Category — Detergents

Lately, I’ve been asked a lot about PC Green Diapers.  These diapers are still relatively new and there isn’t a huge lot of information about them online.  So, I decided to tell you everything I know about them.

As I’ve written in a previous post, PC Green disposable diapers are chlorine and fragrance free.  Those of you who have had trouble finding other eco disposable diapers close to home, might have better luck finding these since PC Green diapers might be available in your supermarket store (owned by Loblaws).

What I do like about this diaper:

• Very stretchy tabs.  None of the other eco disposable diapers I’ve tried have tabs that stretchy.
• The diaper is quite a bit cheaper than other “green” diapers.  The regular price of PC Green diapers is $15.99 for 46 diapers in size 4.  Seventh Generation diapers are $17.99-19.99 for 30 diapers in the same size.  Also, you can sometimes see the PC Green diapers on special for $12.99.
• No rashes so far.  It does not promote healing of rashes very well though.  I found that bamboo cloth diapers with wool covers at night promote healing much better than the PC Green diapers even though cloth diapers get quite wet overnight.  I guess it’s not a surprise since cloth diapers do allow more airflow.  Also, bamboo is antimicrobial.

What I do NOT like about this diaper:

• SAP (Super Absorbent Polymer)
• Still has some plastics in it however, according to the manufacturer some of the plastic components were replaced with “revolutionary plant-based polymers”.
• Packaging is not biodegradable.
• It’s still a disposable that takes hundreds of years to decompose.  One of the few reasons why I don’t use disposables is that the thought of mountains of disposable diapers in the landfill really bothers me.
• I wasn’t impressed with what’s written about cloth diapers at the back of the packaging.  It might mislead people into believing that cloth diapers are made from pesticide sprayed cotton ONLY.  Trust me there’s LOTS of diapers out there (including my daughter’s) that are not.  I also wasn’t impressed with the mention of detergent as if tons of it were being used on diapers.  The truth is, most people use only 1/4 of the recommended amount of detergent to wash their diapers.  Also, a lot of people these days use front-loading washers which use quite a bit less water.

NOTE: These diapers do fit a bit bigger than SG diapers, so if you’re using SG diapers and your baby is almost outgrowing a size, PC Green diapers in the same size might still fit her/him well.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.  Just please keep in mind that I’m not an expert on disposable diapers – I normally cloth diaper only.

2. Storing the Dirty Diapers

If you’re just trying out cloth diapers, you probably don’t want to purchase a diaper pail – a good wetbag or any other waterproof bag will do the job.  Then when you decide to buy more diapers, you can buy a diaper pail or continue using a wetbag.

Some people will put dirty diapers in a wet pail which is just a container partly filled with water.  Others will place the diapers in a wetbag once the waste has been rinsed off .  Diaper sprayers are quite popular for diaper rinsing.

3. Washing Cloth Diapers

The information on cloth diaper washing is of course the same for those who are switching to cloth diapers and those who are planning to cloth diaper from the beginning.

Probably the most important part of washing your diapers is detergent.  Always check the ingredients to make sure there are no optical brighteners, fragrances and dyes added.  Enzymes should also be avoided since they get activated when wet and start digesting organic matter, including your baby’s bum!  Tide Free & Clear or President’s Choice (PC) Ultra Free are two examples of detergents that include enzymes.  For cloth diaper safe detergents please see Diaper Jungle’s chart.  Diaper Jungle has a separate chart for front load washer which you can find here.  Please note that Nature Clean detergent in powder form is safe for cloth diapers and nowadays is available in a lot of supermarket stores.  Recently, a new detergent has been gaining popularity in the cloth diapering world.  It’s called Rockin’ Green Soap and it has been specifically made for cloth diapers.  For now the detergent is available in the US only, but don’t be surprised if you see it in Canada very soon.

Once you think you have the right detergent, here are the steps most people follow:

(1) Cold rinse (or short cold wash with no detergent).

(2) Hot wash with 1/4 – 1/2 of recommended detergent followed by a cold rinse.  It might be a good idea to start with less detergent and if that doesn’t get your diapers clean, add a little bit more.

(3) Smell the diapers, if they smell clean, run another rinse.  If they do not smell clean, run another wash cycle with some detergent.

(4) Tumble or line dry.  Please note that the sun is great for bleaching poop stains.

Remember not to wash too many diapers at once, especially if you have a front loader.  We recently purchased a front load washer and after a couple of unsuccessful washes, I finally figured out that I need to set the machine on a “whites” wash with a pre-wash (it’s always cold).  I also set the water on hot,  the soil level on “heavy” and I choose “extra rinse”.  This is what works for me, but it might not work for everyone.  After a few washes, you’ll find out what works best for you.

4. Detergent Build-Up

Once in a while, something happens and you end up with stinky diapers.  Sometimes you’ll get stinky diapers because they haven’t been washed properly, but a lot of the time the reason for stinky diapers is detergent build-up.

To remove detergent build-up, wash the diapers on hot (without detergent) a couple of times.  Keep washing until you see no more bubbles.  I think I’ve only had to do two hot washes at the most.