Good Detergent / Bad Detergent

Choose a good detergent for your cloth diapers is easy. When you purchase from Cotton Babies' detergent selection, anything you pick is fine. Cotton Babies ships all detergents for free using the coupon code GOODWASH. No minimum order. Order as often as you want to... we want you to take care of your diapers well.

Mainstream Detergents - We're often asked if there is a mainstream detergent available that is "safe" for cloth diapers. The answer is no. The least of the evils is Tide Free. Tide Free does not contain any fragrances, optical brighteners or dyes. It does contain enzymes though and will require diligence with rinsing your diapers well or more frequent diaper changes to avoid the mild diaper rash that can be caused by lingering enzymes from the detergent.

What To Avoid:

• Optical brighteners - if the box mentions anything about making your colors brighter or your whites whiter, don't buy it. Optical brighteners remain in your clothing and are designed to "bend the light" so you see the colors brighter or whiter. They do nothing to extend the life of your clothing. Optical brighteners caused buildup.
• Enzymes - if the box talks about removing certain kinds of stains easily, don't buy it. Enzymes attack protein-based stains. Those same enzymes can react with your baby's skin and cause a mild rash.
• Perfumes/Fragrances - that mountain breeze is best left on the mountain where it came from. Really, perfumes and fragrances are oil based. Oils are left in fabrics when rinsed. Again, this can cause a diaper rash and buildup.
• Dyes - dyes can remain in your fabrics when rinsed, potentially causing diaper rash and buildup.