The Scoop on Detergents

You have made the choice. You have collected your diapers and now you are beginning your cloth diapering journey. You deserve to have success while cloth diapering your baby. Choosing a detergent suitable for cloth diapers can often avoid unnecessary problems including diaper odor and leakage. 

What to look for in a Detergent?
At best, a detergent to be used on your baby's diapers would NOT contain enzymes, dyes, perfumes, optical brighteners or any other component designed to be left on your diapers after washing.

Specialty detergents with fabric softeners or wrinkle guards will not be suitable; however, a detergent with non-chlorine bleach or oxygen bleaching capabilities may be fine. And just to be clear, soaps are not detergents, and soaps are generally not suitable for washing diapers.

Top Environmentally Friendly Detergent Pick

Our favorite top environmental detergent is Allen's Naturally. Allen's Naturally has no enzymes, brighteners, scents or dyes. Allen's Naturally is one of the few environmentally safe detergents that our customers have stated works wonderfully for their heavily soiled work clothes as well. Some other environmentally safe detergents that we recommend are: Rockin' Green Soap, Mountain Green Free & Clear Standard & HE, Mountain Green Free & Clear Baby Standard & HE, Nellie's All Natural Laundry Soda Standard & HE, Planet Ultra Liquid, Planet Ultra Powder Standard & HE compatible and Planet 2X Ultra Standard & HE.

Detergents to Avoid
Natural soaps often contain various oils. These should NOT be used because they will leave a residue on fleece, causing it to repel liquids.

The use of any of these detergents listed below will void the warranty of our products. The use of any free and clear formulas may cause a waxy build up that will cause the diapers to repel and no longer work. We also very specifically do not recommend the use of Sportwash, Sensi-Clean, Charlie’s, due to the possibility of severe burn like reactions that can happen the first time of use or months after successful use. Due to the nature of these detergents the use of them will void all warranties of the Happy Heinys products. The use of chlorine bleach will also void all warranties and can lead to the breakdown of the waterproof layer of our fabric making the diaper unusable.

Avoid: Dr. Bronner’s Soap • 7th Generation • Bio-Kleen • Ivory Snow • Dreft • Charlie’s • Any ALL free detergents • Sport-Wash & Sensi-Clean have the potential for detergent burn in babies.

Never use fabric softener of any kind on reusable diapers. Liquid fabric softeners and dryer sheets both leave a waxy residue which causes fleece to repel urine and decreases the absorbency of other diapers.

Diaper rash creams can also cause repelling. For best results either place a small wash cloth on top of the fleece or use a liner.