For this year, it is time to find out with baby detergent is the best for all of us. I haven’t covered baby detergent for a while. I figured I would get back into it since it is something that you definitely use the most, along with diapers.
I recommended arm and hammer’s washing soda before in my other review for the best baby detergent. It is one of the best in terms of being natural, and environmentally friendly laundry detergent while being extremely powerful at washing your baby clothes. After using it for a while, I do notice that it has some flaws to it:
- It fades colors slightly
- It is slightly caustic (you must not touch this stuff because it can burn your skin)
Of course don’t get me wrong. Washing soda has plenty of merits for it to stay in your cabinet. For example:
- It cleans very well
- It can be used to remove strong odors in the house
- It does not do harm to the environment (it biodegradable so it easily breaks down into harmless byproducts)
- It can be used as a water softener (if your water has lots of minerals in it)
You see, even though washing soda is still one of my favorite laundry detergents, it is time to find something that has the same or better cleaning capabilities, environmental friendliness, better protection for colors, and hopefully less dangerous to touch.
Friendly Reminder
One friendly reminder is that all the safe and effective laundry detergents I show you here are generally twice as expensive as regular laundry detergent and bleach. Unfortunately, there’s no manufacturer who is willing to be price competitive with regular laundry detergents for now.
This is why I highly recommend that you only use these laundry detergent for your:
- Baby clothes
- Cloth diapers
- Baby bibs
- Or whatever baby stuff that stays in constant contact with your baby’s skin
Don’t use this stuff for your regular “adult” laundry unless you know you can afford it, or be willing to sacrifice for the sake of our environment. We are all living under financial stress constantly, so if you really can’t use it for every piece of garment in the house, it is still understandable.
Without further ado, let’s talk about the safest, and most powerful laundry detergent you can ever use.
OxiClean Laundry Baby Stain Soaker
Ever wonder what would happen if the washing soda I mentioned earlier got an upgrade? What you get is basically oxiclean laundry baby stain soaker. Don’t get this confused with other oxiclean models. Not all oxicleans are equal. This oxiclean laundry baby stain soaker is the only one that is completely environmentally friendly and safe to use.
It Contains Only Two Ingredients:
1. Sodium Carbonate Peroxide(or sodium percarbonate) – when dissolved in water, it becomes sodium carbonate (also known as washing soda or soda ash) and hydrogen peroxide. Hydrogen peroxide itself has powerful stain removing abilities, especially on blood stains. Both of these are biodegradable, but they are also extremely powerful stuff so do not touch this stuff with your bare hands.
2.Sodium Carbonate – This is also known as washing soda or soda ash. As I mentioned before with the arm and hammer washing soda, do not confuse this with baking soda. Baking soda is sodium bicarbonate, not sodium carbonate. You might be wondering what’s the two letter difference supposed to mean.
You can think of it this way. They are entirely different substances. Sodium bicarbonate is known as baking soda, because people literally bake stuff with it. It can be used as a temporary antacid if you have acid reflux problems. It can also be used to clean and deodorize things. However, its strength is more mild because its pH value makes it less caustic.
Sodium carbonate on the other hand is much more powerful at cleaning, However, you can not bake stuff with it. You should also not eat it. It is definitely not safe to eat.
How Effective Is Oxiclean Baby Stain Soaker?
Oxiclean is very powerful, natural, and leaves your baby clothes sparkling clean and smelling fresh. Of course, there won’t be a scent, because this stuff has no fragrance or essential oils added to it. It is interesting to note that oxiclean does not fade your clothes too much even after using it for a while.
However, even though it has powerful cleaning capabilities, I don’t recommend you using it alone as a cleaning agent. You should consider it along the lines of bleach without chlorine. Oxiclean is best used as a stain pretreatment before you actually dump your clothes into the wash. You should definitely use another laundry detergent on top of that.
You can buy this version of oxiclean online. However, personally I feel that the ones they sell at the local stores are slightly better in terms of quality. The problem is that it might not be easy to find around your area.
