Cloth Diaper Detergents Leaving Chemical Burns? Fact or Fiction?
You can’t do much cloth diaper research at all before you come across the topic of cloth diaper safe detergents. “Use XYZ but not ABC. ABC left chemical burns on my babies bottom.” It gets a little hairy, how do you choose? There’s a lot of conflicting information online. Some manufacturers even put select detergents on their list of detergents to AVOID, in fact some go so far as to say that if you use THAT detergent you will have VOIDED your cloth diapers manufacturer warranty!
I decided to ask the experts, the manufacturers of the detergents themselves. And when I say manufacturers I mean the families who personally created the product and who manage and oversee their production. I personally interviewed the owners of the companies below and have the FACTS, their answers, to share with you all.
Eco Sprout Soap
Owned by Jared Edwards & Family
- uses too much detergent with too little water (causing a build-up)
- uses too little detergent with too much water (causing an ammonia build-up)
- if the child just has a sensitivity to one of the ingredients in the detergent
- Poorly performing washer
- Overloaded washer (washing too many things at once)
- Too little water used
- Hard Water
- Too little detergent used
Proper rinsing, proper dosage, and disinfecting can help you perfect your cloth diaper wash routine.
Can Rockin’ Green Soap cause burns or irritations?
The second cause, and perhaps the most common cause of diaper rash and “burns” have to do with ammonia. When urine is left in the diaper (either from insufficient rinsing at the beginning of your routine, not enough/too much soap, lack of hot water…etc) it will quickly convert to ammonia which can burn babies skin.
THE BALM! says
LOVE this! Thank you for posting!
Anonymous says
So what would the manufactuer’s of these detergents say to the parents who have experienced an issue with their product? To completely dismiss the idea it could be their product is no better for business or public image than what a popular disposable diaper company did a few years ago about reports their diapers were hurting babies.
I won’t mention which one but one of those listed above did completely dismiss my email to them about concerns my daughter was reacting to their detergent. Instead of trouble shooting they simply told me it couldn’t possibly be their product. So I went back to what I had been using previously and never had another issue with a red sunburn looking bottom.
Julie says
Thanks for your comment. That was actually the whole purpose of the post. To troubleshoot with these mfg’s as to what they’d say if someone said or asked if their product burned or will burn their baby’s skin.
Certainly some babies are more sensitive than others. It was my hope by sharing this post simply that families could know the facts, become more knowledgeable about proper washing, and learn to troubleshoot if they experience a problem.
It truly is a shame if you were dismissed and no help was offered. I do believe though, that in most cases it is the fault of the leftover bacteria, ammonia, debris, etc. that causes the sensitivity issues. It is a result of improper use of the detergent, not enough, etc.
I’m glad you found a solution to your problems and your baby is rash free. Good for you.
-Julie
G&B's Mom says
What a thoughtful post and I could not agree more. I experienced some problems with a rash after trying out a new detergent that everyone was raving about. At first, I was very disappointed, but then I contacted the manufacturer and they went over my routine with extreme detail and several emails. After changing my wash routine per their recommendation, I now have stink free diapers and a rash free baby! I LOVE this detergent and have been using it for well over 6 months now and have had no instances since then.
So I totally agree, that 99% of the time, it is user error and not the detergents fault. I agree with you that someone should not bash the company because of a rash issue. All detergents carry the risk of some skin sensitivities otherwise you wouldn’t see 100 different brands of detergent out there.
cdmom2two says
As a brick and mortar cloth diaper store, we deal with laundry questions daily. I find that the problem is usually solved with a correction to the users washing routine. A common misconception out there is to use more water, more water, more water. That is not true. Too much water and too little detergent equals diluted detergent and unclean diapers. Too much water and too few diapers and they swim around the washing machine not rubbing up against each other getting the friction that is needed to get clean. Extra water is good for the pre-wash and final rinse. Another problem that we have found is too short of a wash cycle. Your wash cycle needs to be LONG for an effective clean. A 15 minute wash cycle is not going to result in clean fibers. Also, not washing in hot water is a problem. Most bacteria will die at 140 degrees. If you are washing in warm or cold water the bacteria lives on and will equal stinky diapers. Finally, a cold pre-rinse is not always the best choice. We prefer a warm pre-
WASH cycle, body fluids are more soluble at the temperature they were released at so warm is better, you also get the agitation through the diapers which is better than just a straight rinse. Also a tad of detergent in this cycle really helps if you are having problems.
Hard water is also a problem. If the minerals do not get properly broken down in the wash cycle, they will redeposit back onto the fibers of your diapers. In a short time you will have that barnyard stink and then a rash. We carry several natural detergents. Eco Sprout is by far our biggest seller and our customers LOVE it! We also carry Rocking Green and Tiny Bubbles.
So the natural detergent manufacturers are really not to blame for problems. It just takes some trial and error to get your routine just right considering your water type, machine type, water level, amount of diapers per load. The best resource is to go to the manufacturer directly. It it their job to know how their detergent works the best. There is too much misinformation out there in the blog world that is not necessarily based on the actual science of laundry- just repeated.
Jesica H says
As someone who is just getting into cloth diapering this is very helpful for me. I haven’t had to wash any diapers yet as baby isn’t due for a few more weeks, but since I have an HE machine I’d like to know….
