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Having a baby means adapting to a lot of things, like cries in the middle of the night, almost a dozen dirty diapers per day, and the general care for another, tiny human being. What some parents almost overlook, though, are the seemingly small things, like the right detergent options for baby clothes.
Since the skin of babies is a lot more sensitive to harsh dyes or fragrances, it’s important to choose the right kind of laundry detergent for their clothes specifically.
Finding the best detergent made specifically bot baby clothes and without a ton of harsh additives means helping prevent rashes or skin irritations your baby might
experience otherwise.
In some cases, these are detergents that can be slowly weaned out as your toddler gets older, but since they’re made for clothes, in general, to be washed better, it’s not a bad idea to consider these detergent options for baby clothes for yours as well.
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1. Charlie’s Soap Laundry Powder
It might be more common these days to use liquid clothes detergent when doing your laundry, but Charlie’s Soap Laundry Powder is one of the top choices for detergent for The Best Detergent Options For Baby Clothes That We Really Love!baby clothes.
It requires using just one tablespoon of soap per large laundry load and acts as a fabric softener as well, so in the long run, you’ll be saving more money than what you’ll be spending on a bag or container of the powder.
If measuring out clothes detergent isn’t your thing though, Charlie’s Soap Laundry Powder also comes in packet form, and regardless of whether you have an older washer or a newer high-efficiency one, you can use the soap for your baby’s clothes.
Above all else though, the detergent is free from abrasives, lye, phosphates, bleach, dyes, and perfumes, making it as gentle as possible while still cleaning your baby’s laundry. The detergent itself is biodegradable, hypoallergenic, and perfect for those with sensitive skin,
like babies.
- What It’s Made Of: The natural mineral ingredients in Charlie’s Soap Laundry Powder are Sodium carbonate and sodium metasilicate, which is a component used to help rinse out the soap and contains sand and sodium carbonate. The biodegradable ingredients are C12-15 and Pareth-2, which is a vegetable and mineral sourced surfactant.
- Where To Buy: You can find the laundry soap on the manufacturer’s website and Amazon
- The Best Part: You’re required to use so little of the soap for each load that a typical bag will last you longer than most other soaps that have harsh chemicals.
- The Not So Great: Although it does clean and helps sanitize clothes, it doesn’t remove tough stains as well as some of the other, stronger detergents out there.
2. Method Naturally Derived Detergent
Almost anyone who shops at Target is probably already plenty familiar with the Method brand of cleaning solutions and soaps the store regularly carries. The same goes for the Method Naturally Derived Detergent that’s plant-based and gentle enough to use for baby’s clothes every wash.
Even being a free and clear detergent, it’s concentrated enough to compete with some of the leading brands and only requires ¼ of the amount of your typical detergent for a standard load of your baby’s laundry.
Method Naturally Derived Detergent also comes in an easy pump bottle that makes getting the right amount out of the bottle a breeze and it’s made with a smart clean technology that specifically seeks out dirt and stains in baby clothes. But since it’s already a trusted brand, you can use the detergent for the whole family even after your baby grows into a toddler.
- What It’s Made Of: Some of the main ingredients are lactic acid as a water softener, PEG 300 monooctyl ether derived from plant oils like coconuts, and ethanol, which is fermented from plant sugars like sugar beets or corn.
- Where To Buy: You can find the detergent on Amazon or in-store at Target of Home Depot.
- The Best Part: Even though it’s free and clear, there are still fragrances to choose from without adding any irritants.
- The Not So Great: You might need several good pumps of the detergent in order to get out stubborn stains, especially in baby’s clothes.
3. All Liquid Laundry Detergent Free And Clear
As an already trusted laundry detergent brand, the All Liquid Detergent Free and Clear has been awarded the NEA Seal of Acceptance and is actually the number one detergent option recommended by dermatologists, allergists, and pediatricians.
With use in every load, the detergent removes 99% every day and seasonal allergens, including grass and tree pollen and cat and dog dander. Made for sensitive skin, it’s both dye-free and fragrance-free and remains a hypoallergenic detergent for your baby’s clothes.