Dr. Bronner’s Liquid Soaps
After you have pretreated your clothes with the powerful stain remover I mentioned earlier, it is time to use some Dr. Bronner’s soaps.
When I first heard of this laundry detergent, I was completely weirded out. The reason is because Dr. Bronner’s soaps are famous for being capable of washing anything in your house including:
- Laundry
- Dishes
- Your hands
- Your face
- Your hair (it does dry your hair a bit though so be careful)
- You floor
- Your food (seriously, I am not kidding)
What’s interesting about Dr. Bronner’s soap is that they are all pure castile soap. What that means is that all their soaps are made with plant based oils (like vegetable oils for example). As you are aware, conventional soaps are made with animal fats (also known as lard). For people who are vegans, Dr. Bronner’s soaps are perfect for you.
Even though Dr. Bronner makes a lot of great soaps, not all of them contain 100% safe ingredients. Some products have sodium lauryl sulfate, or other harmful chemicals. The ones I recommended here are definitely safe to be used on your baby’s clothes.
Here’s a breakdown of the ingredients they use to make their soaps:
- Hemp seed oil
- Jojoba seed oil
- Coconut oil
- Potassium hydroxide (it is a strong base that turns soap into soap kind of like sodium hydroxide. It is a strong base like washing soda, however don’t try salinity your own soap with washing soda, because I don’t think it works)
- Palm kernel oil (they are producing sustainable palm oil. Read about it here if you wish)
- Olive oil
- Citric acid
- Tocopherol (a form of vitamin E)
All of the above ingredients are safe, biodegradable and completely environmentally friendly. Dr. Bronner’s soap cleans very well, but is has some weaknesses to it.
When you use Dr. Bronner’s soap to wash your baby’s clothes, don’t forget to add a small amount of white vinegar during the rinse cycle. The reason is because Dr. Bronner’s soap leaves behind an oily film after you clean with it. You have to use small amount of white vinegar to rinse it out.
Another thing to keep in mind is that Dr. Bronner’s soaps are concentrated soaps. In other words, you just need to use a little bit and dilute it with water. They have instructions on their website as to how much to dilute, and how much vinegar to use to rinse your laundry.
Do not rely on their bottle labels for instructions. They write a whole bunch of irrelevant stuff there, so go to the link I just gave you and find the dilutions instructions there.
Let’s talk about the variety of “flavors” of soaps they make that you can try for your laundry.
Dr. Bronner’s Tea Tree Oil Pure Castile Soap
As the name implies, this soap has tea tree essential oil on top of the ingredients I mentioned earlier. When it comes to Dr. Bronner’s soaps, those with essential oils mixed in, have the ability of killing fleas. If you suspect that your mattress sheets or whatever is flea infested then this flavor and other essential oil flavors are definitely the right for you.
However, keep in mind that tea tree castile soap smells very strong so use with caution. The smell probably won’t go away for days. If you like the smell of tea tree essential oil, then this might not be too bad for you.
Also keep in mind that some people are allergic to tea tree oil. If your baby is allergic to it, then don’t use it, or you might get skin irritations. If tea tree oil flavor interests you then get the tea tree oil flavor here.
Dr. Bronner’s 18-in-1 Hemp Pure-Castile Soap Baby Mild
This is considered mild because it doesn’t contain any essential oils like peppermint or tea tree oil.
It is basically the castile soap itself without any scent to it. I should also mention that all Dr Bronner’s soaps are called “18-in-1”. I just didn’t add it to their titles because it will make it way too long. It is called 18-in-1 because there are at least 18 uses to it like I mentioned earlier. You can wash almost anything with it. The name simply implies how versatile this product is.
I give you a word of warning here. After you realize that you can wash anything, you might try washing your baby’s hair with it. Yes, all Dr. Bronner’s pure Castile soaps are completely safe to use on your kids, but it is not tear free. I don’t know why, but it burns if you get it into your eyes. Dr. Bronner even deliberately emphasize that on their website. Even though Dr. Bronner’s soap is versatile, I highly recommend you only use it for your laundry.
