Laundry detergent

[justbreathe11]

Do I HAVE to use deft (or dreft?!) or can it be anything that is fragrance/dye free?

[swissair81]

I use Tide Free. I have a front loader & Dreft isn't HE washer compatible. I've never even heard of Deft.

[artvandalay]

Dreft is a big scam. It's highly fragranced, so it's not a good choice for newborns.

My pediatrician always suggested All Free & Clear, I think Tide makes one now, too.

My 3 year old is very sensitive to detergent, so we only use All Free & Clear for the entire family

[lhafer]

You don't have to use Dreft. It's expensive. I've used BRU brand, target brand, baby all, etc.

Recently on our trip to Disney world I bought some things including laundry detergent and had it shipped to the resort. I bought detergent called Dropps. It was really, good, gentle, and got everyones clothes clean. They are front washer compatible, HE washer compatible, and pretty 'organic' as far as detergents go. Target, CVS, and I think TRU is selling this now.

https://store.dropps.com/p-12-dropps-baby.aspx

[SnuggleBuggles]

Dreft is a big scam. It's highly fragranced, so it's not a good choice for newborns.

My pediatrician always suggested All Free & Clear, I think Tide makes one now, too.

My 3 year old is very sensitive to detergent, so we only use All Free & Clear for the entire family

:yeahthat:

You could even go a step further and use a more natural detergent, one free of phosphates and other things not so great to the environment. Method (sold at Target and Whole Foods, among others) is a well priced, slightly more natural Free and Clear. Charlie's Soap is one that gets a lot of love on these boards too.

Beth

[vludmilla]

Yes, Charlie's soap is great. Very gentle, works, and cost effective. Good for the environment too.

[MSWR0319]

Our allergist suggested All Free & Clear. I sometimes use Tide Free & Clear also.

[lchang25000]

We used Dreft for the first 6 months after DS was born. Luckily, he has no skin issues, so it worked fine for us. We switched to All Free and Clear later on since it was cheaper.

[neeleymartin]

Dreft is a big scam. It's highly fragranced, so it's not a good choice for newborns.

My pediatrician always suggested All Free & Clear, I think Tide makes one now, too.

My 3 year old is very sensitive to detergent, so we only use All Free & Clear for the entire family

:yeahthat: i actually called the company that owns dreft and tide (i think, might be all) and they told me the gentlest detergent was their free and clear, (tide or all, again i forget which). i was told that dreft is for baby stains not for it's gentle nature. the label confuses me, they should show a diaper blow-out instead of a snuggly baby. :rotflmao:

[llama8]

I used Tide Free and ALL Free with no troubles. Much cheaper than Dreft and pretty much the same thing.

[katydid1971]

Use a free and clear or a natural detergent and get Oxy Clean for the blow outs.

[JBaxter]

Charlies soap. No scents no build up residue. Bio-friendly. Free and Clear detergents us optical whiteners which I dont care for

[AnnieW625]

We used Dreft, and 7th Gen Baby with DD1. For DD2 we have used Bio Klean, Tide Free & Gentle, and now are currently happy with Gain HE powder. I much prefer powder to liquid, but if I have to use liquid the Tide Free & Gentle is great. For stains I really like classic Spray in Wash in the green bottle (Costco has a great deal on this), and Oxi Clean Baby. I like the Baby Oxi Clean better than the regular, they both work fine, but for some reason I like the Baby formulation better. DD2 has reflux and spits up on everything, but the above detergents and stain stuff really work for keeping her clothes clean.

[justbreathe11]

Does oxy clean not bleach the clothes?

[JBaxter]

no but I found Fels Naptha ( looks like a bar of soap but found in the laundry isle near oxy clean and stain fighters) works great on baby stains I scrub a bit on the bar then do a oxy clean soak. Hanna Andersson does NOT recommend oxy clean on their clothes but does recommend Fels Naptha.

[DebbieJ]

We never used Dreft. We used free & clear detergents in the past and now I make my own using Fels Naptha.

[alirebco]

Love Planet for detergent. Its a free and clear and also an Eco detergent.

[BabyBearsMom]

I have extremely sensitive skin (much more sensitive than DD) so we have always used All Free and Clear for me. When DD came along, we just kept using my detergent. Otherwise, if I held her while she was clothed, I would be covered in hives. It works great, and I have had no major problems with stains. And if she stains something, oh well, it isn't like they can wear most of their clothes for that long when they are itty bitty anyway.

[AnnieW625]

Hanna Andersson does NOT recommend oxy clean on their clothes but does recommend Fels Naptha.

Hmm, have never heard that before, and I have never seen any bleaching issues while using Oxi on any of my clothes (Hanna or not). Fels Naptha is great. I haven't used that in years, but it was a staple in our home growing up. It's also great for poison ivy/oak.

