Diapers Q&A

What kind of detergent do you wash Bum Genius 3.0 diapers in?

I am new to cloth diapers. I just got my daughter some BumGenius 3.0 diapers and was wondering what I kind of detergent I need to wash them in? I have some sports detergent...is it ok to wash them in that? Can I use it every time? I have very hard water...do I need to add baking soda or vinegar? If so how much? If I get stains on them what can I use (other than sunlight) to remove them? Sorry for all the questions, but I want to learn to do this right.

Public Comments

1. use the detergent you use to wash her clothes. you don't want her skin to break out from anything new.
2. I used regular detergent and I would put vinegar in a "downy ball". Good luck
3. Don't use baby detergent, soap, or free and clear detergents. Don't use fabric softeners or dryer sheets. I use tide. A lot of websites recommend Allen's Naturally. To remove stains sunning is best. I have read that putting a little lemon juice on the stain before sunning helps. Don't use bleach. To help keep stains from setting, run a COLD rinse or soak first. Wash on HOT. Make sure the diapers are rinsed very well. And don't use a lot of detergent, it can build up in the inserts and cause them to stink.
4. I've used Charlie's Soap (charliesoap.com) to wash my bumgenius diapers. I like is so much that I now use it on all of our clothing. The clothes come out so soft that I don't need fabric softener. When ever I wiped my glasses before with a shirt or whatever, there was always smear marks on the lenses. Now, with charlie's soap, they wipe perfectly clean. That tells me that there not any residue on the clothes. Residue will affect the absorbency and waterproofness of your diapers. Also, remember to line dry the outer covering to help them last longer! If you line dry, the sun gets all of the "stains" out. One cycle cold rinse, add Charlie's soap, one cycle hot wash with cold rinse. Highly recommended!!
5. I love Allen's Naturally. I tried Charlie's, but it didn't work for me. I had trouble getting it to rinse out completely, so we had problems with odors and rashes. But I know it's been great for some people. I have a cousin who swears by Seventh Generation. If you add soda, it's pretty important to use vinegar in the rinse.