Dr. Bronner’s Peppermint Pure Castile Soap
This variation contains peppermint which is also great for killing bugs that are hiding in your mattresses. If the strength of this soap is not enough to kill all the bugs hiding there, then simply buy yourself a bottle of peppermint essential oil to enhance the strength.
Essential oils itself is a natural enemy of bugs because it can destroy their exoskeletons. This applies to the tea tree oil version I mentioned earlier also.
Of course, don’t forget that peppermint can also cause skin allergies, so check to see if your baby is allergic to it first. If you would the peppermint version then get the peppermint flavor here.
Dr. Bronner’s Eucaluptus Pure Castile Soap
I haven’t tried this Eucaluptus flavor. Just like any other essential oil version, double check for skin allergies. You can get the Eucaluptus flavor here.
Pure-Castile Soap, Lavender
Just like all the other soaps mentioned earlier. This lavender flavor is the final safe Dr. Bronner’s soap I recommend in this article. As usual, double check your baby for skin allergies before buying in bulk. If you are interested in the lavender flavor then get it here.
Why Didn’t I Recommend Dr. Bronner’s Sal Suds Liquid Cleaner?
Some people heavily recommend the Dr. Bronner’s sal suds liquid cleaner. I left this out of my recommendations, because it does contain sodium lauryl sulfate. This is a surfactant which is something that helps reduce surface tension of water so that it can mix with the detergent easier and clean stains better. According to ewg, sodium lauryl sulfate does not cause any major problem on the human body. It:
- Does not cause cancer
- Does not mutate genes
- Is highly biodegradable
- Is toxic to sea creatures (your laundry detergent eventually flushes into the ocean through the water pipe lines)
- Does cause skin irritation in some people
Sodium lauryl sulfate barely does any harm to the our bodies. However, they are terrible when it comes to environmental friendliness. It is true that they are biodegradable, but the fish will have to swim in the stuff for a while before they can break down.
Final Note On Dr. Bronner’s Soap
Another fact I have to mention is that plant extracts like lavender and tea tree oil contains a bit of contaminations sometimes. These contaminants might not exist depending on how well they processed their washing soaps. However, this applies to all essential oils around the world. The biggest concern with contamination is that it might contain formaldehyde, which links to carcinogens. However, essential oils itself has anticancer properties, so in my opinion, it balances it out.
Ecover Non Chlorine Bleach
Have you ever wondered if it is possible to use bleach on your children’s clothing while avoiding chlorine? The reason we want that is because chlorine is related to dioxin pollution. It is actually possible to bleach your beloved clothing while avoiding this toxic chemical. This can be done with Ecover non chlorine bleach.
Even though this is called bleach, theoretically it should not affect colored clothing too strongly, because the “bleach” ingredients involved is actually hydrogen peroxide and washing soda combined. In other words, this is similar to the oxiclean baby soaker mentioned earlier, except ecover is bigger in size.
Even though most of the times, ecover bleach is pretty much color safe, but I highly recommend you try it on “not-so-obvious” locations of your selected clothing first before splurging it into the washing machine.
How Is Ecover Different From OxiClean?
You might be wondering why I would recommend ecover, when you can buy oxiclean since they are made from the same ingredients of soda ash, and hydrogen peroxide. I do it for the following reasons:
- Different ingredient ratios – To be honest, I have no idea when it comes to the ratio of washing soda and hydrogen peroxide in both brands. Obviously, when the ratio is different, the cleaning results will vary. This is one reason why I want you to try both of them and see which one works better for you
- Price flexibility – If at one point, either ecover or oxiclean decides to make their products much more expensive, then you can at least purchase the other one as a backup without being bullied into spending extra dollars.
Another thing I have to point out is that, only ecover non chlorine liquid bleach has the same ingredients as oxiclean baby stain soaker. The powder version is a completely different product. For some reason, on amazon, the ingredients of the liquid version of ecover does not match the ingredients listed on ewg.
