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August 2015 Moms
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Fav laundry detergent or detergent 'recipe'

albolan80albolan80 member
in August 2015 Moms
 I'm getting ready to wash a ginormous pile of baby clothes. I have heard Dreft is a waste of money - what brands do STMs favor for their LO's clothes? We're cloth diapering, too, if that makes a difference. I have found some good recipes for making your own, thinking of trying those, but I don't want to make a huge batch and then have it bomb. Any favorites? Thanks!
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Re: Fav laundry detergent or detergent 'recipe'

  • lifesabeach85lifesabeach85 member
    I am not planning on cloth diapering, and didn't want to get separate detergent for the baby's clothes. I have pretty sensitive skin anyway so anything with dye or perfume gives me a rash. I use Seventh Generation Free and Clear and have been generally pleased with its stain fighting and cleaning abilities. I have no personal experience with it versus baby stains though.


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  • SouthernYankee87SouthernYankee87 member
    All Free & Clear.  I have been using it for years due to skin allergies to a lot of other detergents.  I've used it from the beginning for all of my DD's items as well.  Like me, she has very sensitive skin and we haven't had any problems with it.  For some of the tougher baby food (or grass) stains, I've let the detergent soak on the item for a few hours and then I throw it in the wash.  Works like a charm.  
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  • mamaloafmamaloaf member
    I make ours with this recipe: https://happymoneysaver.com/making-your-own-laundry-detergent-worth-the-cost/

    It makes probably 19 pounds worth per batch and I keep it in a larger plastic container with a 1/4 C measuring spoon. I think each batch costs about $20.00 and I've been very happy with it.

    Two notable things: If DD stains something, I hit it with pre-treating spray and toss it in a bucket to soak. Also, I still buy Clorox 2 and will use that every few loads of whites to keep them nice and bright.
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  • Miz_LizMiz_Liz member
    We use Tide Free and Clear for DS's clothes. Works great.
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  • mrswiebe09mrswiebe09 member
    edited June 2015
    I second All Free and Clear or Tide Free and Clear, or whatever the dye and scent free names are for All and Tide.
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  • hclzmm14hclzmm14 member
    I use seventh gen free and clear for all of our laundry.
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  • deviduke412deviduke412 member
    I've been making mine for a couple of years and love it! Plus it saves us tons of money each year:

    1 bar of felps naphtha soap, grated
    1 cup washing soda
    1 cup borax
    1 five gallon bucket with lid

    Melt the bar of soap into 6 cups of boiling water on the stove.
    Put your powder ingredients in the 5 gallon bucket.
    Once the soap is melted into the water, dump that into the bucket with the other ingredients.
    Fill the bucket up with hot water, mixing as you add the water.
    Let it sit overnight.
    To use, take an old detergent bottle and add 1 cup of water for every 1 cup of detergent mixture.
    Note: the detergent will be jello like after sitting. I mix the water and detergent with a whisk in a bowl and then dump into my detergent bottle.
    Enjoy! Next time you need to make it you'll just need to buy another bar of soap.
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  • PixelPosyPixelPosy member
    We wash the entire family's clothes in Charlie's Soap powder. Worked great on cloth diapers too. Now that DD1 is older and not as sensitive I'll add scent crystals to certain items of mine that I want to smell good. But most everything is done in plain Charlie's Soap. Works well in cold or hot water. 
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  • emmacake08emmacake08 member
    I CD and tide free and clear with Charlie's soap has been the way to go. The DIY recipes with shaved bars of soap aren't tough enough on CD (I tried...) and the Charlie's soap really helps to counter act hard water, mineral build up, and stink. I think it's worth the $$ to buy a name brand free and clear. I used Dreft after I ran out of tide (only on clothes) and my kids got a rash from it. Stay away from the specialty CD soaps on the market. They're expensive and they don't clean as well because they're basically only washing soda. This blog on washing CDs turned out to be 100% accurate when I tried her way out

    https://cgmrb.blogspot.com/2013/10/cloth-diaper-washing-myth-busters.html?m=1
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  • pabeybabypabeybaby member
    If you later on swapped back to a "regular" detergent (say a scented one), how old should children be before you start washing their clothes in it?
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  • CGlessCGless member
    We use purex dirt lift action for our clothes and purex baby for the kids. I'll keep using the baby detergent until there are no babies left in our house. I even wash my 8 year old's clothes with the baby detergent because it smells amazing.
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  • deviduke412deviduke412 member
    pabeybaby said:

    If you later on swapped back to a "regular" detergent (say a scented one), how old should children be before you start washing their clothes in it?

    I think it really just depends on the sensitivity of the child's skin. I know a lot of people who never changed detergent and washed their baby's clothes in the same as theirs from the get go.
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  • Startingagain2015Startingagain2015 member
    All baby.
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