. Added Fabric Softeners and Cloth Diaper Absorbencyįabric softeners and dryer sheets are a sure way to create problems with your cloth diapers. Let’s dive into each one of those so you understand why. Ugh! So then, what’s the best cloth diaper detergent? Based on my years of experience, research into ingredients, and helping other cloth diaper moms work out their issues with washing, I can confidently tell you that any commercial detergent will work, there are just three rules to follow: No detergents with added softeners, no soaps/soap nuts, and no regular detergent if you have an HE machine. Those soaps caused a ton of problems, and now everyone agrees that at least one of them actually causes rashes outright (except of course the manufacturer who still pushes it). Back when I first started researching diapering (around the start of 2015) the big thing was that you had to use a soap specifically made for cloth diapers, everything else would make them fall to shreds. In the past few weeks, I’ve been hearing a lot about how you can’t use free-and-clear detergents, though no one seems to say why. It seems like every year or two someone is coming up with a new rule about what detergent you can or can’t use on your cloth diapers.
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