Best Cloth Diaper Detergent + Cloth Diaper Wash Routine

Choosing to use Tide to wash my cloth diapers has proven to be the best cloth diaper detergent I’ve tried. No stains, no stink. There’s only clean diapers in this cloth diaper wash routine!

Overwhelmed by the number of articles on washing cloth diapers? Do you think there has to be a simpler way to wash cloth diapers than to have 3 different kinds of laundry detergent, dryer sheets for some, dryer balls for others?! There is.

Let me let you in on a little secret…

Yes, they really do. I’ve been using Tide on all of our laundry for almost a year now, including our cloth diapers, and I’ve only stripped them once. Once. Because I wanted to.

For the first year that I used cloth diapers, I made my own Cloth Diaper Detergent. I made it because it was relatively inexpensive and I didn’t want to spend a lot of money on a cloth diaper detergent.

While the homemade detergent worked, I still struggled with stink issues. But I thought that was normal since I kept reading about how to strip cloth diapers. I just deep cleaned them every month or so to really get the funky smell out – extra work is always fun, huh?

While my homemade cloth diaper detergent was working, to an extent, it wasn’t working for our family. I was basically having to wash the diapers twice and still having smell issues. Plus, I hated stripping them once a month.

If you are totally against using Tide to wash cloth diapers, it’s ok. I was too, at first. The thing is – other cloth diaper safe detergents, like Rockin’ Green, do work. But I found that they were a lot more expensive than opting for good ole Tide in the long run. And I don’t know about you, but one main reason I cloth diaper is because it saves money.

You don’t automatically have to go for Tide. I’ve had personal experience with most of the cloth diaper safe detergents on the market and really liked most of them.

Detergents made for cloth diapers are wonderful for diapers, but as a Mom of 2, I’m just trying to really simplify some things in life, in addition to saving money.

Buying an extra type of detergent is a small act, but by cutting it out, I feel like I have simplified my laundry room a bit. Besides, it’s just too expensive in most cases to wash all of my laundry in a cloth diaper detergent.

We have a Front Loader and the detergent has helped me deter stains, stink, and any issues with PUL/elastic, etc. And before you say it, I know that not everyone wants to use Tide and that’s ok, but it works for my family and if it works for yours – good!

Simplify your routine with what works for YOU!

Thankfully laundry, of any kind, is actually my favorite chore. I mean, it’s my favorite chore, not something I enjoy doing in my free time, but I don’t mind it. Why? Because it’s super easy.  Don’t let thoughts of like these deter you from using cloth diapers…

“What will I do with the dirty ones?”

“How many extra loads a week will cloth diapers give me?”

“What kind of special detergent will I have to buy”

Washing cloth diapers is really just as simple as washing any other laundry in your house. I promise. Especially when you only use one cloth diaper detergent!

Washing Cloth Diapers – My Routine

I recently got an email from a reader asking my Cloth Diaper Wash Routine, so Antonella this post is for you! By switching to Tide, I’ve been able to eliminate the second wash cycle. Yes, I used to wash my cloth diapers twice… So now my routine looks like this:

• Warm Rinse, no Spin, no Detergent.
• Warm/Warm Wash with Tide & Extra Rinse.
• Cold Rinse w/ no Detergent.

Is liquid or powder detergent best for cloth diapers?

When I first started using Tide to wash cloth diapers, I used it in the powder form. I’ve found that liquid is the best cloth diaper detergent for us now. It seems to dissolve easier in our front loader and handle cleaning the best in all types of laundry for my family. I think it really depends on your washing machine.