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Just wondering what you ladies use for your diaper washing. I use soapnuts currently but am thinking of switching.
I've checked out pinstripes&polkadots, but I am looking more for mama opinions.
Suggestions?
Recommendations?
Thanks! |
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| Tonight for the first time I am trying Country Save HE. I have been researching it and finally was able to pick some up. I have read really good reviews of it and am hoping to switch all of my laundering to this (currently use Tide HE for some, soapnuts for diapers, etc). If you want, I will post with an update later this weekend. |
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May I ask why you want to stop using soapnuts? I have been using them for about 3 months and still love them. Is there any negative things you have found when using them?
Thanks,
julie |
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Not really anything negative. I've used them for over a year now with no real issues. They get really clean & I have no staining whatsoever. So no, they do a fine job. I use them on our regular laundry as well, along with making foamy handsoap with the leftovers.
It's the washing soda that is really hard to find here in Nebraska. 1 store in all of Lincoln has it and they are across town, and yesterday when I went to buy some, they were out....again. I have used just the soapnuts alone and didn't think the diapers seemed as fresh. Or our clothes either. I subsituted a box of Borax once(easier to find) and it did a fine job, but then I researched what it is and that it is banned in some places for health hazzards. I guess it can cause kidney damage. So I threw the rest out.
So I'm seeing what else is out there that you guys like. Real world daily use by ME mamas is what I'm after. Pinstripes&polkadots was useful from a research standpoint, basically what NOT to use and what is okay or good.
Geez...what a novel! Sorry!
So it's not the nut part of my routine, it's the washing soda. The only easy thing for me to aquire is vinegar for the rinse.
I have to order the soapnuts online.
I have drive across town for washing soda....if they have it even.
I'm just seeing what you all like and if I can get something else that works just as well, all be it, easier to procure.
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How about using just a tiny smidge of detergent along with the soap nuts. Washing soda is a very common base ingredient in detergents. Hard to say exactly if it's all detergents as most don't list ingredients but from what I've read it's very common. I know for a fact that it's at least in Nature Clean detergent (not sure if you can get that in the States but it's easy to find up here). You'd probably be able to accomplish the same thing that the washing soda is doing without the hunt for the washing soda. You'd use so little that build-up isn't likely to be an issue and the nuts would be doing the majority of the cleaning. Or maybe just using washing soda every 2nd or 3rd washing? Maybe they don't need the washing soda every single time? Or do like I would probably do and buy 5 cases of the stuff at a time so you only have to buy it once a year!
Some people do use a product called PH Up instead of washing soda. It's chemically the same thing as washing soda (sodium carbonate) but just more concentrated basically. You'll find it in pool supply stores and you need much less than when using washing soda. I discovered this when I was dying diapers, you need sodium carbonate to change the ph and set the dye in fabric and can substitute washing soda instead (using 6 times more washing soda than Ph Up, so for diapers you'd need at most 1/6th of the amount of washing soda you currently use). You should know that it's way stronger than washing soda though, can irritate skin and mucous membranes, that kind of stuff (probably the same as washing soda can, just more so cause it's more concentrated). It's not toxic in a long-term worry about cancer or your kids fertility kind of way, but it is really strong stuff nonetheless.
Karen.
PS, I'd love more info on Borax being banned in some places (like links if you have them). I had read that it's not quite as harmless and 'natural' as some think but I'd never heard of a ban. The info would be great for a project I'm working on. I'm sure other mammas on here would like the info as well... |
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| I have used country save, and LOVE it. I now use Nellies and I like it too. The only reason I switched is here in Canada country save is not around here. It is mostly sold in the USA, and to get it I had to order it from BC (the only place I found in Canada). I have also heard A LOT of good things about Nature Clean as well. |
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My Internet device that I use will not let me cut & paste. We use wireless handheld Internet devices. Apple doesn't support the cut/paste feature on my current device. Sorry, can't provide the links you so commonly ask for from me as proof.
I found that info simply by searching via google on the net. It can be found quite easily if one searches for it. All I searched for was "What is Borax?" it was about 9
months ago that I researched it & found that info. |
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Sorry you took my request the wrong way, it has nothing to do with proof. I totally trust and believe that what you say is true. I just figured asking would save me, and perhaps others, a lot of time (and yes I did try, and even after various key words/phrases and several pages of Google hits, I still can't find anything).
If I ask for links or for elaboration you should take it as a compliment that I'm interested in the info you've found. It's not that I want proof, it's just that you don't often elaborate on this kind of stuff and I want more details. It's not even necessarily for my personal info as I'm working on a very specific project that necessitates research and documentation.
Karen. |
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Sorry you can't find it.
In searching today for a short time, I found that it is banned in Germany, Denmark, the UK, & New Zealand. I guess if you can find it where you live, you shouldn't worry too much. The info I found caused me to make a personal choice to stop using something potentially dangerous when something less so will do.
Your porogative to routinely ask me for proof on every comment I make, while I see that you do not ask the same of other posters.
Mine to decline the invitation.
No worries!
Hope your project goes well.
