Wednesday, August 11, 2010

DIY Cloth Diaper Detergent


I've been using this recipe for a while now and I've had great results!  It's cheap, eco-friendly, doesn't have any harsh chemicals or fragrences, and you know exactly what's in it!

1 cup Washing Soda (I use Arm & Hammer, found in the laundry aisle)
1 cup Borax (I use 20 Mule Team)
1/2 cup Oxi-Clean (I use Oxi-Clean Free)

To use: Add 1 Tablespoon detergent to cold rinse cycle.  Then, add 1 Tablespoon detergent to your hot wash.  Diapers will come out smelling like - nothing!  This is good : )


Note: You can also mix this up in bulk so that you don't have any leftovers.  If doing so, you will need 3 boxes Washing Soda (55 oz. each), 2 boxes Borax (76 oz. each), and 1 large tub of Oxi-Clean (96 oz.).  However, I know from personal experience that Borax is a good item to have around the house.  It can be utilized in other applications besides this detergent!

There is also a "regular"/clothing laundry version of this detergent that I have not tried yet.  Once I get through the store-bought detergent that we're currently using I will mix up a batch and let you know how we like it!



Recipe and photo courtesy of:

5 comments:

  1. Stephanie, I am really intrigued by this! We use Charlie's now...it is the first detergent to get our diapers clean and keep them from having build-up/stink issues (we have hard water). But I still want to try your recipe! Hmm...decisions...any idea what this recipe would cost over say, a month's time?

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  2. ETA: Part of my qualm with Charlie's is that we follow their recommended wash routine, which involves a cold rinse followed by TWO hot wash/cold rinse cycles. :-/ That's a lot of water, and if this detergent could allow us to just use one hot wash/cold rinse cycle, I'd prefer it to Charlie's.

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  3. 1:1:1/2 recipe posted is enough for 20 full washes.

    I know when I first mixed up the recipe and did some calculations with what I actually paid it came down to just a few cents a load - I think $0.07?

    Also, I've read that you could add some Calgon to your mixture to help with the hard water. I haven't tried this though so I don't know much about it. Seems like everyone's laundry routine has to be tweaked a bit for their needs!

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  4. How did your diapers hold up with this recipe? I've been reading so many conflicting things on borax and oxyclean with CDs.

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    Replies
    1. Megan,

      I've heard (probably the same) conflicting information as well! My diapers did great with this. I used it for over a year with zero problems as far as wear on the diapers and it cleaning well. Once my son hit toddlerhood and was eating mostly table foods I did end up having to go to a stronger detergent, but I still recommend this recipe to others and plan to use it again if/when we have more babies because I'm sure it's much gentler on baby skin than the store-bought detergent I'm using now.

      HTH!

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