The powdered version of this product includes the following as ingredients:
-
- Zeolite – a type of adsorber (generally safe)
- Carbonates? – depending on the type of carbonate, it can be safe or not safe
- Silicates? – depending on the type of silicate, it can be safe or not safe
- Citrate? – depending on the type of citrate, it can be safe or not safe
- Sulfates – generally safe, unless there’s an insanely high amount
- Plant Based Non-Ionic Surfactants
- Cellulose Derivatives
- Plant Based Soap
- Enzymes – powerful, and natural. You probably heard about this in biology class, but in the laundry world, be careful not to breathe this stuff, because it can affect your lungs
If You want Ecover, Only Get The Liquid Version
It is unclear why the powder version of ecover nonchlorine bleach has so many different ingredients that is not detailed in ewg. They also don’t openly disclose the full name of their ingredients. For example, when they mentioned “citrate”, are they referring to the ingredient “sodium citrate” or some other toxic ingredient? Since they didn’t specify, it is best to stay away from their powder version. If you want to use a safe and efficient bleach for your baby clothes, then get it on amazon here.
Seventh Generation Free and Clear Bleach
In terms of ingredients, this is basically a similar product to Ecover non chlorine liquid bleach, and oxiclean baby stain soaker. However, some people say that ecover works a bit better than the seventh generation product. Prices are roughly the same. I added this to your list so you can have another option down the road.
This product can only be purchased on Amazon if you have prime membership though.
Can You Make Your Own Chlorine Free Bleach?
This might have crossed your mind. Can you make your own chlorine free bleach? I mean the ingredients are simple after all. However, it is unclear as to what their proportions are, and whether or not it would be too powerful if you mixed the ingredients yourself.
Reminder About The Ingredients
Just a reminder, the ingredients of chlorine free bleach is:
- Hydrogen peroxide
- Sodium carbonate
Word Of Warning
If you really do want to try making this stuff yourself, then remember to handle the ingredients with caution, because they are either caustic or powerful oxidizers so handle it as if you are handling some kind of boiling flesh melting acid. When you mix the ingredients together, remember to:
- wear gloves
- Be extremely careful of splashing
- wear a face mask
- Do the mixing outside or under a ventilation hood
- Have the windows in the house stay open
Where To Get the Ingredients
If you know where to find these ingredients, then go ahead and buy it where your heart feels comfortable. However, if you don’t know where you can get this stuff, then I will tell you here.
For The Hydrogen Peroxide
Before you head out to your local pharmacy to get your hydrogen peroxide, let me tell you ahead of time that it is not worth your money to buy it there. The main reason is because pharmacies, or many local stores only sell 3% hydrogen peroxide. Not only is this an extreme downgraded version of the original food grade hydrogen peroxide, it probably contains impurities that you don’t really need. Real, and pure food grade hydrogen peroxide never goes by 3% dilutions. They always go by at least 35% dilutions.
Another reason you should not buy the cheap 3% hydrogen peroxide in the local stores is because laundry is a long term thing. If you buy 3% hydrogen peroxide to do your laundry then you are actually paying many times more money compared to buying an actual food grade hydrogen peroxide and diluting it yourself. 3% hydrogen peroxide is literally 97% water that you are purchasing. If the hydrogen peroxide you are buying are old, then the water content is even higher.
This is why I highly recommend you to purchase your hydrogen peroxide from amazon. Not only is it cheaper, you are actually paying a lot less after diluting it yourself. If you don’t believe me, go check the prices, and calculate the dilutions yourself.
For The Washing Soda
If you are lucky, you might be able to find it at your local store. However, many stores have taken it off their shelves. I don’t blame them, because this stuff is close to be as powerful as lye. There are only two methods to get washing soda.
The first method is to get your washing soda from amazon. This method is the easiest and most convenient, but it is also the most expensive.
The second method is to make it yourself from baking soda. Personally I find it cheaper to get baking soda from Costco. They are roughly $6.50 for 13.5 pounds. If there is no Costco around you then get it on Amazon here. You can save at least four times the amount of money compared to buying sodium carbonate directly.
