Cloth Diaper Detergent for HE Washer

Hi K.,
The store where I buy my cloth diapers from, Jillian's Drawers, recommends the following washing tips:
"No chlorine bleach. No fabric softner, No Free and Clear detergents or baby detergents such as Dreft! We recommend TIDE (NOT Tide Free), ALLEN'S NATURALLY AND CHARLIE'S SOAP"
For more on detergents see www.jilliansdrawers.com/resources/detergentsforclothdiapers

Best,
L.

1 mom found this helpful

Yay for cloth mama!

I've done cloth since day one in a Frigidaire FL. My routine (once a week now as I've got a daytrained 2 year old) is as follows:

1 scoop Charlie's and 1/2 cup baking soda (I buy it in 50lbs bags at the feed store) cold/cold wash with extra rinse/extra spin.

1/2 scoop Charlie's and 1 scoop Sun Oxygen Cleaner (found at Walmart or Dollar General) Hot/cold extra rinse/extra spin

Hot/cold extra rinse/extra spin with no detergent.

That's it. If they still smell try one more hot/cold with Chalrie's and O2.

Have fun mama!!!!! =)

1 mom found this helpful

We us Arm & Hammer Essentials and love it.

Shaklee has an all natural, non-toxic line of laundry products that are HE compatible. Their stuff is ultra concentrated so you don't have to use much. I think you have to use 1/2 for he as oppsed to what you use for regular washing machines.

check out the website www.shaklee.net/areyougreenyet

I used BioKleen powdered detergent for all our clothes, and cloth diapers. You can use any laundry detergent in a front loader, just less of it. Pure marketing on the part of companies that sell HE specific detergents.

Good luck with the CD!

I've just made the switch too! Everyone, including the woman who sold me the diapers, told me to never use anything that is "free and clear" because it has fabric softeners in it which cause the fabric to repel water instead of absorb it. So no "Tide-free and clear" or any other mainstream detergent that has perfumes removed. (Isn't that weird?)

The woman who owned the shop actually DID say that regular powdered Tide was a good choice, but I was worried about a possible sensitivity to it. Right now I am using Allen's Naturally, and so far so good. I don't think it would be a problem in an HE machine, because you don't use much.

http://www.cottonbabies.com/product_info.php?products_id=203

Also, I've heard that HE machines don't get as hot as other machines. So sometimes it's harder to get out the odors and stains. A friend of mine washes her diapers three times in her HE washer, in order to make sure no detergent or urine residue is left.

Good luck!

Hi K.,

I shop with a company that has healthier, safer, environmentally responsible products. The laundry detergent does not have formadehydes, phosphates, or other harmful chemicals in them. It is not loaded with fillers and cheap preservatives like other detergents. We have a detergent specifically designed for the new HE washers. It does come scent free and works in all temperatures, even cold. It's also economically priced (which I love)!

Let me know if you want more info. on this.

Hope this helps!

Babiesrus sells an organic HE Efficient laundry detergent and the at least one of the review says it works great on cloth diapers. It's called BabyGanics. Check the babiesrus website for info. If that doesn't appeal to you I'd just use Dreft but use less of it because that is not for HE as far as I know.

http://www.imusranchfoods.com/index4.aspx?id=18231&ca...

You can read about their detergent here. Imus is really into green cleaning and there is a list of contents on the website.

Hope this helps.

Hi K.,
Yes there is a product that works and doesn't leave your diapers smelly. However, it's not available in retail stores, only at wholesale, and it will save you money as well.
It's by membership only.
If you are interested to know more about it you can email me or call me at: ###-###-####
C.

We use 7th Generation detergent and just use very little of it in our HE Asco machine. When I say very little I mean even less than the little bit they recommend. We also have a couple extra rinse cycles programmed in, so maybe that helps.

K.-
I'm due in November, so I can't speak from experience. However, I have done a ton of research online about every single thing related to our first baby. It's driving my husband crazy!!

