Detergent update

I am slightly disappointed to say that I have switched back to Tide for washing cloth diapers. Rockin Green worked GREAT!!! for a few months. Then we started having ammonia issues, and the diapers have always had residual stains. At first I was obsessed with getting the stains out, which really wasn’t too hard. The sun has amazing cleaning powers. Just a couple of hours drying in the sun and stains are gone! However, the ammonia was started to become a problem. Sometimes Caitlin would get a rash from it. Those pictures of Tide and Rockin Green dissolved in water kept sticking in my head. The main reason Tide shouldn’t be used on cloth diapers is that it’s not a very clean rinsing detergent. It also has enzymes, whiteners, and optical brightners that can be irritating and can also cause buildup on the diapers. Once there is buildup, the diapers have to be stripped (thoroughly cleaned in hot water or dawn). Buildup causes repelling (not absorbing), stink issues, and can be irritating.




Needless to say, I knew we needed to change detergents. Supposedly that is not uncommon to have to switch things up for a lot of detergents. I started seeing more and more cloth diaper fanatics raving about Tide. I read stories of people who had used Tide from the get go and never had any problems. I don’t remember reading anything at all about it causing irritation; only one or two stories of people that had a little buildup over time. Well, I took the plunge and sheepishly admitted to Lee that I was going to try Tide on the cloth diapers. I have still smelled ammonia coming from a few diapers but not EVERY diaper. The most amazing thing is that stains were GONE!! I washed 6 stained diapers, and only 1 had to be line dried. Previously I would have had to line dry at least 4 of the 6.

Ironically, I’ve been using up the Rockin Green on our regular laundry. I still love that it is a clean rinsing detergent. I have read some amazing stories of it getting sweat stains and grease stains out. I have seen pictures of people soaking laundry in it and it pulling all sorts of gunk out. I just don’t think it got the diapers totally clean. It was very effective at first but somewhere it just fizzled. I don’t know if I’ll keep using Tide or try to find a more natural detergent. So far no rashes, no stains, very little ammonia. I am not sure if this is two steps forward, one babystep back, but as long as Caitlin has clean diapers and a soft bottom I am happy