Day 15: Picking the right cloth diaper detergent for you! 

Today I’m starting a series of posts that will talk about some of your most frequently asked laundry questions.  These tips are perfect for the newbie cloth diaper user as well as the cloth diapering expert.  Warning though – you may not agree with all of my advice but hopefully I will give you something to think about when you start complaining about dirty diapers, stinkies, and stains. 

Part One:  My cloth diaper manufacturer recommends that I only use detergents that are free of dyes, enzymes, perfumes, essential oils, whiteners and brighteners. What does that mean really? 

Let’s break each one of those ingredients down and explain a little more about them in detail. 

Dyes – this one should be obvious.  If you use a detergent that has a color or tint to it there is a chance that the dyes could stain your diapers.  Not only that but the dyes that are used probably aren’t natural and we don’t want them touching our babies’ skin all day long.  Just avoid them!

Enzymes – this one is most controversial!  Most companies recommend that you avoid detergents with enzymes because your babies’ skin is more sensitive than your own skin.  Enzymes can cause rashes in the most sensitive of babies’.  However other companies (like Rump•a•rooz) actually recommend enzymes.  Enzymes can be very effective at getting out stains and odors. 

Tip: If you are washing their regular clothes and laundry with an enzyme based detergent and they aren’t breaking out chances are they aren’t sensitive to the enzymes. 

I personally don’t use a detergent with enzymes because we’ve had good luck with detergents that are free of enzymes so why push our luck.  However if I had severe staining and odor problems I might try an enzyme based detergent. 

Perfumes – another somewhat obvious one to avoid.  We all want our diapers to smell fresh and clean but remember diapers are on your baby up to 24 hours a day.  Added perfumes can build up and cause rashes and repelling.  A more serious concern with perfumes is that many contain hidden toxins and hormone disrupting chemicals.  You can read more about the hidden toxins in perfumes at Healthy Child and from the Environmental Working Group.   Don’t mess with perfumes – they aren’t necessary! 

Essential oils - this one can also be confusing.  Essential oils are naturally derived from plans so they are safe to use as a fragrance in small amounts.  However they can in some cases cause irritation.  Essential oils can also lead to build up and repelling in cloth diapers. 

Popular cloth diaper detergents like Rockin’ Green Soap actually scent their detergents with essential oils.  How can a detergent rated good for cloth diapers use essential oils?  Many wipe solutions contain essential oils and we normally wash our wipes with our diapers.  So what’s the truth behind essential oils?  Under most circumstances small amounts of essential oils will not harm your diapers.  Rockin’ Green Soap only uses about 10 drops per bag to scent their detergent and they actually offer an unscented version if you want to avoid oils all together.  My wipes solution has 1-2 drops of tea tree oil per quart of solution and I haven’t experienced any problems.  Using essential oils in these small amounts should not have an effect but if you begin to notice repelling or leaking then I would start by eliminating the oils first.  Use caution and common sense with essential oils because they could be the cause behind your problems.          

Whiteners and brighteners– First let’s start by explaining the difference between whiteners and brighteners. 

A whitener is usually referring to bleach which can be really bad for cloth diapers – however it can also be used in small amounts.  Bleach is a corrosive and is one of the most dangerous chemicals we have in our home.  Other commonly found household items can be used as a bleach too including hydrogen peroxide, lemon juice, vinegar, baking soda, washing soda, Borax, and let’s not forget the greatest whitener available for free – THE SUN!! 

A brightener on the other hand is any ingredient that is used to enhance the appearance of your clothing making them appear brighter.  One good way to tell if a brightener is used is by placing the item under a black light.  If it glows under a black light then you’ve probably washed it in a brightener or it’s been treated with a brightening agent.  Military families have to be especially diligent to avoid brighteners so that they can’t be detected by the enemy at night. 

So should I avoid ALL whiteners when washing  cloth diapers??  Most commonly companies are referring to household bleach which can cause rashes and deteriorate your cloth diapers rapidly.  It can eat away at your PUL in the diaper covers and cause them to leak after time.  However, bleach can kill germs effectively, keep diapers stain free, and bust up the most stubborn stinkies.  I wouldn’t reach for the bleach regularly and would opt for one of the alternatives first.  However I’m going to save that for Part 2 of my series on laundry do’s and don’t because it’s an entire article by itself.      

Which detergent is right for you?  I didn’t really answer your question yet did I?  For me the detergents that have worked best for us (we live in FL with very hard water, have a water softener installed, and use a top loading machine that is not HE) include: Planet Ultra, Rockin’ Green Soap (Hard Rock Remix – not yet available for sale), and Arm & Hammer Essentials Unscented.  I’ll explain more about why we choose these detergents in my upcoming posts on Laundry Do’s and Don’ts so be sure to come back regularly.