If you want to see how to make your own washing soda from baking soda, then check out the video here. When you make this stuff, make sure the area you are in has opened windows and ventilation. The reason is because there would be plenty of carbon dioxide released in the process. Even though carbon dioxide is normally harmless, but too much of it, can impair your body’s ability to circulate oxygen, so be careful.
I would have to like known this information when my daughter was little. I had to use perfume and dye free everything. But from the way you are describing Dr. Bronner’s products this would have been perfect for her. And the oxi clean for babies I haven’t heard of that yet. I knew about the regular oxi clean. Very intriguing. Thank you for the great information on these.
Nowadays，companies tries to create baby products for everything. Oxiclean is no different. You would think that they only use their versatile cleaner for everything. However, that product has a lot of different chemicals in there. Oxi clean baby soaker is the one you want for your child.
Dr. Bronner’s would have been good for baby laundry in general. However, it is expensive. You might not need this stuff anymore since your daughter is all grown up. However, if you ever have another child, or has a friend who is expecting, just keep this information in mind.
What a great article! I am always looking for natural and organic things for my babies. I am really happy I have found your article as I was just looking for a proper detergent for my baby boy. It seems to me that Dr. Bronner’s Liquid Soaps are the best choice for me and my family. And the price is affordable, as well. Which flavor of Dr. Bronner’s Liquid Soaps is the most neutral one?
If you are interested in the Dr. Bronner’s soap, try the mild baby version. It should be the most neutral without any extra essential oils added.
Thanks for opening up m eyes about the different types of baby safe detergents and soaps to use for baby clothes. I have always like oxy clean, but have never heard of Dr Bronners soap. It seems to be the best amongst the soaps out there considering how you can even wash food with it. It seems like the ones with essential oils might cause allergic reactions to some children, but my children aren’t allergic to that stuff so that is fine. Thanks for telling me about the difference between sodium bicarbonate and sodium carbonate. I had know that sodium carbonate is actually much stronger than baking soda.
Not every child is allergic to stuff like lavender, peppermint or eucalyptus. If your friends have children allergic to them, just get the mild baby version. Nevertheless, give Dr Bronners a try to see if you like it. It will keep your clothes clean, get rid of most bugs, and not irritate your children’s skin.
This post is full of so much great information!!! When my kids were little it took me so long to figure out cleaning solutions for their laundry that actually worked but did not irritate their skin. I absolutely love the Dr. Bronner’s soap and also fell in love with the cleaning power of baking soda and vinegar. Thanks so much for sharing this information, especially for new moms! Much of what I learned from my laundry experiences when the kids were young I still use daily!
Hey, I am glad that Dr. Bronner’s soap did wonders for you. You can say that it is one of the most environmentally soaps so of course it does not irritate the skin. People even wash their food with it, and I am not kidding. As for the baking soda and vinegar trick, please don’t believe it. It is a common myth. It clogs drains when you mix them together because they form a salt that has lower solubility in water. You can still use vinegar to wash off the Dr. Bronner’s soap “suds” but leave the baking soda out of it.
Wow! I am glad I came across this article. My wife and I have a 1 year old son and are always on the lookout for products that won’t harm him. Seems like the list keeps getting smaller and smaller.
I had never heard of OxiClean Baby Stain Soaker until today and will be getting some as soon as possible. Completely environmentally friendly is something you just can’t go wrong with.
We used to use the arm and hammer washing soda. Now we use the arm and hammer washing liquid for sensitive skin. It is free of perfumes and dyes but does contain biodegradable surfactants. I guess we could relate this to Dr. Bronner’s Sal Suds Liquid Cleaner.
I think I’ll just skip trying to make my own chlorine free bleach and just use ecover. This is another item I had not heard of until today.
Thank you for writing this great article. It is very informative.
Hey, I am glad that I was helpful. Hopefully you like the ecover bleach. It is also chlorine free, and environmentally friendly. It will produce good results.
