5 Best Detergents For Cloth Diapers And Their Ultimate Buying Guide
A baby arrives with a lot of responsibilities from the belly world. One of the responsibilities that they come with is double laundry. Yes, part of your daily life from the time your baby is born will be doing his or her laundry, which can sometimes be messy.
When you head to your grocery store, your eyes will be met with a lot of baby detergents with each detergent specifically marketed for your baby’s laundry. So, which one should you choose? Which one will effectively get all the tough stains out of your baby’s clothes? Which one won’t irritate her soft and delicate skin? These are some of the questions that you may try to find answers for. This article contains a list of 5 best detergents for cloth diapers that you can choose from.
Benefits Of Using Cloth Diapers
Diapers used to be such a hassle to mothers in the past. This left mothers with no choice but to use cloth diapers with clumsy pins and annoying covers. Then disposable diapers came, and mothers thought it was a miracle. Currently, 80% of diapered babies are using disposable diapers.
Have you ever tried to figure out how many disposable diapers can be used in a week? If you multiply the number by 52 weeks in a year, you will realise that disposable diapers cost a lot of money. An average family will spend close to $3000 on diapers until the baby is 3 years old. It is for this reason that cloth diapers are becoming popular.
Here Are The Benefits Of Cloth Diapers Over The Disposable Ones
• The first reason is obvious. You will save a lot of money when you are using cloth diapers. This is because the cloth diapers are reusable. When they get dirty, you just wash them, and they will be good to be used again.
• Your baby will have less diaper rash. Most diaper rashes are caused by the friction that develops when the wet diaper rubs a baby’s sensitive skin. Disposable diapers also contain chemicals that may cause skin irritation to your baby leading to diaper rash.
• Using cloth diapers also helps to facilitate quicker potty training. This is because children who are in cloth diapers will recognise faster when they are wet as compared to those in disposable diapers.
• They are machine washable. This makes it impossible for you to run out of diapers since you just pop a load into the machine and you have clean diapers.
• You will reduce the number of tonnes of waste that goes into landfills. Every day, 10,000 tonnes of disposable diapers are added to landfills.
How Do Cloth Diapers Work?
So let’s get down to the nitty-gritty details about cloth diapers. There are so many styles of cloth diapers, but the most popular ones are the pocket-style cloth diapers. These types of diapers resemble disposable diapers. They have a cute outer-shell where you can stuff uber-absorbent inserts into. They have snaps that you can use to adjust and fasten them around your baby’s waist.
The cloth diapers usually come with inserts that prevent the diaper from leaking. However, you will change cloth diapers more often because they don’t hold as much pee as the disposable ones.
How To Wash Cloth Diapers?
Most cloth diapers require that they should be hand washed and air dried. You could pay a diaper service to do the dirty work although finding them may be hard depending on where you live. You are therefore likely to be doing the washing yourself. Here is how you can wash most cloth diapers.
First, you should start by soaking the dirty diapers for a couple of hours so that it will be easy to remove the tough stains. There are some diapers that have waterproof outer layers hence they don’t need to be soaked at all, so you should read the manufacturer’s instructions before you get started.
Ensure that you use detergents that are safe to be used on baby clothes. The detergents should be free of fragrances, enzymes and additives like brightening and whitening products. These ingredients can cause irritation to your baby’s sensitive skin. I have listed for you the 5 best detergents for cloth diapers that will be safe for your baby while fighting the tough stains effectively.
When washing dirty cloth diapers and diaper covers, you should wash them separately from your other laundry. However, the diaper and its cover can be washed together. If you are using a machine to do the washing, then you should not overload the washing machine. This is because when the machine is overloaded, the diapers won’t get as clean as they should be. Most machines can carry a maximum of about two dozen diapers.
For water temperature, each diaper comes with particular instructions based on what they are made of. Since most diapers are made of cotton, they can be washed in hot water in order to remove tough stains, but even cold water can do if the detergent used is effective enough.
Make sure that the diapers are well rinsed until they are completely soap free before you take them out to be dry. At the end of the wash, the diapers should smell fresh and clean. If there is still a faint smell of dirty diapers, then you should rewash to remove any odour that may contain lingering bacteria that may irritate your baby’s skin.
You can then dry the diapers out in the sun or dry them in the machine depending on the manufacturer’s instructions.
What Makes A Laundry Detergent Good For Baby Clothes?
For a laundry detergent to be considered safe for use on your baby’s laundry, then it has to tick the following boxes:
Gentle On Your Baby’s Delicate Skin
Since a baby’s skin is very sensitive, it takes only one wrong ingredient in a detergent to trigger skin allergies resulting into rashes everywhere. Using a wrong laundry detergent can easily make your baby’s skin look like she has been in a paintball fight naked.
Natural And Safe
You might come across the following on the label of most detergents when you are out there shopping.
- Free of harsh chemicals
- Remove stubborn stains
- Paeditrician and dermatologist recommended
- Plant-based ingredients
Since that sounds perfect, the detergents find their way into your shopping cart. Days later, there are painful red splotches everywhere on your baby’s skin. So you start wondering what’s causing the irritations.
The secret to preventing that from happening is by checking for the ingredients on that detergent before you drop it into your cart. All the ingredients should be natural and safe so that they won’t cause any harm to the baby’s skin. You can do a little research on the ingredients on your detergent to see if they are safe and natural.
Perfectly Removes Stains
Laundry detergents have one job to do, so they should do it properly. It should be able to handle all the stubborn poop stains on your baby’s cloth diapers. The detergent should also be friendly to cloth diapers since some detergents have oils that may build up on cloth diapers to make them absorbent as tin foils.
