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Homemade is Not Always Best

Now, if I saw that headline, I would be like, “What? Of course it is!”.  But in the case of using homemade laundry detergents, it is not always best for your diapering products. Below is a list of typical ingredients found in homemade laundry detergents: Bar soap Fels Naptha Soap Liquid castile soap Borax Oxygen Bleach Vinegar Washing Soda Now, you say, those are all natural ingredients. Yes, we love natural ingredients, but these may not be recommended for good reasons. What diapering products you are washing will determine which ingredient cannot be used. Pure Soap: Bar soap, grated soap, Fels Naptha soap, Castile soap: Pure soaps can deteriorate lamination, creating tiny pinholes and rendering the waterproofing useless. Pure soaps can also coat diapers, making them repel rather than absorb.
  • Do not use on any diapering product.
Borax: Borax, or Sodium Borate, is a wonderful cleanser, but can be caustic to components.
  • Do not use on covers, or diapers with components such as elastic - especially hook and loop fasteners. May be used on prefolds and inserts without elastic.
Oxygen Bleach: Oxygen bleach is a combination of hydrogen peroxide, and Sodium Carbonate - each very useful ingredients. When combined, it creates an oxygenating liquid or powder used to clean, brighten, and bleach away stains. Although it is biodegradeable and natural, it can be harsh on fibers and components.
  • May be used sparingly on diapering products, but not recommended for every wash as it is harsh. Thirsties recommends a treatment not more than once a month to preserve your diapering items.
Vinegar: Oh, wonderful vinegar! You can always find a bottle in my home. Vinegar has so many uses, and is great for neutralizing high alkaline levels in wash water. But, vinegar is not good for diapering components. Vinegar is an acid, and can eat away at lamination and elastic.
  • Do not use on diaper covers, pail liners, diaper duffles, or any diaper with lamination or elastic.
  • May be used on prefolds and inserts without elastic.
Washing Soda: Washing soda, or Sodium Carbonate, is the main ingredient in most powder detergents. It is highly alkaline, but is said to be safe when used in detergents. The wash water neutralizes the alkalinity, so please make sure to use the highest water level possible with powder detergents.
  • We do not recommend adding Washing Soda along with a detergent as an additive.
So although I believe that homemade detergent is great for regular laundry, it will most likely not be an option for cloth diapering products. Here are some great laundry detergents that can be purchased, and are safe for cloth diapers:
  • Allens Naturally Liquid*
  • Arm and Hammer Essentials
  • Country Save Liquid
  • Mountain Green Ultra Baby *
  • Planet Delicate Laundry Wash Liquid
  • Thirsties Pre-Wash and Super Wash *
  • Vaska
*HE compatible Liquid detergents are generally less harsh on diapering products. For Hard Water, we recommend either a powder detergent or adding a water softener. Calgon Water Softener may be added to the wash load if using a liquid detergent. Here are some recommended powder detergents:
  • Allen’s Naturally Powder*
  • Country Save Powder*
  • Planet Powder*
  • Rockin Green: Soft Rock, Classic Rock, Hard Rock, or Funk Rock *
*HE compatible Please send any questions you may have to me at support@thirstiesbaby.com! ~Sonya
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50 comments

  • Thanks for this! I’m planning on using CD for my baby – due in 5 weeks! Doing all the research I can.

    Kelly Clark on
  • I am very skeptical about the information put forth, here. There is so much gray area. So much of diaper care depends on what type of washing machine and water you use, what materials your diapers are made of, whether you machine or line dry, et cetera. Be a careful consumer of information and do what works best for you and your practices.

    Grace on
  • Thanks for the info! Very informative.

    Nina on
  • I have to agree with Noel Miller. I’ve been doing a TON of research on diaper detergents and found washing soda, borax, and oxygen bleach in 90% of all powdered diaper safe detergents. Of the liquids I’ve studied several of them have ingredients above and some chemicals that I can’t find any information about. I’ve started using a homemade detergent on our regular detergent with amazing results. So far I’m only experimenting with homemade detergent on my mama cloth to see if irritation starts as I have EXTREMELY sensitive skin and I don’t want to bother baby’s bum until I know it’s safe.

    Kristina Gannaway on
  • This article is really informative to me, I am pregnant with our first and have been building a diaper stash but need to begin prepping in the next month or so. We got new front loading washer/dryer in January and I will definitely need to figure out what works for us (we live in the country and have a well) to get our diapers clean using products that are as natural as possible.

    I had no idea that some of these things were bad for diapers and will definitely be reading more and trying to learn what will be best for us.

    Thank you!

    Kate Mayes on

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