For many, All is already a laundry detergent brand that families know and trust, so they can adopt the All Liquid Detergent Free and Clear to use for their baby and their family in general for years after. Made with OXI for extra whitening & brightening, it works hard to clean and take out the toughest of stains, even while remaining a harsh-free detergent.
- What It’s Made Of: Along with OXI, the detergent contains anionic and nonionic biodegradable surfactants and enzymes.
- Where To Buy: You can find the detergent on Amazon or in-store at Target.
- The Best Part: The added OXI makes the All Liquid Detergent Free and Clear even stronger against dirty clothes.
- The Not So Great: It doesn’t have a strong deodorizer to clean out stronger sweat smells or odors in clothes.
4. Dreft Stage 1: Newborn Hypoallergenic Liquid Baby Laundry Detergent
Recommended by Pampers diaper brand, Dreft Stage 1: Newborn Hypoallergenic Liquid Baby Laundry Detergent is hypoallergenic and made especially for newborn babies. It has high-efficiency technology, but can be used in standard washing machines too.
And since it’s already been tested on 100% cotton and cotton/polyester blend fabrics, Dreft Stage 1 is safe to use for your cloth diapers too. It also has a fresh scent to leave your newborn’s clothes smelling fresh while keeping their skin free from rashes or irritations.
Dreft has been a trusted brand for 80 years, making Dreft Stage 1 an easy detergent option for baby clothes and one you can feel comfortable trusting. Since newborn clothes can be extra fragile and sensitive to harsh detergents too, Dreft is one of the best choices to ensure its prolonged quality.
- What It’s Made Of: With no phosphate, the detergent is made with anionic and nonionic biodegradable surfactants and enzymes.
- Where To Buy: You can find it on the manufacturer’s website and Amazon or in-store at Walmart or Toys ‘R Us.
- The Best Part: Even though it’s hypoallergenic and free of harsh ingredients, it still comes formulated with a scent to make your baby’s clothes smell good.
- The Not So Great: This is just Stage 1 for newborns, meaning that as your baby grows older, the brand recommends that you adhere to the different steps, which can get to be too much to keep track of instead of just one kind of detergent for your baby and toddler.
5. Babyganics 3X Baby Laundry Detergent
Since Babyganics 3X Detergent is made just for babies, it doesn’t have a fragrance, which some parents might not love, but the fact that the detergent can also be a pre-wash spot stain treatment makes up for that. The plant-based cleaner fights tough against most stains and is both sulfate-free and non-allergenic, as to be expected with a strong but gentle detergent for baby clothes.
Being triple concentrated, Babyganics 3X Detergent requires less per load to still get the stains out. It’s both pediatrician and dermatologist tested to ensure that it’s safe enough for your baby’s sensitive skin, but it also works hard at getting out stubborn stains. And when it comes to baby clothes, blankets, and burp clothes, that’s important.
- What It’s Made Of: Some of the ingredients include lauryl/myristyl glucoside, which comes from corn and coconut or palm oil, propanediol, which is glucose from cornstarch, and natural citric acid from fruits.
- Where To Buy: You can find the detergent on Amazon or in-store at Target.
- The Best Part: There’s no soapy residue or fragrance-inducing itchy feel that can sometimes be left behind after a wash.
- The Not So Great: The bottle has an indentation instead of an actual handle, which can make it awkward to carry and pour into the washer or cap.
Comparison Review
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FAQ
Question: Can I wash baby’s clothes with mine?
Answer: Yes you can. I do sometimes. But I use ALL free and clear detergent for our clothing. Make sure you use a baby-friendly detergent, once the baby is used to it as well. Changing detergents can cause an allergic skin reaction for the baby.
Final Thoughts
Even if you don’t think having a specific baby laundry detergent for your baby clothes is all that necessary, it’s important to remember the soft and sensitive skin of infants and how any amount of harsh chemicals or fragrances can affect them in different ways.
For some babies, it might not be that bad, but for others, they could break out in sudden rashes anywhere on their bodies. This is why it’s so important to be able to choose the best detergent for baby clothes and really, for your own baby’s skin.
Whether you go with a powder solution or detergent in liquid form, any one of these is bound to be strong enough to clean your baby’s clothes, while being gentle enough to keep your baby virtually rash-free.
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