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i have been using 1/8 of a cup of the liquid stuff until now. my dh bought me tide f&c powdered detergent so that i can just scoop what i need out and not worry about spillage, and i have no idea how to use it for diapers vs clothing. i know to put it in before i put the clothes in, but the only problem is that my diapers are presently soaking in the washer. what can i do? do i need to spin the dipes out, take them out of the washer, then put the detergent in? also, my dh told me that 1/8 of a cup of this powdered stuff will not be sufficient to clean the dipes like it did in the liquid stuff. he said that i need the full scoop that comes with this detergent because a full scoop is for heavily soiled items. also, i have never used tide before. will this cause build up? also, even though it is f&c, it still has an extremely lite scent to it. is this ok? please help. i am so confused on how to work this.
i have been washing my dipes in warm water with the liquid and they still come out clean. should i still use warm with the powder? or should i go back to using hot? we are using warm to save a bit on our electric bill which is not extremely high, but every bit saved helps. |
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First, you definetly do not need the full amount. Powdered or liquid makes absolutly no difference, you should never use more than 1/4 - 1/2 of the 'recomended' amount. You'll have to experiment to see exactly how much you need as this one may be more concentrated or less concentrated than the previous, but there's absolutly no reason why you could get away with a reduced amount with liquid and not with powdered.
As for the detergent itself, Tide is probably about the same thing as any other mainstream detergent. Yes, there is a risk of build-up but it'll probably be fine if you limit how much you use.
The very very light scent is probably fine as well, that's the kind of thing that depends solely on your little one. Perfume in detergent doesn't harm diapers, it's just that it could lead to irritation and since it's unnecessary then why take the chance. Besides, what you're smelling is probably more the natural odor of the ingredients (like washing soda) rather than actual perfume.
If you were successfully using warm before then I'm sure it'll keep working. Tide is just as strong as ALL (if not stronger) so there's no reason to suspect that it won't work. If you ever have issues you could always try washing in hot every once in a while instead of switching back completly right away.
Karen. |
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Saw on your other post that you're using way less, which is good. Usually the way things are packaged, even following recommendations, you almost never use the full scoop or cup. The box/jugs often say something like "fill to line 1 for normal loads, line 2 for heavy-soiled loads" and line 2 is still not to the top. But they know that many people will just assume that they need a full cup or scoop--and thus use and buy more detergent than they really need. I've been using 1/4-1/2 of the recommended amounts on all of our diaper and regular wash for years now, and we really don't have problems with stains, smells, etc. Sometimes with the more "natural" detergents, I have to go closer to the recommended amount, but never when I'm using the mainstream ones (or store brand versions of them).
I think you also asked about whether you need to remove the diapers to put the detergent in first. The directions for both liquid and powdered detergent always recommend putting the detergent in first, but most people put their diapers through a rinse cycle before the main wash, to get rid of most of the truly nasty stuff first, and I can't imagine that everyone is pulling their diapers out of the washer, putting in detergent, running water, putting diapers back in, etc., so I'm sure you'll be fine with just spinning out the diapers, then adding the detergent when you start the main wash, which I guess is what you were doing with the liquid detergent.
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Oh yes, the question about taking out the diapers. I also suspect it`s not really necessary, especially if you`re using a diminished amount. But I remember when I first started cloth diapering I read somewhere that you should dissolve powdered detergent first in a container of warm or hot water. The idea being to make sure everything was well dissolved so it would rinse away properly. Not sure if it`s necessary (I haven`t used powdered detergent in ages) but if you`re concerned you could always do that. At the very least it`s less trouble than removing all the diapers first...
Karen. |
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