Disclosure: I have received samples from Rockin’ Green Soap on multiple occasions and have been sponsored by them in the past in the form of advertising on this blog.  This post is in no way influenced by Rockin’ Green or any of the other brands mentioned.  The opinions are my own and you may have a difference of opinions and your results may vary.   

Looking for more cloth diapering resources?  Be sure to visit my Cloth Diapering Archives, follow me on Twitter, and Facebook.

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Why is it that you appreciate the comforts of home so much more when you are away?  We’ve been out of town for 5 days now and I miss my bed, my pillow, my cat! 

Luckily the family and I got to visit Disney again on Sat/Sun before I had to attend a training class in Orlando this week.  They came back home Monday and I got home tonight.  This trip was a little different than normal…

We traveled with our cloth diapers!!!  That’s right, we took our stash with us to a hotel for more than a day!  Here is what I had planned (followed by how it worked out!):  1) Friday night I washed our stash and put Lil’ B in her GroBaby diaper with BioSoaker, and 2) packed a combination of BioSoakers and Bum Genius.  I was hoping to make it easier on my husband so he wouldn’t have to do a ton of wash as soon as he got home on Monday. 

Unfortunately my plan didn’t work out as planned BUT it worked…Lil’ B pooped in her GroBaby Friday night and got some debris on the cover so I couldn’t take the only GroBaby cover I had with us!!!  But I wanted to try the BioSoakers in other diaper covers to see how well they worked so I wasn’t too scared.  I packed about 15 Bum Genius too; just in case something went wrong!  (Old faithful has never done me wrong!)  

We drove to Orlando and spent the first part of the day watching our GA Bulldawgs play football at a local sports bar then we went to check in to the hotel.  Since Lil’ B was in red I put her in her Happy Heiny which is red along with a BioSoaker and the system worked well.  Unfortunately after the second change the BioSoaker has bunched up and the HH cover was damp.  I didn’t really care too much since I had plenty of BG covers and we were headed to the Magic Kingdom anyways (change in clothes was needed to stay warm!).

I packed my diaper bag with a few of each…a few BioSoakers and a few BGs…you never know what’s going to happen, right?  At the first diaper change I noticed a slight problem…the BioSoaker sticky pad was not removing from the BG cover!  OMG…my precious BGs!!  Not only were they not removing from the BGs the fecula backing split open and the inside of the diaper was exposed…luckily it didn’t make a huge mess.  Since I already ‘messed’ with this BG cover I stuck another BioSoaker on it for the next few hours.  The damage was already done at that point.  This continued the rest of the evening until we got back to the hotel again. 

I then removed the BioSoakers from our rotation for the weekend and went back to regular BGs with the inserts (we use the 3.0 one size pockets).  The next day at Epcot I packed 4 BGs in the diaper bag and we were off.  I have to say it felt much more ‘normal’ to me to use the BGs as intended.  My bag was a little more full with the stash but so much easier.  Thankfully we didn’t have any poop-plosions while at Epcot to deal with though!!!!  That was my worst fear was having to carry that around all day with me! (UCK!!)

Hubby went home on Monday afternoon and had just enough BGs to make it home with.  Luckily I left a few behind so he has some at home to use too.  Then it happened…

My hubby had to wash his first load of cloth diapers EVER!  Now…my hubby is an awesome husband and father but I try to keep control over some aspects of cloth diapering so he won’t complain…one of those is the wash!  Not only do I not want to hear about all the water used for washing the diapers…I also don’t want anyone else to be responsible for washing our stash wrong.  Honestly you really can’t mess them up and he has heard me talk about the wash routine so much I don’t know what I was worried about.  I left him verbal directions and gave him a choice of detergents (RockinGreen Soap or EcoNuts…his choice!!).  He called me after he finished the wash to make sure he did it right…funny that he didn’t call me before though!  Everything sounded like it went well.  I got home a little while ago and the diapers are all neatly stacked in Lil’ Bs room, fully stuffed, ready to use again.  Thanks babe for all that you do…

In the morning I will inspect the BG that was potentially damaged in the BioSoaker incident and let you all know the outcome.  The worst case scenario is that the cover will have a sticky residue in two places…at least it’s only one cover and I can pass along the warning to all of you.  If you are going to be using the BioSoakers use them with the GroBaby shell only…or accept the outcome!  I love our GroBaby system and will write up my formal review tomorrow…the good and the bad! 

