Do you use a specialist nappy wash powder?

[alysonpeaches]

I Just use the sensitive wash powder that I do all our clothes in as I have 2 with eczema, but I have wondered about these special wash powders for cloth nappies, like tots bots potion or whatever, as you can use a lower temperature and kill all the germs.

Are they any good?

Never tried it.I Use Bold 2in1.It Seems like an unescessary expense to me. You can always add a spoonful of something like PHP nappy soak(no enzymes,bleach,chemicals)if you need an antibac boost.

P.S Perfectly happy People have their anti-allergenic washing powder all natural ingredients on sale at £3 for 1kg at the moment. The nappy soak is £2.95 but lasts for months.

I add napisan to every wash.

I've heard Nappisan is bad for nappies it damages the fibres. The Nappy Lady says not to use it.Or Bicarbonate of soda.

Tea tree oil - can't remember where I saw this, possibly the nappy lady website, but it really works and I swear they come out whiter even though it's meant as an anti-bacterial. You just need a few drops each wash (as well as normal washing powder). I was using napisan before but the nappies feel much softer this way.

I got a sample of tots bots potion and didn't notice it made a better or worse job of cleaning or sanitising or softening than my current non bio powder and the gorgeous smelling sanitiser clean and fresh hemp and lemongrass!
It would have to be a big price difference to tempt me to change

Also if its and all in one soap and sanitiser how can you vary the amount of soap you use for the water hardness, without using too little sanitiser?

I quite liked Potion.

Both DCs have sensitive skin and it didn't irritate at all. Plus, was able to wash at lower temperatures...

I love the Potion - but found 30 was too low so I still washed at 40 with the occasional 60 wash. I love the cut-grass non-smell of it but I tend to use Ecover because Sainsbos delivers.

I really hate highly perfumed things - I get eczema from a lot of things and they make me sneeze and make my asthma worse. On holiday our clothes were washed in something really scented and DS2 refused to put them on. Lucky it was hot!

Yorky, which sanitiser is that?

I agree with you Swampster about highly perfumed things. Recently tried a sample (glad I didn't pay for it) of kitchen cleaner/sanitiser spray and could not have coped with it in my kitchen or on my food, nice but way too strong a scent.

Anyway, sanitiser, I bought it from Lollipop when they stopped selling the Pure brand sanitiser. I hadn't heard of clean and fresh but it seems to work (how do you tell if a sanitiser is working?) and not irritate anyone, they also do a lavender one but I'm not as keen on that

I too tried the tots potion and found it worked better at 40* than 30, however I just use bold 2in1 the same as my general laundry as I love the heady fragrances.

I liked the potion too - surecare is good for allergy though - the less stuff you use the better -would also suggest clean & fresh for sanitiser as natural ingredients.

Ariel tabs seems to be causing problems for PUL for some reason - not sure why.

Interesting about the Ariel tabs Octo, is it a tablet thing or and Ariel thing or unique?

Does anyone know why it has to be a non-bio powder? or detergent

Think the non bio thing is simply due to the hardshness of bio.

Not sure what the ariel tabs have in.

Yorky - I thought you were someone else in real life - have been corrected!!

Oh, I'd got the impression it was bad for the nappies or elastic - is it just a baby skin issue?

My husband and son had a lovely time this weekend, thank you. I may be back for the bags after payday!

I use soap flakes! Mix up my own special mix with 2 cups of soap flakes, 1 cup of washing soda, and 1 cup of bicarbonate of soda. Clothes come very clean (as well as nappies!) - very nice & white, but then, we do have soft water.

We don't use any scented things or nasties in the house anymore - nothing! I put everything in a box up in the attic in an effort to rid the house of detergents and SLS. So we've got natural shampoo for everyone in the house and pure soap (bars) to wash hands and bodies. And I mix up soap flakes with water and tea tree oil as a general household cleaner for everything else! :D

I did wonder if biological washing powder was meant to be avoided by anyone using nappies as it contains enzymes that "digest" stains. I presume if you use a lot of it or it builds up on the nappy it will digest the protective layer of the skin too.

I used to use Ariel bio (powder form) all the time until we got our little one and she developed eczema, then I went on to non bios. The only stain I have probs with is tomato based spaghetti sauce.

I think fabric conditioner is bad for elastic. When I was a nurse and wore support tights which had elastic in, fabric conditioner used to ruin them.