Can you use Tide on cloth diapers? - All Things Washing Discussions on Welcome!

autumnbeck

The short answer is yes.

The long, over time you will develop some buildup problems due to optical brighteners and other junk.

Check with your cloth diaper brands to see if Tide will void warranty. You just never know, some recommend (Rumparooz) it others say no.

If you notice a mildewy smell, dead animal smell or ammonia try Tide because your cloth diapers may not be getting a deep down clean.

RNMichelle · Michelle, FTM due May 11, 2012

What type of tide do you use?

autumnbeck

I now use Tide Ultra HE original.

juditupp

I'm wondering if the Member's Mark detergent (labeled "compare to Tide Ultra") would work just as well. It is probably half the price per load of Tide. The other option I'm considering is Country Save with bio-kleen. Some of what I've been reading seems to indicate that the enzymes are actually a good thing and that's why Tide gets the diapers cleaner. My front loader is a commercial Speed Queen and it doesn't have a ton of setting options. It also doesn't seem to actually adjust the water level much so I'm considering just doing diapers every day. My main motive for cloth diapering is money savings and I can put my son in disposables for less then $30 a month so money wise if I'm spending a ton of money on expensive detergents I may as well use disposables (I know there are lots of other good reasons to use cloth but we earned under 15k last year so the bottom line has to take priority).

autumnbeck

Country Save is an excellent choice. I use Bac Out in every prewash.

juditupp

My thought is that if the one downside to Country Save is the lack of enzymes and I use biokleen with every prewash even if I were to use a detergent like Tide that has enzymes I may as well reap the savings of using Country Save instead of using the higher priced Tide. I also have hard water but I don't think it's quite as hard as some others. We don't get rings in our toilet or sink and that kind of thing.

IrishMama · Michele FTM expecting 6/1/12 Baltimore, Maryland

We are getting a new washer next week (new house), and I specifically chose to get a top loader with agitator -- still not sold on the overall benefit of HE washers! Anyway, I plan to use Bac-Out in prewash and would like to try Country Save detergent. The only kind I can find for a non-HE washer is liquid. Should I anticipate any issues? Or should I try something else?

I just started on my stash last week with some Flips covers and stay-dry inserts. Once I get a few more I want to start the prep process (baby due June 1).

autumnbeck

I am jealous. I want a TL again. I think you should be good with Bac out and Country Save. If problems arise I'll help you work through it.

IrishMama · Michele FTM expecting 6/1/12 Baltimore, Maryland

Cool, thanks! I just ordered some BG Freetime AIOs and will get the detergent through amazon to save $$. I should be able to start getting prepped in the next week or so!

slang76

I have been using Tide Ultra HE Powder Original for 18 months and have never had any issue. I stripped once with bleach because of a yeast infection, but no other stripping. On occasion I will "Rock a soak", although I don't really have a reason why I do, I just like to in case it removes build-up :)

greenmama831

I think I may be over-thinking this whole detergent issue!

I am confused about why it is okay to use Tide but not F&C detergents (i.e All). From my research I have noted that other than the optical brighteners in All, it seems to be an okay choice. But with Tide...there are fragrances, brighteners and dyes added, yet this is a suggested detergent on a number of CD sites???

I am very new to the CD world (awaiting my first baby in May) and this Tide issue is stumping me!

Runnergirl78

Ditto on greenmama831's post. I live in Tucson where we have very hard water and 1/2 the time I seem to read "Tide is fine, don't spend $$ on the pricier stuff", and the other half of the time it seems to be, "you'll screw up your diapers if you don't use the boutique formulated detergent." I'm quite confused.

autumnbeck

There are several factors that go into choosing a detergent. First you have to decide if you are going to use a detergent that keeps your warranties intact. If this is a priority for you then that narrows down your chooses and life just got easier. If you don't have a warranty or don't care then you have way too many choices. 1) You could use the detergent you are currently using on clothes (as long as it doesn't have fabric softener) and see how things go. 2) You could buy a detergent like Planet or Country Save in bulk and use that for all you laundry and most likely avoid most problems. 3) Buy a special detergent just for your cloth diapers and use whatever you want for clothes.

Using Tide, ALL, Gain, whatever won't necessarily screw up your diapers...right away. You will encounter problems weeks or maybe months in that will possibly cause you to want to gauge your eyes out. BUT, every problem has a solution, right? I used Tide for a very long time but am now having problems. I'm confident I will successfully strip them but I won't be using Tide with an HE machine again.

I'm sure that only confused you more lol

greenmama831

Thanks Autumn! As confusing as it all is...your answer was helpful!