Cheers! |
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I don't know why you keep insisting that this is about proof. That's not it at all as I just explained. I am very specifically working on something that this kind of information would be very useful for. I don't think it would be responsible for me to give this kind of information without something to back it up (my project involves sharing of information to hopefully a large number of people - possibly publishing) so I need further details. Not to mention that just because the stuff is available to me means that I want to use it nor let my friends/family use it. This stuff being dangerous enough to be banned by a good part of Europe is pretty important information that I think it normal to be interested in knowing more.
As for asking this of others, I'm really not sure what you mean. I actually recall a discussion just recently with two people making claims that I very specifically asked them to backup. And if it does happen more often with you (I actually only recall asking this of you one other time) then perhaps it's because you have more info than others.
You stated something I find very interesting for both personal reasons and for reasons relating to my project, I searched for a while and found nothing myself so I thought I'd ask you for a little help. Nothing sinister and although you are of course free to decline to share your source of information, I'm really pretty baffled as to why you would.
Karen. |
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Look, I'm not gonna do this with you.
You are certainly free to google it to your heart's content. It is there. I searched for it again myself just now.
There is no secret. My sources are out there.
You are free to believe me or disagree or whatever.
You may have the last word if you'd like. I am done with this issue. I will not reply.
I asked for detergent recommendations. Would you like to share your current detergent love? |
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Once again, I DO believe you! I do not disagree in the least! I'm just looking for a little help so I can properly document this is all! I've been searching for at least 2 hours and all I can find is about how it's banned in a lot of countries for use in food (apparently it's a common food preservative in the Orient). What is so wrong with me asking for a little help so I can document this?
Oh, and I did give you several suggestions on the initial topic...
Karen. |
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Well, after hours of searching I'm just giving up. Maybe I need a course in using Google but I've searched for "what is borax", "dangers of borax", "is borax safe", "safety of borax", "borax ban", "banning of borax", "banning of borax in Germany", each time reading through at least 6-10 pages of hits. So far nothing except about how it's banned as a food ingredient in many countries (including the US). If I ever go to China I'm not eating anything from a street vendor (a very common place where it's used as a food preservative due to lack of refrigeration)! I can't include information like this in my project without proper documentation as it wouldn't be professional (not to mention it would pretty much blow my chances at publication someday - and that's already a long shot!) so I'll keep looking when I have more time. I do have lots of documentation that Borax isn't as safe as one might think though, so that's something at least.
Anyway, I'm sorry you felt attacked or whatever. I just posted a sincere request for help/information. I really don't know how that go transformed into yet another fight between us but it's really too bad it did. It wasn't a challenge, a disagreement or a insult in the least. It was actually a compliment to your research skills that you found something I hadn't.
Karen. |
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Nakedbabytoes,
I use CountrySave and really like it. I do wish that their he (powdered) had a scent, because I do like a little bit of that "fresh" scent to my clothes. I've tried a couple of other he, eco-friendly-ish detergents and haven't felt that they really get the clothes clean (i.e. notice putting on a clean shirt that it smells like it's been a bit worn).
I have to say, though, that I don't think Karen's intital query for links was inappropriate. Most of us are on this forum because we like to learn. I always appreciate it when people provide links and will often look into whatever it is, whether I agree or disagree, or whether it's something that's really relevant to me--I just like to learn. As you've explained, you can't provide links because of your tech set up. That's perfectly fine, but I don't see anything wrong in a polite request for steering in a useful direction.
I like this forum's generally polite tone and helpfulness; I think we need to assume someone's intent is good. |
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So... Are people commonly adding washing soda with soapnuts? I thought you used them by themselves - I am thinking of trying them.
Right now I use Country Save, love it lots, but sometimes I have trouble finding it. It says it's fine for front- or top-loaders. I have a top loader but really soft water, so we really don't need to use much! |
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I dunno. I just do because while the laundry & diapers were clean, they didn't seem as fresh. If that makes sense. Adding the washing soda fixed that issue and things worked just great.
I believe I explained politely why I can not provide links along with steering Karen in the right direction with my search terms. I thought I had been quite helpful & polite with her request for info.
I just felt we were getting off topic a bit and needed brought back to subject.
Thanks! |
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| I use soap nuts made as a tea and I add tea tree oil. But I still use Gain once in awhile just for that nice laundry smell and I read somewhere that Gain doesn't have the ingredient that creates a residue that some detergents can put on diapers. |
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| I think that Karen's original suggestion that you try boosting the soap nuts with a smidge of detergent, esp. if you can easily find one that's largely washing soda, sounds pretty logical. |
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| I'm sorry I must have replied to your post by accident. I ment it for nakedbabytoes. I guess I'm still not that computer savy. |
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Kallabow, I think you did what you intended; I was just piggy-backing on your idea of using Gain once in a while to freshen things up. Whether it's a load with a detergent or a little detergent with each load, that seems like sensible approach if one wants a little more clean-feeling than soap nuts might be providing. I use your every-few loads approach myself with my dishwasher; since I love the concept of my locally-produced eco-friendly dishwasher detergent, but not the scuzz that gets on the inside of my dishwasher if I don't blast it occasionally! :-)
BTW, it doesn't really matter whose post you click "reply" for; all replies just go in order of posting--what it does make difference for is just which message you see below the box where you are writing; it can be helpful for reference. |
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