You have made the choice. You have collected your diapers and now you are beginning your cloth diapering journey. You deserve to have success while cloth diapering your baby.  Choosing a detergent suitable for cloth diapers can often avoid unnecessary problems including diaper odor and leakage. 

What to look for in a Detergent?

At best, a detergent to be used on your baby's diapers would NOT contain enzymes, dyes, perfumes, optical brighteners or any other component designed to be left on your diapers after washing.  

Specialty detergents with fabric softeners or wrinkle guards will not be suitable; however, a detergent with non-chlorine bleach or oxygen bleaching capabilities may be fine.  And just to be clear, soaps are not detergents, and soaps are generally not recommended for cloth diapering.

Top Detergent Picks

Rating	Detergent Brand	Enzymes	Dyes	Scents	Brighteners
		Ingredient Absent     Ingredient Present
	All Free and Clear - Military Version
	Allen's Naturally Powdered/Liquid   Standard and HE compatible
	BumGenius Diaper Detergent  Standard and HE compatible
	Country Save Powder  Standard and HE compatible
	Mountain Green Free and Clear Standard and HE
	Mountain Green Free and Clear Baby Standard and HE HE
	Nature Clean Standard and HE compatible
	Nellie's All Natural Laundry Soda Standard and HE
	Planet Ultra Powder Standard and HE compatible
	Planet 2X Ultra Standard and HE HE
	Rockin' Green Standard and HE compatible
	Seventh Generation Delicate Care Standard and HE
	Thirsties Super Wash Standard and HE compatible
	Tiny Bubbles Standard and HE compatible
	Vaska Scent Free Standard and HE compatible
	Wonderwash Standard and HE compatible

The evaluation included in the above chart is made with the current (June 2010) knowledge available in regards to detergents and cloth diapering.  Detergent makers are free to change their formulations without notifying the public.  Realize that washing conditions, diaper collections, and personal sensitivities vary.  Use this chart as an aid to find the detergent that will work best with your own conditions.

Top Locally Available Detergent Picks

Availability	Detergent Brand	Enzymes	Dyes	Scents	Brighteners
		Ingredient Absent     Ingredient Present
Naturally Yours	Allen's Naturally Powdered/Liquid   Standard and HE compatible
PinStripes and PolkaDots	BumGenius Diaper Detergent  Standard and HE compatible
Kroger on College in Natural Section including refills	Mountain Green Free and Clear Baby Standard and HE HE
Naturally Yours	Nellie's All Natural Laundry Soda Standard and HE
Naturally Yours	Planet Ultra Powder Standard and HE compatible
Kroger	Planet 2X Ultra Standard and HE HE
PinStripes and PolkaDots by Special Order	Thirsties Super Wash Standard and HE compatible

If you find a detergent in the Top Detergent Picks available locally (Central, IL) please email me and let me know where.

Drugstore.com also has free shipping on orders over $25 and carry the following: Vaska Scent Free, Planet Powder, Seventh Generation Delicate Care and Nellie's Nuggets. 

Detergent Tips:

1. Powdered Detergents are best dissolved completely before adding to washing machine.

2. HE compatible generally refers to a low sudsing detergent.  A detergent rated HE has been certified for use in a High Efficiency washing machine.

3. Detergents are now highly concentrated. It is important to accurately measure your detergent amount and not just "eye-ball" it.

Complete Detergent Chart for Traditional Washing Machines: http://pinstripesandpolkadots.com/detergentchoices.htm 

Complete Detergent Chart for HE Washing Machines: http://pinstripesandpolkadots.com/hedetergentchoices.htm 

written by Krista Cardona

PinStripes and PolkaDots: http://pinstripesandpolkadots.com 

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