Safe laundry detergent for baby?

[slaggyc]

Our due date is getting closer, and I have lots of baby shower gifts piling up that I'd like to get washed and put away. Does anyone know offhand of a safe detergent to use for baby clothes, blankets etc.? I was thinking of Dreft, but then thought maybe it has fragrance it in? Help!

[JBaxter]

I use http://charliesoap.com/ I have a house full of sensitive skin ( dh and 2 ds's are allergic to different stuff ) I also used to to wash my diapers.

[wendibird22]

We use Tide Free and haven't had any problems with skin irritation.

[citymama]

We loved BioKleen for our newborn (and all our clothes too). Now that she's a toddler we use Trader Joe's scent-free detergent and it works great. (If I could find BioKleen, I'd use it, but it can be hard to find.)

I would highly recommend getting something perfume-free (not Dreft, which is heavily perfumed). We have used Tide free and Arm & Hammer Free, but I find that the TJ's detergent, or Ecover or 7th generation are even milder, while still cleaning well! Good luck!

[brittone2]

Dreft is, IMO, very heavily scented, and very expensive. And IMO, from a safety standpoint, there's nothing special at all about it.

We use Charlie's and have been very happy w/ it. Whole Foods sells it locally where I live (not sure if that's true nationally now?), and it is also available online.

[MMMommy]

With our newborns, we used the Kirkland Free & Clear Detergent from Costco. I don't remember, but I'm pretty sure it was dye free and fragrance free. Much more economical than Dreft.

[SnuggleBuggles]

We just use our regular detergent, whatever it happens to be at the moment. With ds1 I would use a second rinse but with ds2 I decided to see if he had any sensitivities before doing that (and wasting water). He's been fine. We had been using Arm and Hammer but I just picked up some Method free and clear at Target yesterday. Seventh Generation worked fine too.

We have so much laundry to do b/c I stink at diapering (hence a blowout every time :() so I want to just throw all our stuff in together.

Beth

[slaggyc]

Thanks! I think I'll definitely skip the Dreft. We have a Trader Joe's here and a Whole Foods so I'll head over and see what they have!

[GeekLady]

I use http://charliesoap.com/ I have a house full of sensitive skin ( dh and 2 ds's are allergic to different stuff ) I also used to to wash my diapers.

I second this stuff, it's wonderful! For small loads, half a scoop will clean just as well as a whole. I've never had to pay for shipping, and an 80 load bag seems to last me at least 6 months, although when Baby arrives in July I'm sure my laundry will double. It rinses very clean, and it's unscented, so it doesn't make me sneeze.

I also like any cleaning agent manufacturer that has the cojones to provide its Material Data Safety Sheet online. Very cool.

[codex57]

I use Ecos (bought at Costco) for the baby's clothes. We use the Kirkland Free and Clear for everyone else, but I've done the baby's stuff with the Kirkland detergent on occasion. Seems fine too.

I wouldn't stress too much about it. Just have a supply of some perfume free one on hand for when the baby gets home. Not every baby has sensitive skin. The normal stuff is actually fine for most babies. Don't have to get too exotic.

After all, even if you use special stuff for the baby, he'll come in contact with other people who may not use the special detergent. Plus, tons of other baby products are heavily perfumed.

[JBaxter]

I second this stuff, it's wonderful! For small loads, half a scoop will clean just as well as a whole. I've never had to pay for shipping, and an 80 load bag seems to last me at least 6 months, although when Baby arrives in July I'm sure my laundry will double. It rinses very clean, and it's unscented, so it doesn't make me sneeze.

I also like any cleaning agent manufacturer that has the cojones to provide its Material Data Safety Sheet online. Very cool.

This probably doesnt matter to many people but my Mom lives on a 70 acre goat farm in a house built in the1800's ( parts of it anyway). She knows her wash water gets run into the ground and once she switched to Charlies her algea problem in the stream that feeds her pond cleared up in 2 weeks. I really like the stuff and its free shipping from the site. Anything that can clean my 16yr old under armor compression shorts for football and not cause him a tushie rash ( our main issue ) is amazing

[racerl1]

I used regular Tide HE, and did an extra rinse just to be safe. I never had any problems with skin irritation.