Comments on: How I Wash My Diapers – New and Improved

By: Beth @ The Natural Mommy

Beth @ The Natural Mommy — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 14:57:36 +0000

I’ve been using Country Save (found on Alice.com for the cheapest price and free shipping as long as you get five other things) ever since! I do a cold prewash with half the recommended detergent, a hot wash with half the recommended detergent, and a cold rinse with nothing added and my diapers do not stink!

By: ~M

~M — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 14:09:00 +0000

How has this new routine (with Country Save) been working? Basically, do you have any updates to this post? Thanks!

By: rachel

rachel — Fri, 13 May 2011 19:03:03 +0000

i haven’t been using any detergent and the prefolds & flatfolds come out fine — no stink and no buildup.

I read somewhere about adding 1/4 c. vinegar to the rinse cycle to help keep things white and to restore the pH of the cloth…. AND just the other day i read about the perfectly non-toxic and useful Bluing. It’s cheap, gets things beautifully white and isn’t harsh like bleach. (We have mostly “natural” prefolds so bleaching isn’t necessary for our dipes).

By: rachel

rachel — Fri, 13 May 2011 18:58:16 +0000

is this the right “Diva Detergent” recipe?
http://www.food.com/recipe/diva-detergent-433724

I might try it once we get rid of all our other detergents (via washing our clothing, not the dipes)

By: paganista

paganista — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 08:31:47 +0000

I use country save, it’s great. I used to use nature clean powder, but it’s a corn based cleaner, and will cause build-up…which I found out the hard way!

By: Nancy (the Loaner)

Nancy (the Loaner) — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 21:30:30 +0000

So I see how it is. If you had started out using the detergent I gave you – it may have been different. I guess I can forgive you. And if you buy a 5 lb. box of Allen’s Naturally – it will last a LONG time. I’ve had mine forever. I still use the following method:

-About 1 tsp. Allen’s Naturally detergent in a cold presoak cycle.
-Maybe 1-2 TBSP Baking Soda in a hot water cycle.
-Permanent Press dryer cycle on either delicate (which usually means I have to run it twice) or medium heat.

The dipes almost always come out smelling good (the only time they don’t is if I’ve waited an exceptionally long time before I’ve washed them).

Nancy

By: Katherine

Katherine — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 15:39:12 +0000

Oh – I so feel your pain!! (or should I say I smell your pain???)
I started having serious stink issues after I switched to Purex F&C concentrated — I think it was just too hard to measure the tiny amount I really needed for the diapers. Then I stripped . . . and stripped . . . and it would only seem to work for one load – then the stink would come back. So, I tried Calgon — which worked wonders . . . for about two washes . . . then the stink would come back. So, since I didn’t want to use Calgon every time, and I didn’t want to drain the Potomac river trying to rinse all the suds out — I finally switched back to Trader Joe’s powder detergent. I had used it successfully in the past, but quit because I was afraid the baking soda in it would mess with my elastic. But, since all my BGs are out of warranty now, and some of my old elastic is shot anyway — I decided to take my chances.

I cannot tell you how wonderful my diapers smell now!!! And my sons are very glad to not wake up with ammonia burns during the night! I’m curious about Country Save but can’t get it around here. I wanted to try it for a few loads before I ordered a bunch from Amazon. So . . . let us know how it works!

By: Susan Keister

Susan Keister — Sat, 24 Jan 2009 20:59:25 +0000

Weird, because *I’ve* heard that Tide is too harsh and will wear down diapers over time. Maybe just the covers?

You could also try making “Diva Detergent” – not the same thing as the usual make-your-own laundry soap recipe that floats around the internet (that you’ve tried with eventual repelling results). http://www.tiffanyblitz.com/blog/archives/521 Read to the end of the article for the second recipe. A chemist created it with cloth diapers in mind.

By: Katie

Katie — Sat, 24 Jan 2009 20:29:25 +0000

I didn’t have stink issues until a few weeks ago… they just started to be a teensy bit funkadelic smelling. I knew they were clean, but it’s still not fun to put stinky diapers on your baby.
Anyway – I heard about Country Save and want to try it, but I still have a bunch of my old detergent to use (OxyClean is helping with stink for now) – I’m interested to know how it works for you.
Gotta go – have an 11-month old who just wants to cry and whine and be held… maybe teething!

By: erin rae

erin rae — Sat, 24 Jan 2009 19:49:46 +0000

I don’t have a water softener, but I’ve had great luck with Trader Joe’s detergent…

Our local cloth diaper seller says that good ole Tide is the best bet. You can read about it on her website: http://www.abbyslane.com
She likes Country Save, but also Planet. I’m going to try Planet if I run into any issues, since it’s available at my local Safeway.