For me, getting laundry detergent for my cloth diapers was a big problem. It was hard enough building a decent diaper stash, carefully scrounging $20-$60 dollars each pay check for me to buy 1-3 diapers at a a time was trying on my patience. Meanwhile, I was wholeheartedly into cloth diapering full time so I was washing loads of 6-8 diapers at a time, 1-2 times a day so that I wouldn't have to put my Bunny in a yucky disposable. Until we were able to afford something better, we just used Tide. Not the best, I know, but it did the trick for awhile.
Finally, when my stash reached somewhere around 20 (around the time Bunny was 3-4 months old) I gave in and bought some Rockin" Green cloth diaper detergent. I have to say, I was disappointed. First of all, it's extremely small. Over time, I discovered that this wasn't an issue since it lasted me for about 2-3 months of washing cloth diapers every day or every two days. Secondly, the amazing smell that everyone raves about didn't reach past the little, muslin bag the detergent comes in. My diapers did not smell amazingly. Thirdly, it didn't eliminate the need to strip as everyone claims. Granted, that's probably due to the fact that my town has TERRIBLY hard water which we run through chemicals in a water softener, AND we have an HE machine. (I would have never guessed I'd be disappointed about having a washing machine that uses less water! Ha ha!). Over time, I discovered ways to compensate for our hard water and HE machine and I just do a MAD amount of rinses before and after washing, but by the time I figured it out, I was out of Rockin' Green. And, I"m sad to report that some of it spilled on the floor because I left the bag opened on the top of the machine and it scooted off the edge. I dutifully spooned up a few loads from the floor, though, so as not to waste one precious and expensive drop.
I don't think I will be replacing my bag of Rockin' Green. I mean, it's okay. It works. But it lacks the WOW factor everyone raves about.
Meanwhile, my husband came home from Sam's Club with a very LARGE and inexpensive bottle of Ecos--an all natural laundry detergent. Well, many detergents claim to be all natural in grocery stores so I wasn't sure if I was buying it. I read the label and it's pretty much free and clear of all these different chemicals that I can't pronounce, but I still wasn't sure.
So I googled it! Well, maybe I Swag Bucked it, but that's not what's important. What IS important is this amazing LIST I found at www.diaperjungle.com. It's the most helpful detergent list I've ever seen! You should go check it out.
And guess what? No more buying detergent online for me because Ecos is rated as GREAT for cloth diapers! Yay!!!!
And what's best is that it smells amazing--like lavender--and it works great! When you cloth diaper you just get used to not being able to find any of your diapering necesities at actual brick and mortar stores located nearby so this is just wonderful, to me. And do you know what's even better? The only reason my sweetie pie even bought the detergent to begin with was that it was the cheapest. Woo hoo!!!
