What kind of laundry detergent do you use?

[gigi556]

Exactly that really. What kind of laundry detergent do you use on 100% cotton prefolds or flats? Would you use a different detergent on synthetic nappies?

Thanks!

I rinse all the nappies under the cold water tap (not hot - it sets stains) to loosen stains and help break down the urine.

I dry pail because soaking can degrade the elastic and reduce the waterproofness on wraps and also fades anything that is coloured.

I don't use oxygen or chlorine bleachs, napisan, sodium percarbonate, bicarbonate of soda, washing soda, citric acid, vinegar or lemon juice cos it can also damage the fabric and elastic or any oils cos they can make the nappies start repelling liquid. I don't use fabric conditioner cos it coats the fibres and so reduces absorbancy.

I try to do a wash every day because the longer nappies remain wet the quicker the fabrics will break down.

I use a mesh bag for the nappies as well and for the main 30 degree wash I put it in my normal load of washing. It's only the prewash and the extra rinse where I put the nappies in on their own.

I do a prewash with no detergent, a 30 degree wash with half a tablet or 1/4 the recommended amount of powder. Powders outperform liquids and have more "features" built in to them, such as ingredients which work at different temperatures. However powders generally contain bleaching agents which will fade and damage your nappies, but liquids do not.
Try and find an eco friendly non bio washing powder that doesn't contain dyes, enzymes, perfumes, whiteners, brighteners or phosphates which can damage nappies. However Ecover is not recommended as it frequently causes skin issues and problems with elastic in the nappies as it tends to build up on fibres very quickly.

Then I do an extra rinse if the final rinse of the wash programme still had suds in it.

I hand wash wraps cos it makes them last longer.

I'm a fan of line drying in the sun as much as possible as it gets ride of stains without harming the fibres in your nappies, but if not then I line dry inside on an airer near the radiator or in the airing cupboard. I don't put them directly on the radiators or tumble dry as this can damage them in the long run and tumble drying also makes the nappies hold onto smells more. After i've hand washed the wraps I wipe them out with a towel to remove excess moisture and dry them as per the nappies.

The best recommended cloth diaper detergents are those that are specifically designed for washing cloth diapers. Most of the baby-safe laundry detergents contain brighteners or enzymes that can degrade the quality of your diapers over time. Cloth diapering laundry detergents are formulated to clean diapers without damaging them. I know that Ecos is good.

I do a cold rinse first and then a 30 degree cycle using one15ml scoop of miofresh and the same of waitrose sensitive non bio powder (premixed for convenience). We use mostly pockets with cotton and hemp boosters.

Shops own bio powder- full dose. Rarely get stinks or stains. Prefolds still look good after 3 years of hard use! Nappies are very dirty things- you really need a full dose to get them clean.