I’m wondering if you could comment on comparing SLS and SLES. (Sodium Lauryl Sulfate versus sodium Laureth Sulfate). There is a lot of confusing explanations about these two similar yet slightly different variation of these substances. Is SLES as toxic as SLS? Why are some ‘natural’ cleaning products still have this substance in it? If a company is very interested in providing an all-natural product, I’m surprised to know they include either ingredient. If its purpose is to act as a foaming agent, doesn’t natural soap have naturally suds properties? Why add another ingredient to make it foamy? The reason I bring this up is … I am using a Dr. Bronner Magic Soap product. It lists ‘no foaming agents’ and it suds up well. Also, there is no SLS or SLES included on the list of ingredients. Any clarity on this topic would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.
According to the environmental working group, both sodium lauryl sulfate, and sodium laureth sulfate are both just as “toxic” unlike what most people believe. They are dispersing agents that increases foaming actions in soap. Some people say it helps cleaning better, and some people say no. At the end of the day, they both have high aquatic toxicity (when it flows out into the ocean, it damages aquatic life like fish and stuff), and they both cause skin irritation. Sodium laureth sulfate does not cause less irritation.
People in general like these foaming agents because there is a common myth that “more suds” clean better, and these two chemicals makes suds even more foamy. Dr. Bronner might be a little foamy, but it does not form that many suds. Nevertheless it is still a very powerful cleaning soap. In the end, it depends more on the emulsfiying strength of the soap.
I knew about washing soda it use to be sold retail in my area many years ago.
I never knew it was a production of Arm and Hammer. I will have to search for it.
Dr. Bronner’s Tee tree pure Castile soap is the one I often use, It is pretty mild.
Are you suggesting that it is safe to use bleach on one’s baby clothes?
They took washing soda off the shelves nowadays. It is probably because it is too caustic. You can make it yourself if you want if you follow the youtube video I showed above. Dr. Bronners soaps are wonderful but the essential oil could be a skin irritant for you little one. We adults can handle tea tree oil unless we are allergic to it, but plenty of kids can not handle it. Not to mention, the smell can be a little strong.
Yes, you can use the bleach I listed here on baby clothes. The reason is because they are not made of chlorine and other toxic chemicals so you don’t have to worry about dioxin problems. They are made of washing soda (sodium carbonate) and hydrogen peroxide (breaks down into water and oxygen). It works wonders too so try ecover or oxiclean baby stain soaker.
This article was exactly what I needed to find today! I have having the hardest time removing stains from my children’s clothing and I am now ready to try Oxiclean for Babies! Do you know if it is easy on sensitive skin as well? The Dr. Bronner’s products also seem like a great option, although I think in my area I would need to order those online. I feel very confident in forming an opinion of them now!
Oxiclean babies soaker is definitely easy on sensitive skin. The reason is because the ingredients are none other than sodium carbonate (washing soda) and hydrogen peroxide (breaks down into water and oxygen). Ecover liquid “bleach” has the same formula. I am just not sure of their proportions. Dr. Bronner’s is great if you don’t mind the costs. They are safe enough to use on food so definitely give it a try. I believe some organic food stores might sell them, but I have never encountered them at a local store. Online is probably a more likely option for you.
My daughter cloth diapers and I also use a separate detergent for her clothes that I do not use on my own. I have never seen or heard of the oxiclean for babies. I will look into it though. I love the Dr. Bronner products but have never considered it for washing our clothes but will definitely try it now, love that is has multi-uses. We used to use the Seventh Generation a lot. What do you think of the Tide Free and Gentle detergent?
Unfortunately, tide free and gentle is full of irritant chemicals according to ewg.org. It saids free and gentle, but it is really not. I would understand if you don’t want to try Dr. Bronners, because they are literally twice as expensive as using regular laundry detergent. However, in terms of being safe, they really have no harmful chemicals, so I would say they should be used solely for your daughter’s clothes.
I’ve been cloth diapering for the last 16 months now with my second child. I cloth diapered my oldest ten years ago as well. Your detergent recommendations are spot on. I also use Dr. Bronners and oxiclean. These are the ones I have, and they have helped me immensely. I’ve been able to sell some of my diapers because they were so well maintained.
Cloth diapering is a lot of laundry. Good job. I am also glad that your children are potty trained already. You should continue using Dr. Bronners if you wish. They are good for washing everything afterall.