This seems like a trial by error sort of thing and I guess I will just have to see how things go :)

Thanks for your help and your blog is beyond helpful - it has been my go-to guide for navigating the CD world.

mommamindy

Im new to the CD world and my only help has been this one store around my house that I have gone to a few times and wandered around in and came out feeling very interested but VERY LOST lol. I bought a flip AIO 2 Fuzzibunz with the inserts and a Grovia along with some extra pocket inserts.( that I dont use in the pockets cause only having a few, so I have to make them last all day)I have been building that tiny stash from about 8 month of pregnancy, my son is now 9 months and we have been using cloth for about a month now.( It was too overwelming for me at first) The main thing I am struggling with is not knowing if Im cleaning them right and now worried that because I did not pre wash 5-6 times before using them, if i ruined them. Also, when I was in the store today the young lady was trying to talk me into buying special soap and I told her that iv just been using regular detergent and she told me that if they were not ruined they will be soon :( We dont have a lot of $$ so im having to build up my stash very slow and cant really go in and buy all i need at once. Like right now, instead of wetbag im using plastic bags and instead of wipes im using baby wash cloths that came on my diaper cake at the baby shower and then the detergent issue came up today, so I puchased the tiny box of eco nuts and my hubby got a BIG laugh out of that! Thank GOODNESS I found this site but im still worried that I just flushed all that money down the drain ( literally )lol! What should I do?? Toss my current stash and start over? Strip them? Wash them 6 times?? lol! So lost...

BastiansMommy

I don't think you have to worry that not prepping them enough will ruin them, but you do need to be careful about what detergent you use. Are your diapers leaking or do they stink like ammonia after baby has peed in them or do they stink after they're washed? If not, I'd say you don't need to strip them. As far as them being ruined...if they aren't falling apart, giving your baby a rash, or leaking, I'd say they're fine. Maybe just start using CD friendly detergent from now on. I used Charlie's Laundry Soap which worked well for me and I bought a tub of it for $15 on amazon. That tub lasted me a loooong time (like 8-9 month). I used it only on my diapers and I do small, frequent loads and you don't use much at all, so it lasted forever. There are other cd friendly detergents you can use too, I just gave that as an example. I also ordered a bag of soap nuts (not the Eco nuts brand, it was something else) off amazon and it was $25 but is lasting forever too. What detergent have you been using on your diapers?

Mariah

I've been cloth diapering for almost 10 months now and everyday there is something new to learn. I use the BumGenius and in the beginning they absorbed very well. However, my little guy just can't seem to stay dry. I'm wondering if it's my washing routine. I heard that I could do 1/2 cup bleach and 1 TBSP Dawn dish soap. So I've been doing that from the start. Have I ruined my diapers? Any suggestions to alternative methods of washing that don't cost an arm and a leg?

MeiandLinsMom

I have a question regarding switching laundry detergents...
I currently use original Tide for washing cloth diapers. Been use it for 4 months (haven't had ammonia issues) but I've been using Tide because i don't have access to a more diaper friendly detergent. But i recently found Ecos Laundry detergent in my area, so happy to be able to use a natural detergent for my CD's.
So the question is... Do i jump right in and start using the new laundry detergent or do i rinse and rinse and try to rinse out the tide before using the new detergent?
Please help, i don't want to ruin my diapers or even worse give my baby girl a rash. So far my journey with cloth diapers has been very successful and would like to keep that way.

AdoptiveMom8

Is Tide Free and Gentle better??

clothdiaperingfan

MeiandLinsMom said:
I have a question regarding switching laundry detergents...
I currently use original Tide for washing cloth diapers. Been use it for 4 months (haven't had ammonia issues) but I've been using Tide because i don't have access to a more diaper friendly detergent. But i recently found Ecos Laundry detergent in my area, so happy to be able to use a natural detergent for my CD's.
So the question is... Do i jump right in and start using the new laundry detergent or do i rinse and rinse and try to rinse out the tide before using the new detergent?
Please help, i don't want to ruin my diapers or even worse give my baby girl a rash. So far my journey with cloth diapers has been very successful and would like to keep that way.

It's best to rinse as much as you can out. It's a pain, but it will help. I don't think you are going to ruin anything however. Just do a couple hot water washes with no detergent with the highest water setting on your washer so you are washing with as much water as possible.

Hope this helps.

nataliezohner

Does it matter if I use Tide Original Powder vs. Tide Original Liquid? Is there another mainstream detergent that gets good results?

I'm new to CD - only been doing it for a couple months - but I've started running into ammonia stink after my son wets. I currently use Ecos laundry detergent with soft water. I do a cold rinse, hot heavy-duty wash, and a cold rinse. I recently started adding a saturated towel to the load to help rinse things out (I have an HE front-loader), and that helps a little with the ammonia smell, but doesn't completely take it away. My next step was to use Tide, or another popular detergent, to make sure my diapers are getting a good, deep clean. But I'm a little lost on what kind of Tide to use. I can find Tide Original, but only in liquid, or Ultra Tide Original in powder/liquid. Is one better than the other, or should I try something else, like Purex or All? Any any other suggestions on how to deal with ammonia?

juditupp

Natalie, I would start with washing the clean diapers in hot water 3-4 times to make sure there isn't any soap left in your diapers. Beyond that I don't know.

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