Here's two websites rating detergents specifically for cleaning cloth diapers:
http://www.pinstripesandpolkadots.com/detergentchoices.htm
http://www.diaperjungle.com/detergent-chart.html

I was originally going to use Charlie's, but there are some complaints about odor and reports that babies had severe reactions. I ultimately decided to use Country Save Powder because it's biodegradable, every review is positive, HE compatible, contains no perfumes or dyes, and cheap. Amazon has a case on sale with extra savings for October and for auto-ship that equates to something ridiculous like 5.5 cents a wash.

Whatever detergent you end up using, many people will also add baking soda for odor problems and white vinegar as a disinfectant and natural softener that won't affect absorbency. Good luck!
-T.

I use all in one cloth diapers and also have an HE washer. I use Tide HE Free and Clear and it works great. I wash everything in it, because i have sensitive skin also.
hope that helps.

Hi K.,
I have been cloth diapering since my son was born...he is 8 months now. We use Charlies soap and love it...I see that someone else recommended it too. It really is the best to use because it is natural and doesn't have any of the additives that the commercial brands use. It is also compatible with your HE machine. Good luck!
J. :)

I've always used tide and other "strong cleaning" detergents and just rinsed once extra. I've had over 30 foster children along with my 4 children through the years and never had a problem. My oldest two being in their 40's now were of course on cloth diapers and it worked for us as the diaper service became quite expensive.

I would love to help with your question. I did use cloth for 9 babies but I did use a top loader. I now use a front load with 6 kids still at home. Dumping my diaper pail would seem really hard with a frontloader? I guess dump most of the water in the toilet then do your best to transfer the dirty diapers and hit the spin cycle? I know they make the Tide etc esp for frontloaders, lately our budget is very tight so I am using a cheap powder detergent. I would say go ahead and try Dreft or some other mild detergent, of course bleach and then a nice smelling fabric softener for the diapers. I would fill the tub only half full because diapers will get heavy, ours does not like a big load of towels! If you try a few different soaps I think you will know if the diapers are clean. I love my frontloader and think my clothes are much cleaner. Hope it works out for you~D.

Hello K.,
We have a fantastic HE product that i would never change for the world. and it is ecosence as well if you would like to know more about the product email me at ____@____.com and I will tell you all about it and how you can get it. hope to talk to you very soon
C. H.
A Proud Parent of 2
http://www.motivated1.tk

I wanted to let you know that I have a front loader and have always used the all free and clear he. I don't use cloth diapers but i have not experienced a issue with residue from the soap on the laundry. I use the free and clear because i am able to use it on everyones laundry and it doesnt bother anyones skin. One thing to remember with the front loaders is you don't need alot of soap I had a sears tech at my house for a service call and he said you only need 1 or 2 tablespoons because the detergent is so concentrated. I use a little more then that.
Sherri

Tide and All both make a dye, perfume.etc.free detergent. You may want to hit the dertergent aisle and see what is out there. A.

Hi K.,
I don't know what type of washer this is or why it needs a special detergent but if it takes ALL, there is a free and clear version of all with no dyes or perfumes.

Tide makes a free and clear for HE washers - that's what I use all the time in my house. I washed baby clothes in Dreft (old washer, though) for about 6 months, and then moved them to the free and clear, washing their clothes with the rest of ours. Some of the newer (more enviro friendly) companies may be making HE type detergent, but I haven't seen them.

Tide Free HD works with no problem it has no dyes or perfumes and is probably as good as any you will find for and HD machine - although I do not use cloth diapers, my daughter does have occasional "explosions" of poop and her clothing comes out perfectly clean.

Good Luck

Hi K.,
I don't use cloth diapers and I don't have front loader but I recently purchased an HE top loader. I have been using METHOD HE for several months now. I don't notice any left over residue, or odors. I wash all clothes together (kids, husband, my own) and find ALL the clothes are bright and clean. METHOD is all natural with a light scent. They also make one specific for baby in a pink bottle.
Give it a try. Your machine will be fine with METHOD but you might have to go through some trial runs before finding the detergent you like.
Good luck and enjoy your new machine! Getting my supersized HE washer changed my life!!!!

http://www.charliesoap.com

I have heard that this is great stuff for washing diapers- safe, natural and residue-free. It is recommended by the Green Mountain Diaper company. http://www.greenmountaindiapers.com