This is such a thorough article, i really appreciate the work you have put into it!
I have a two year old and I wish i had heard about these products sooner, i have had to just throw out a lot of my son’s stuff because i could not get various grass, spaghetti stains out, the Dr Bronner’s products sound amazing!
It is so important ot be careful what you use to wash babies clothes in so i will be bookmarking this for the future!
Babies can really get themselves dirty. It also does not take a lot of effort. Your son is grown up now. At some point you might get another child so these laundry detergents would still be helpful, especially dr. bronner products and the “bleaches” that I listed here.
Wow this is a lot of information! I was using Dreft laundry detergent for my baby, and I had assumed this entire time that it was safe for my baby but I guess I was wrong. I also didn’t know how to make my own washing soda from Baking soda until I read this. Oh and I love Castile Soap, I use it for my skin… didn’t realize I could use in the laundry.
I am glad you like Dr. Bronner’s pure castile soap. Just do not play around with hair with this product. It can be used for washing hair, but it tangles up. One tip on the washing soda. Just make sure have plenty of ventilation in the house, or the carbon dioxide emission can cause you to faint. Carbon dioxide is normally harmless as long it is in low concentrations. However, cooking baking soda can really raise the levels.
I never really thought much about soaps, this is a real eye opener especially since now that I am about to become a grandmother. It is very informative. Keep updating so I can “feed” off of your wisdom.
I am glad you like it. I will keep updating. Congratulations on being a grandmother.
Hi there, I loved the information about soda ash and how Dr Bronner’s soap can be used tor so many things.
I have never used soda ash But am a great fan of Dr Bronner’s soap. It really made my baby’s clothes sparkling clean. It also smelled really nice. I was surprised to learn that it has no harmful chemicals.
Yes, I totally agree with you I had to switch from Dr Bronner’s to African black soap because it was way too drying for my hair as you mentioned.
African black soap is very kind and doesn’t strip hair of its natural oils. It is slightly drying – but nothing compared to Dr Bronner’s which I was using when I had locks.
Brilliant post!
I have heard of the african black soap too. I would probably try that too rather than use Dr. Bronner’s soaps for my hair. Nevertheless, we are talking about laundry here, so we will leave that for a different discussion.
Very helpful information.I had a cousin who was allergic to her laundry detergent and really didn’t know what was happening until they found out she was using a product that had sodium lauryl sulfate. She actually is very allergic to it. I am glad you added that to your non recommended list. If she would have seen your article she would have tried it and had problems. Great info and thank you!
Actually, a lot of laundry detergent have it. It make soaps look extra foamy. We are all under the impression that the foamier it is, the better it washes. Dr. Bronner would be perfect for your cousin since it has none of that.
Hello there! This is so informative. My nephew is having rash to the detergent used for his clothes. We have been using normal detergent for a long time now, but I think he’s sensitive to it. I’m helping my cousin on which baby detergent we can use for the baby’s clothes. I will try to ask my cousin to use the arm and hammer and check if the baby still get rash. You recommended other soaps too, but I will let him try something simple to see if it works out first.
Arm and hammer washing soda cleans very well. Just handle it with care so that he doesn’t burn himself. It is mildly caustic so it shouldn’t be too bad. Dr. Bronner’s soaps doesn’t have this problem. Let him try them too.
Yes I agree with you that the washing soda is really good especially because it is bio degradable but at the same time highly corrosive. I guess that is why they took it off the shelves in most local stores. However, unless a person is totally ignorant, handling it with care and respect would be safe. It does not release harmful fumes or anything crazy.
As for the OxiClean Laundry Baby Stain Soaker you mentioned, I usually used it alone while doing laundry because I thought it had properties of a soap and stain removal. It is really good at taking off the stains. It really does work like bleach, but the color clothing still looks as colorful as before. That is why I personally recommend it to parents out there too.
