Cloth Diapers: Part 2 - Getting those puppies clean!

From the research I've done I've found that a lot of people use a special cloth diaper detergent. Be it Rocking Green or Bum Genius most CD mom's have a detergent they swear by.
I've chose not to spend the extra money on purchasing a special detergent. Instead I make my own :0 I use it on all our laundry, not just the CD's.

Michelle's Homemade Detergent

1 bar Zote laundry soap
3 cups washing soda
1 & 1/2 cups borax

Place the soap bar into a small saucepan and cover with 10 cups of water. Cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until the soap completely dissolves.

Put washing soda and borax in a 5-gallon bucket. Pour in the hot, melted soap mixture. Stir well, until all the powder is dissolved. Fill the bucket to the top with more hot tap water. Stir well.

At this point you can leave the mixture in the bucket, it will turn into a medium-firm gel and you would use 1/3 c. for a large load of regular laundry and 1/4 c. for a large load of diapers.

I like to transfer it into smaller containers. You can use old store-bought laundry containers for this but I prefer to use vinegar jugs. We use a lot of vinegar since it's my main cleaning agent so I've got a lot of gallon vinegar jugs hanging around.

To transfer it into a container you will mix 1 part soap solution to 2 parts water. You want to work quickly as it is harder to do once the soap mixture gels. One thing I do when it starts to gel is use a separate bowl, bucket, etc and a whisk to mix the soap and water together before pouring it into my jugs.

If you choose to dilute your soap and transfer it to jugs then you will use 1. cup for a large load of regular laundry and 1/2 cup for a large load of diapers.

This makes a LOT of detergent but it only take an hour or so to make once you get the hang of it and it saves a TON of money!!!


If you have trouble finding any of the ingredients you can order online. Also, I found my ingredients at a locally owned grocery store, not a mass retail store.

Good luck and let me know what you think!