What kind of detergent?
We recommend a colour or all-purpose detergent, because detergents for whites often contain a too high concentration of bleach.
For the main wash, do not use a liquid detergent, but a washing powder with surfactants; one that does not contain chlorine bleach, optical brighteners, fabric softeners or stain removers and one that contains less than 5% soap.
A washing powder works better at high temperatures, a liquid detergent better at low temperatures and can optional be used for the pre-wash.
In this link you can check all detergents that have been tested + the right dosages
What else should I keep in mind?
For weak detergents (most detergents, except for Ariel/Persil), we recommend using Blue Biotex with the cold pre-wash. You dose 80ml/65gr of Blue Biotex with about 10ml of detergent.
For colour detergents without oxygen bleach, we recommend mixing 1 tablespoon of sodium PERcarbonate with the washing powder you use for the hot main wash. Use your washing machine’s detergent drawers to mix the two detergents. This remedy is more natural than Blue Biotex and will make your nappies come out of the wash like new! Just be careful not to add it to your laundry in concentrated form, but mix it really well with the washing powder.
Our favourite detergent?
Persil Megaperls Universal. With this detergent, you don’t need to use Blue Biotex in the pre-wash, nor sodium percarbonate in the main wash; all this is already in the detergent.
For pre-wash, you dose half the amount stated for the main wash. You can run a rinse + spin cycle of 30-60 min (30 min is enough if you do the main wash directly after) at 30-40 degrees.
For the main wash you run a cotton program (no eco mode!) of minimum 2.5h at 40-60 degrees and 1200 rpm. Please do not add anything else (like fabric softener, vinegar, etc.) to your wash or contact us beforehand.
Please read on…
Proper dosing is key
As the dosage depends on your water hardness (ask google), size of your washing machine and the detergent you use, it is best to figure out the dosage properly once yourself.
Always dose for heavily soiled laundry
If soap residue remains in the drum, wash the nappies and inserts again without detergent and use a little less detergent from now on. If detergent is left behind, the inserts may not absorb as well, and we want to avoid that. At the same time, enough detergent should be used for the nappies to come out of the wash odourless. If you notice that the nappy smells strongly after a little wee, there is probably something wrong with your washing routine. If you use the nappies also at night, you will notice a stronger smell. For that reason, we wash the night nappies first thing in the morning.
Day time cloth nappies smell a lot less than disposable diapers
Once you’ve found the perfect amount, weigh it once on a kitchen scale and put a mark on the cup… This way, you can determine the dosage very easily and accurately from now on. Pay close attention to whether it’s ML or GRAM.