[oneontheway]

We've used Tide, All and Kirkland Free and Clear and haven't had issues with any of them. All 3 of my children have extremely sensitive skin!!

[katydid1971]

Hmm, have never heard that before, and I have never seen any bleaching issues while using Oxi on any of my clothes (Hanna or not). Fels Naptha is great. I haven't used that in years, but it was a staple in our home growing up. It's also great for poison ivy/oak.

I have two Hanna outfits ruined by Oxy clean. I try not to use it on Hanna items. (FWIW Hanna replace both items even the romper that was 9 months old bu that time with a brand new dress from the same collection-Hanna has the BEST CS ever)

[daisymommy]

Oxyclean breaks down fibers & elastic more quickly over time. Many cloth diaper manufactures say if you use it on their diapers, it voids the warranty.

[neeleymartin]

Oxyclean breaks down fibers & elastic more quickly over time. Many cloth diaper manufactures say if you use it on their diapers, it voids the warranty.

this is good to know. i use oxi-clean as my first defense and fels naptha as a last resort simply because it takes a couple seconds more to use. i am planning on changing that routine. glad you posted this. :thumbsup:

[Lupe]

I use Charlie's soap, I get it from amazon. I was skeptical but it does clean very well and you need very little per load. It ends up being very inexpensive (11 bucks for ~80 loads)
The fact the is eco friendly and free of dyes and fragances is just a plus, I will use it anyway. I pretreat stains with BioKleen.
Haven't had baby yet, but I have done several trial loads with DH's workout clothes, which are stinky!! so I am sticking to that for baby

[DietCokeLover]

We never used Dreft. We used free & clear detergents in the past and now I make my own using Fels Naptha.

This is me exactly. Used to use All Free and Clear, but now I make my own too.

[okinawama]

I used one box of Dreft in the beginning (maybe first two months or so), and then switched over to what the family was using.

[Kennie]

Country Save detergent is supposed to be great too.

[infomama]

I'm going to make my own. Following this recipe....http://www.food.com/recipe/laundry-detergent-powder-76779

[RunnerDuck]

I have never used Dreft.

When my son (b. 2003) was a baby we did scent free dye free stuff. Turns out he has severe eczema (winter only) but laundry soap seems to have zero impact on it. So eventually I stopped using scent free dye free stuff because I like my clothes to smell good. I used mostly Purex when he was little. It's cheap and it works well. Some Costco stuff once we joined Coscto when he was 2ish. (we joined to buy a toy kitchen which is why I remember LOL)

We moved back to PA from CA in 2008 and got a high efficiency washer. I still used Costco stuff - was doing cloth diapers with my girls (twins, b. 2008), thought they weren't coming clean in the washer, thought it must have been my imagination. I stopped using cloth diapers when they were 10 months old... kept using Costco... (Kirkland really)

Switched to Ecos at some point. It's OK.

Put the girls back in cloth diapers a few months ago (Bum Genius, whereas before I just did prefolds) and they smelled AWFUL. I was using Charlie's Soap which people seem to think will bring about some sort of spiritual ephiphany from the way they talk. It did not get my diapers clean, though it seemed to work on clothes OK. I'm not a huge fan though because it is really liquidy and spills/splashes if you don't move slow. I didn't use Ecos since it has fabric softener in it (some do, not all). I went and bought regular old powdered tide for the HE machine since a lot of people swear that is the only thing that works on their BG diapers (BG tells you no enzymes, no dyes, no whiteners, bleach 1 time a month ... lots of people aren't having so much luck with that) Partly my problem was my soap, partly my problem was HE washers aren't so good for cloth diapers it turns out - wasn't in my head. SO I used Tide and slip in an extra 1 1/2 gallons of hot water during the wash to get my diapers clean.

So right now I am using Tide on diapers, Charlie's and Ecos on everything else. When the Charlie's and Ecos runs out I am going to see how Kirkland stuff works on dipes - if it works I will use that for everything. Three detergents is pretty cluttery. If that doesn't work on diapers I will stick with Tide on diapers, dunno what I will use on everything else, maybe Ecos. Purex doesn't seem to make an HE formula which is why I never went back to that.

I understand the appeal of natural soaps but I never seem to feel they get things clean. Some work better than others. Ecos does seem to work, Charlie's seems to work but not on diapers, but a lot of other natural things I have tried do not.

[brgnmom]

we use the kirkland brand all free & clear detergent.

[pampers37]

Dreft is a big scam. It's highly fragranced, so it's not a good choice for newborns.

My pediatrician always suggested All Free & Clear, I think Tide makes one now, too.

My 3 year old is very sensitive to detergent, so we only use All Free & Clear for the entire family

thanks for the info!