5 Best Detergents For Cloth Diapers And Their Ultimate Buying Guide
1. Puracy Natural Liquid Laundry Detergent
(Via Amazon.com)
Overview
It is a mineral and plant-based liquid laundry detergent that is 10 times ultra-concentrated. This results in a high-efficiency formula that will require only a ¼ ounce per load. It is manufactured by Puracy, a trusted company that manufactures all natural plant-based household essentials that are child and pet safe.
Top Features
- Contains a safe and effective formula that is enzyme-powered.
- Free from harsh chemicals like sulphates, phosphates, petrochemicals, animal by-products and allergens.
- Created by doctors.
- It’s industry leading due to its 10X ultra-concentration.
Pros
- It is the most concentrated laundry detergent in the market.
- Its 10X ultra-concentration reduces wastage by more than 80%.
- Can be used even on diapers of babies with sensitive skin.
- Dislodges stains and removes odours while at the same time leaving your fabric naturally soft and fresh.
- It is a hypoallergenic detergent.
- It gets all sorts of stains out as it is an effective cleanser.
- It is gentle on your hands and on the fabrics.
- It has a container with a pump top to minimise spilling.
Cons
- It does not make as many bubbles as the regular detergents.
- The soap bottle may sometimes leak.
2. Rockin Green Laundry Detergent Classic Rock
(Via Amazon.com)
Overview
This detergent is designed to work well with delicate clothing like baby cloth diapers. As its name suggests, this product was created free of environmentally unfriendly substances like dyes, phosphates and many others. It is a very powerful yet safe detergent since you will only need a few tablespoons per load.
Top Features
- Fragrance-free.
- Concentrated formula that makes it highly effective.
- Contains biodegradable and eco-friendly ingredients only.
- Three different formulas based on water types.
Pros
- Its three formulas include “Soft Rock” for soft water, “Classic Rock” for medium water and “Hard Rock” for hard water.
- Contains no enzymes that will irritate your baby’s skin.
- Removes bad smells from cloth diapers.
- Can be used for all washing machines.
- Will take out most stains if used properly.
Cons
- Is relatively pricey as compared to other cloth diapers detergents.
- It is not widely available.
3. Dreft Baby Laundry Detergent
(Via Amazon.com)
Overview
It is considered to be one of the best baby detergents available in the market today. This is because it is made to deal with the toughest of stains in baby wears while at the same time being gentle on a baby’s skin. One of the reasons most mothers love it is because it has been around for a very long time, 70 years.
Top Features
- Made from all natural ingredients.
- It is hypoallergenic.
- Paediatrician-recommended.
Pros
- It is perfect for newborn babies due to its unique and safe formulation.
- This detergent is very effective for removing all sorts of stains on a baby’s diapers.
- The detergent comes with clear and straightforward instructions that you can follow to use it effectively.
- It is hypoallergenic hence will not irritate your baby’s delicate skin.
- It never leaves any chemical residues on clothes.
- Can be used in machines.
- It smells light and fresh.
Cons
- Sometimes its smell can be a little strong.
- It is quite expensive.
4. Seventh Generation Natural Baby Laundry Detergent
(Via Amazon.com)
Overview
If you have been looking to buy the best detergent for baby clothes, especially cloth diapers, then Seventh generation natural baby laundry detergent is one of the best detergents that you can choose from. This is because it is very effective in removing all stains while still being safe to the baby’s skin. These two important qualities are some of the things that Seventh generation natural baby laundry detergent will guarantee you.
Top Features
- Quadruple enzyme formula.
- Premium stain fighting formula.
- Effective in cold water.
- 0% synthetic fragrances and artificial brighteners.
- USDA certified bio-based product 95%.
- Hypoallergenic.
Pros
- It is very gentle on the skin, hands and the cloth fabrics.
- It will not leave any chemical residue on your baby’s cloth.
- It is perfect for removing tough stains.
- Can be used with cold, warm or hot water.
- Its ingredients are all natural.
- It can be used in standard and high-efficiency machines.
- This detergent is gluten free.
- It comes with clear instructions on how to use it properly.
- It is hypoallergenic hence less likely to cause skin irritations or any other allergic reactions.
Cons
- It costs more than regular detergents.
- The bottle may sometimes leak.
5. Earth Friendly Products Baby Ecos Disney
(Via Amazon.com)
Overview
Crafted from plant-based ingredients, baby Ecos is a detergent that is specially designed for your baby. It is also good for the environment since it is free of sulphates, phosphates and petrochemicals and is also biodegradable.
Top Features
- Carefully pH balanced and is kind to sensitive skin.
- Rinses thoroughly.
- Hypoallergenic.
- Safe in all temperatures.
- Ultra-concentrated.
- 100% natural and plant-based ingredients.
Pros
- It leaves baby’s laundry clean and soft because it rinses thoroughly.
- It keeps the laundry very soft.
- It has no strong fragrance hence will not cause any irritation.
- It is not tested on animals.
- It is highly concentrated for a fast, safe and clean washing.
- It does not leave any residue stains on your laundry.
- Can be used even on a newborn’s laundry, they can thus be a great gift to a new mother.
- Cleans deeply hence good for tough stains.
- The container comes with a measuring cup that doubles as the top.
Cons
- Because it is scent fee, it does not effectively remove bad odours.
Conclusion
Cloth diapers are becoming popular because mothers realise that they can save some cash, save the environment and help their kids stay healthy simultaneously. However, using cloth diapers means that you will have to be do some washing regularly. Hence you will need the best detergents by your side.
When it comes to the best detergent that is suitable for use on your baby’s cloth diapers, I would recommend the Puracy Natural Liquid Laundry Detergent. This is because it contains a safe and effective formula that is free from harsh chemicals like sulphates and phosphates. It is also an industry-leading detergent and stands out from the rest due to its 10x ultra-concentrated formula.
