I'm new to this, and haven't diapered our babies yet (still pg). I asked a cloth pro a question last night via email and she let me know she didn't recommend RNG for cotton prefolds (said it's fine for poly fleece fabrics with AIOs, pockets, etc.). So, what do you ladies use? I thought RNG was supposed to be a great choice for cloth, but apparently not due to oxygen bleaches (similar to OxyClean). She said it can cause undue wear on your cotton and a shortened lifespan.
I just bought a bag of RNG, and I use Method Free and Clear for our household laundry (which I also just bought 2 containers of). I'm willing to switch, but I wanted to get advice from the CD board first.
I'm wanting to use something that is good for sensitive skin babies, since DHs family has a history of babies with eczema and other skin sensitivities.
Also, our local CD store confused the h*ll out of me when she said that I should only be using one type of laundry soap/detergent for dipes and household laundry. She recommends stripping your washing machine between laundry switches, but I haven't found any instructions for that online. If it matters, we have a Whirlpool Duet Front Loader.
Re: RNG not for cotton prefolds? Soap Qs
RNG made all my synthetic pockets repel within 2 weeks. That wasn't fun. I wouldn't recommend it for anything, but it was fine when I was using cotton for the NB phase.
Most people use whatever for household laundry. Don't worry about that.
I'd just use the Method for everything and see how it goes. You don't need to strip your machine between detergents. Some people... like to make things really complicated. It's not.
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I used a different detergent for my household laundry for a long time, and was still using fabric softener on all of my clothes too. I never did anything with my washing machine and my diapers are all in great condition. Now I use the same detergent for everything for convenience.
Although, I did stop using dryer sheets when we started CDing. If I had continued using them would probably just wipe the inside of my dryer with a damp cloth before putting in my CDs, but that's just me.
ETA that my detergent now is Tiny Bubbles or Nellies. I've had good luck with both so far. I agree with tokenhoser to just try the Method first and go from there.
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