The other thing that was different this trip was the absence of my ancient Medela electric pump…which croaked last Thursday!  It’s seriously over 6 yrs old and I’m surprised it still works at all.  Because I didn’t want to play around with it and attempt to fix it I purchased a manual pump on Friday.  With Lil’ B being 9 months now I don’t really see the need for investing in another electric pump…this is my last baby and I don’t have much time left on our breastfeeding journey.  I only needed to use the pump Monday afternoon through this afternoon…a full 2 days…how bad could it be?

…did I really just ask that question?  It’s soooo NOT fun to use a manual pump!  I’m so spoiled with my electric pump that I was not ready to pump for 40 minutes and still not get all the milk out!  And think about it…all that pumping hurts your arms after a while…I guess that’s what it’s like to be a guy! (((LOL!)))  Anyways, today was the worst day because I didn’t want to pump at all since it was taking so long.  I got home around 7pm and I was about to explode!  Lil’ B ate a few small snacks but didn’t really empty the milk factory yet.  Is it wrong that I want to wake her up again when I’m done writing?  I guess tomorrow I will take apart Mr. Medela and see if I can’t fix the electric pump so I will stop cussing at this stupid manual pump! 

And on that note…I’m going to go check my email, Twitter, and Facebook one more time and log off for the evening.  Sleep tight!  (Of course most of you will be reading this until the morning so Good Morning!!!)

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In honor of the Cloth Diaper Carnival Part Deux I thought I would share my wash routine.  As you probably know by now there is no exact science and no perfect way to wash your cloth diapers.  I would imagine that each of the participants in this carnival will have a slightly different routine. 

For me I try not to stress out too much about my routine.  I have a (few) system that works and I try not to mess it up.  My wash routine begins after each diaper change.  I still haven’t invested in a diaper sprayer so I rinse my diapers briefly in the sink (or toilet if really nasty) so that my diaper pail doesn’t stink up the bathroom.  I then wring them out and place them in my diaper pail.  My diaper pail is actually a plastic tub that sits next to the toilet.  I do this with each and every diaper until wash day.  (Except for when I’m really busy or tired and I just toss it in the pail without rinsing…but I try to rinse them within the day.)  Oh yeah, and don’t forget that if you are using Bum Genius diapers that you need to attach the Velcro to the laundry tabs at this stage.

After about two days I start running out of diapers so the wash cycle begins.  I run one cold water rinse cycle without any detergent to remove the pee and poop.  Next I add the detergent and start a hot/cold wash cycle.  I don’t have too many diapers so they never fill up the drum but I run the load as if it were a full load to allow for plenty of agitation. 

Detergent!  This is one of those tricky areas.  I have been using Arm & Hammer Essentials but I’ve tried a few other detergents that I really like better.  I just tried the Rockin’ Green soap that is formulated specifically for cloth diapers and I’ve tried EcoNuts.  Both worked about the same and I like them for different reasons.  The Rockin’ Green is made from a WAHM in her very own kitchen and it smells FABULOUS!  EcoNuts (full review coming soon) is a seed from a plant that acts as a surfactant.  I highly recommend trying both and judging for yourself.  They all removed most of the stains with no problems.  (Don’t forget to enter the Rockin’ Green giveaway!  See previous post!)

Stains!  That’s right…we all have them…poo stains!  I have the luxury of living in the sunny state of Florida where the sun shines almost every day!  The sun is the BEST way to beat stains and smells!  At the end of the wash cycle I like to take all the inserts and covers and place them outside on our hammock to dry in the sun naturally.  The result is CLEAN, WHITE, ODORLESS cloth diapers!

Lil’ B is almost 8 months old and has been breastfeeding since birth.  She’s only been eating solids for 2 months so I’m sure that I will face more problems along the way.  The most important part to remember is to keep looking for answers.  Someone out there has experienced your problem and someone out there has the answers!  You can always join the Cloth Diapers chat on Twitter, Monday nights at 8pm (EST).  Just be sure to use #clothdiapers to join in on the fun.

What about the environmental impact of washing cloth diapers?  One of the top argument against cloth diapers is the use of water and electricity in caring for cloth diapers.  Yes, you do use water and you do use electricity BUT that shouldn’t deter you from using cloth diapers.  I run 3 extra loads of laundry each week and I try not to dry them in the dryer.  I prefer to line dry my diapers because of the strength of the sun in bleaching them.  You also have to remember that the natural resources used to make disposable diapers is outrageous!  They cut down tons of trees, ship them thousands of miles, using tons of fossil fuels in transportation just to the manufacturers.  Then you have to add up the impact of manufacturing and of course distribution to the stores.  Then you have the impacts on the landfills that are filling up with thousands of disposable diapers EACH DAY!  Like I said, yes there are some environmental impacts of using cloth diapers but I honestly believe that my impact is much less than using disposables!  Search the internet and I’m sure you can find actual data and figures to support this.  Here are just a few that I found doing a quick search:  Cloth Diapers Exposed - The Facts & The Fiction and Environmental Reasons to Use Cloth Diapers. 