How do you know how much detergent is the right amount?
We used to have hard water but had a softener installed to correct that problem. Most instructions on detergents say to use less detergent in a HE machine than you normally would in a “regular” washing machine, but do you find this to be the case with washing diapers?
Should I just use a full scoop as directed on the package or use less?
I do plan to do a pre-wash with no soap, a wash with soap and rinse, then an extra rinse (all settings available on my machine).
Laurie Szecsy says
Thank you for this article. I have been dealing with ammonia problems for the past 2 months. After 10 months of no problems, I have researched and researched trying to figure out how to change my routine. Your article and the comments have given me a few more ideas to try. I never thought much about my pre-rinse cycle being the issue, but that is the one item I have not changed. I can’t wait to wash my diapers tomorrow to find out if that fixes my issues.
Mindy @The Inquisitive Mom says
Thanks for this thoughtful post, Julie! I’ve been really shocked by an undercurrent of “detergent/laundry mommy wars” happening online right now. Information such as this is so helpful because it provides information and tools to evaluate the washing routine and troubleshoot issues. I don’t think there’s one “perfect” detergent that is right for everyone and my favorites have changed with different water hardness and an HE machine.
AlannaB says
THANK YOU for posting!
I can’t stand it when others blame “chemical burns” on detergents that do not have any chemicals in it.
Out of 5 years of cloth diapering, I only encountered stink/residue issues within the past year or so.
The solution? A change in washing routine.
My washer is ancient and does a horrible job of washing away detergent. This is usually solved by adding one more rinse.
The recent rise in “mommy wars” over detergent and laundering issues is just crazy. I have seen such comments like “cloth diaper retailers get a kick-back for the detergents that they sell, so of course they will say that they work”.
REALLY? Why on earth would a cloth diapering retailer (many family owned and rely on the income to support their families) suggest a detergent that doesn’t work? They are putting in a large investment selling the products that they sell (and what are these so-called “kick backs”?)!
Being a long time user of Rockin’ Green, I was impressed with their detergent and their customer service. After moving, we came to realize that we had extremely hard water. They suggested a slightly different routine that had originally worked for me and told me to add one more scoop…voila! Problem solved!
Those looking towards others who base their opinions on what they believe as “science” versus trial & error (aka science) should give cloth diaper manufacturers and retailers a little more credit…especially since many have cloth diapered their children.
Brittany says
Thanks Julie, I loved this article. Laundry is always a big topic of conversation and I love that you went straight to the manufacturers’. I will definitely be passing this along to my customers with questions!
Ainee ramos says
I always believe that you have to put the recommended amount of detergent to properly clean the diapers
Paige says
Thanks for the reminder of the families behind these products. Thanks also for the subtle encouragement to troubleshoot my laundry routine (rinses, etc.) before pointing to the detergent as the culprit.
Brittany Jimenez says
Good to know about some of these detergents. Sometimes is hard to determine, for my son, if a rash is due to a food allergy or the detergent if ammonia is not present. As I’m sure other parents have experienced.
Jami says
Thank you for this post. Very informative
barnolds barnes says
I was glad to read this as my son has been getting burns lately. I hate it and have switched to disposables. I think it’s ammonia.
Courtney Hays says
Think you for this article I have been cloth diapering for 2 months and have serious ammonia problems! I can’t for the life of me seem to get a good wash cycle down!
Kelsey Alderman says
Thank you for the information. We’re still new to cloth and trying to figure all of this out, these blogs have been super helpful!
Brooke T. says
Thanks for another great article. After doing a lot of research, I’ve concluded that my little one’s rash is from detergent build-up or ammonia burns. I couldn’t find out what the problem was and tried many different things to remedy that. I finally switched to a detergent that seems to rinse out better. It took me a while, but I finally found something that worked!
Katie Andersen says
I have not yet read through all of the comments, but I would argue that Charlie’s soap definitely can (and HAS) caused chemical burns. In some cases it has caused permanent scarring to baby skin.
Charlie’s soap uses Sodium Metasilicate, which, in the wrong environment is an unstable compound. Charlie’s soap relies on correct pH and other properties of water to react properly in a washer. Beings that water all over the United States (and the world) varies so much, no one can guarantee that those conditions will exist EVERY time laundry is done.
There is so much more information and research on this topic. I would love to have a discussion about it…
Susan Gardner says
We also had a very bad experience using Charlie’s Soap on our toddler son’s cloth diapers. He got chemical burns and blisters everywhere the diaper had contact, as well. When I wrote to Charlie’s and explained what happened, they insisted it must have been from other detergents we had used, that Charlie’s brought these to the surface because it brings the other detergent buildup to the surface before, after mutliple washings, removing the buildup, and it must have been these other detergents that caused the irritation. This is absolutely not true, because we had used only Charlie’s Soap on these particular cloth diapers. I switched to biodegradable disposables so my son’s burns could clear up, which they did after awhile. I am scared to use the cloth diapers again unless I can figure out a way to compltely strip them of the awful Charlie’s residue. I tried washing them repeatedly with vinegar and then Seventh Generation laundry soap, but my son once again got the chemical burns. If anyone knows how to remedy this, please help!!
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