Oxiclean baby stain soaker is very good. Like you said, I personally like how it doesn’t damage colors on clothing. This could be pretty important for parents out there who had to deal with blowout stains. You either wash it off or throw it out. Imagine a pretty baby dress thrown into the garbage. What a waste. The oxiclean product would be good for saving parents are desperate situations.
I have four kids and never considered how harmful detergent could be until one of my sons started getting a rash on his arms and legs. We finally realized it was because of the laundry soap and dryer sheets we were using!
I’ve been looking for alternatives that won’t bother or irritate his skin and I appreciate these recommendations! Oxi Clean has become my go-to detergent but I’d like to dry some from Dr. Bronner that you’ve listed here!
Dr. Bronner is great. You would love it because it is so versatile. You can literally wash anything with it. That includes your food. I hope you like it.
By the way, do not wash your hair with it. It is a bit too drying.
This post is so informative, thank you!
I’ve seen a couple of brands that make detergents for babies, but I’m a little skeptical because some manufacturers make claims that do not match their products.
OxiClean looks like a pretty great product; however, I’m not sure I can find this here in Saudi Arabia. So, I guess I’ll have to search for this online. Unfortunately, I noticed there was no link in your post to point me to the best place to buy.
Do you have any idea whether Johnson Baby Detergent is good? That’s what’s sold in many pharmacies here in Saudi. I’ve heard a few women say the product can’t remove tenacious stains, but I haven’t used it myself and I’m quite a bit worried this might be the best product to buy.
Thank you in advance.
Sorry, Johson baby detergent is not sold in my area at all so I never heard of it. As for the oxiclean, I actually did post a link in there. If you really want to get it, you can click here.
Thanks for the link, Bill. Too bad Amazon says “this item does not ship to Saudi Arabia.” I’ll try searching for Dr. Bronner’s too in our local stores. I hope I get lucky.
Hope you find it. I am sorry you can not buy it from there .
It is so important to have the right detergent for the nappies to avoid horrid nappy rash. My baby gets it so easily thats why I use washable diapers but if I don’t get the detergent right then she is still getting exposed to lots of nasty chemicals. Dr Bronners is a great brand & they rate well on EWG – environmental working group which is where I check all my products before i buy them.Not sure about Oxiclean. Certainly Johnson & Johnson does not have a good record on the chemical front!
You can also find oxi clean baby stain soaker on ewg. It has “A” ratings.
When you go to ewg, most Johnson and Johnson products are loaded with chemicals. This makes their ratings lower.
As for Dr. Bronners; it is a great soap. It is a bit pricey, but you are washing your cloth diapers with it, so it is pretty necessary.
I knew from my eldest sister that babies’ clothes should be washed separately from regular adult clothes because their skin is very sensitive.
In fact my sister didn’t even want any of her baby’s clothes to be thrown into the washing machine. Yup, she wanted them washed by hand. So she hired somebody to hand-wash her baby’s clothes and to babysit her as well.
Now that I have my own baby, I came to understand my sister better. I was just overwhelmed to know that baby detergents are a lot more expensive than regular ones.
When it comes to the use of bleach, I am not sure I want to use any kind, not even for my own clothes. Aside from having a strong smell, it can also fade your clothes. But Oxiclean sounds like a better choice which I think is worth trying out.
Oxiclean is definitely better. It is not simply because regular bleach can fade your clothes. The other reason is because it contains toxic chemicals. For babies, it can be pretty bad for their health especially when it comes to cloth diapers. They have to wear it all day. Oxi clean is only hydrogen peroxide and soda ash which is much more healthy. I hope you like it.
Hi there,
wow…What a great article!!! one the most useful article I have read recently in the article. My nephew has a newborn baby and I know they are looking into alternative things instead of the regular items full of chemicals and just dangerous ingredients.
The Dr. Bronner’s Eucaluptus pure Castile soap sound something they will like.
Your website will be bookmarked and shared.
Thank you for a very nice post.
That is pure castile soap for you. It is perfectly safe for everybody. The eucaluptus scent variety might be good and all, but some children might have slight skin irritations to it. It is safe but some kids have genetics that makes them slightly allergic to it. Double check to see if your nephew has that first before using it.