Greening My Laundry Routine- Part 1

When you wash cloth diapers you have to use cloth safe detergent that is free from fragrance, chemicals, colors or other additives. There are many out there to choose from. I started with Rock In Green and like it a lot, so I had no reason to switch or try something new.

Then I was looking at the website for my local cloth diaper store, All Things Diapers, when I saw something that caught my eye.

They sell Charlies Soap in an 80 load container. First off, it is a little cheaper than Rock in Green, but the best part... since All Things Diapers uses Charlies Soap for their cloth diaper service, they'll offer a re-fill of your 80 load container for $12.99, which is $3.00 less than buying it off the shelf. Not only do I save the extra money, but I also am producing less waste by not getting another container.

So, I switched. Figured it couldn't hurt and if I didn't like it, I could go back to Rock in Green.

After I got home I was reading the label for Charlies Soap and it recommended washing a load of towel/rags to clean out all the gunk, chemicals, and other residue left behind in your washing machine from the 'traditional' laundry detergent. But since I only use this detergent for cloth diapers, it wouldn't make sense to clean it, unless I cleaned it before every cloth diaper wash (not happening!).

That is when I decided to switch all my wash to Charlies Soap. It only made sense. Why go between two different detergents?

Charlies Soap only recommends a table spoon of powder for a large load, way less than I was using of the liquid Wal*Mart stuff! When you take that into account, it is much better value, per container.

I am hoping this may be less irritating to Bug's eczema. He doesn't seem to be too bothered by it, but I didn't know if the traditional detergent could be making it worse.

I am glad I made the switch. I am saving money, supporting a local family-owned business, using less chemicals, producing less waste, and simplifying my wash routine!

Part 2 will discuss getting rid of dryer sheets!  *Hint* There may even be a giveaway! :)