CHECK BACK TUESDAY MORNING FOR A LINK TO ALL OF THE OTHER CLOTH DIAPER CARNIVAL BLOGGERS!

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Since today is laundry day at the Eco Chic household it’s only fitting that I write a post about Rockin’ Green Soap.  Washing cloth diapers is probably one of the most intimidating elements of using cloth.  The manufactures are very specific about what NOT to use when washing their diapers and what will void their warranties.  What they don’t always tell you is exactly what you CAN use.  Since I primarily use Bum Genius I’ll use them as an example.  The manufacturer recommendations say to use a detergent that is free of dyes, enzymes, perfumes, whiteners and brighteners.  Hmmm….

You can understand why I was so excited to find a detergent formulated specifically for cloth diapers!  Rockin’ Green Soap meets all of the manufactures recommendations AND MORE!  Rockin’ Green is vegan so even my best friend can use it to wash her clothes !  Rockin’ Green is phosphate free which makes it…well….GREEN!  Green as in eco-friendly, since phosphates can add unwanted nutrients back into our streams and waterways which can affect the wildlife.  (I actually studied this stuff in college!)

Oh yeah, and remember that I live in Florida…well we have HARD water!  It’s terrible and we have never purchased a water softener.  Hard water can leave terrible buildup of minerals in your clothing that you can’t see.  This buildup can cause cloth diapers to leak!  Rockin’ Green is specifically formulated to work well with both hard and soft water.  They even make a Soft Rock version that is better for sensitive skin (a great soap for baby clothes).

I saved the best for last.  Rockin’ Green will R-O-C-K you senses too!  With a ton of fun smells like Cherry Lemonade you will actually look forward to doing the laundry!  I’d love to list all the different scents but that’s part of the giveaway!

I only had a sample of Rockin’ Green but it lasted for about 4-5 loads of cloth diapers.  The first time I used it I fell in love.  Not only did the Cherry Lemonade scent make me want to shove my nose in my cloth diapers and inhale…but all of the inserts came out bright white.  In the entire load there were only 2 inserts that needed a little sun to get rid of some faint stains from some NASTY poops! 

BUY IT!  You know you want some and I have a coupon to make it a tad bit cheaper!  Samples (5/10 loads) run only $2 a bag.  45/90 loads run $13.95 and 90/180 loads run $22.95 a bag!  That’s right at 13 cents PER LOAD!  COUPON CODE: RockinGreen for 10% off your purchase of Rockin’ Green Soap!

WIN IT!  Rockin’ Green is giving away one (1) bag of 45/90 load Rockin’ Green (either Soft Rock or Classic Rock) in your choice of scents!  Contest is open to residents of the US only.  To enter you MUST visit Rockin’ Green and leave me a comment telling me what your favorite scent is. 

EXTRA ENTRIES: 
1.  SHOP Rockin’ Green (samples start at $2) from now until Aug. 28, 2009 and earn FIVE (5) extra entries!  Leave me five comments that say “I purchased XXX from Rockin’ Green on MM/DD/YY using the following email address…”  Each comment can say the same thing.

2.  FOLLOW @TheEcoChic and @RockinGreenSoap on Twitter and earn ONE (1) extra entry.  Leave me a comment with your @Name. 

3. TWEET about the contest and earn TWO (2) extra entries for each tweet (max 2/day).  Leave me a comment with a link to your tweet.  Must include @TheEcoChic and @RockinGreen and a link to the contest.

4.  Become a FAN of TheEcoChic on Facebook AND share a link with your friends to the contest.  Be sure to tell them it’s not just for cloth diapers!  Leave me a comment telling me that you are a fan!  Earn ONE (1) extra entry.

5.  Add my BUTTON to your blog or website.  Leave me a comment with a link to where it is posted.  Button is located in the right sidebar at the top.  Earn ONE (1) extra entry.  (Links to your blog have been ended up in my spam comments…I will approve them within one day…please let me know if you don’t see it appear within 24hrs…THANKS!) 

Remember CONTEST ENDS on August 28th at midnight (EST).  All entries will be confirmed for accuracy.

LEAVE YOUR COMMENTS HERE TO ENTER THIS CONTEST!

ECO-ngratulations Maria!  You are the winner in the Rockin Green Soap Giveaway!  Thank you all for entering!

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