This post is sponsored by Procter & Gamble.
Considering using cloth diapers on your baby? Are you a cloth diapering parent who is searching for the right detergent to use to wash them? Guess what? There really aren’t too many restrictions when washing your diapers. The key to getting your diapers clean is having a good wash routine and a good detergent; like Tide + Oxi. Washing your diapers is actually much easier than deciding which brand and style you’ll want to try!
Keep it simple!
A good wash routine is easy to find and can be adjusted depending on your washing machine. You’ll always want to follow the care instructions on the diapers. If your baby has pooped you’ll want to dump any solids into the toilet and/or spray (or dunk/swish) any stubborn solids. Do a short quick rinse in your washing machine using cold water; this will help remove urine and feces before the wash cycle. Next, use the warmest water wash allowable for your brand of diapers. Most brands can be washed on hot; around 120F. You do want to avoid sanitary wash cycles since those typically reach temperatures too hot for your diapers. Choose a wash cycle that provides the most amount of water (ex: heavy duty, extra soiled, etc). Follow the care label for drying your diapers; most diapers can be tumble dried on low-medium heat. You’ll extend the life of your elastics by air drying them on occasion.
What about detergent?
The good news is that most detergents you can get at the store will work; some will work better than others. The only ingredient you want to avoid is fabric softener since they can prevent the absorbent fabric from being absorbent. Most cloth diapering brands recommend using powder detergent over liquid since they are more effective. Tide + Oxi is a great option for washing your cloth diapers and targets tough set-in odors that can get trapped in the fibers of your diapers. You’ll see Tide recommended by most manufacturer’s and cloth diapering parents because of its cleaning ability.
How much detergent?
One of the old wives tales of cloth diapering is that you only need a few tablespoons of detergent when in fact you need to make sure you are using enough detergent. I always recommend following the instructions provided by the detergent company. Tide recommends using to Line 1 for a medium size load, Line 3 for a large size load and Line 5 for a full size load in your HE machine. You can also add detergent to your prewash (rinse) cycle for extra stubborn stains.
Tide + Oxi is one of the most powerful detergents that I’ve tried and it will even attack 14-day old stains! That’s some powerful detergent that is tough enough to attack the dirtiest of cloth diapers.
For families looking for a scent-free or more gentle (yet powerful) detergent; try the Tide pureclean liquid detergent.
Still not sure if cloth diapering is right for you? Check out my How to Cloth Diaper section to get started. Have questions? Just ask in the comments, I’m happy to help!
Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Procter & Gamble and I received Tide + Oxi to review for this post. All opinions are my own and may not reflect the opinions of any brand or company. Always refer to the care label on your cloth diapers for proper care and washing.
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