In 2009, we were washing more than 15,000 dirty diapers each week at our busy NYC cloth diaper service. We ran into a big problem: none of the detergents we tried did the job. They were either too weak or had ingredients we did not want to use. We spent years working with a chemist to crack the code of cloth diaper washing. In the end, we had no choice but to make our own Washing Powder. 🤓

Successful diaper washing comes down to two things: the right tools and the right steps. If you have both, it can really be as easy as two loads of laundry a week. Detergent is your most powerful tool, so the one you choose matters.

In this post, we cover:

• What is really in a dirty diaper and how to clean it
• What to look for in a good cloth diaper detergent
• Common questions about cloth diaper detergent
• How to wash your cloth diapers

When we first launched our diaper laundry service in NYC in 2009, we made laundry science our mission. We wanted to understand the chemistry behind cleaning fabrics so we could do it in the most efficient, eco-friendly way.

So we partnered with a PhD in chemical engineering who specialized in laundry formulas. Together, we made a custom detergent that could power clean the 15,000+ diapers we washed each week. We had a lot of dirties to test, and we kept refining our formula for years.

It is! We applied for the patent in 2019 before Esembly even launched. We knew what we had made was special.

After years of testing, we had not found another detergent formula that cleaned diapers as well as ours. The patent office agreed happily, and awarded our patent in the summer of 2021. We are officially the only laundry detergent ever to receive a patent for cleaning cloth diapers!

At first, we were especially interested in enzymes because they are popular in the cloth diaper world. But the chemist we worked with warned us not to get our hopes up. We tested protease, amylase, and lipase, both alone and in combinations, and the results were not good.

Enzymes are delicate. They need the right temperature and pH to work well. If the wash is too hot or too alkaline, they do not perform.

We ran tests for about 6 months. We compared low-pH enzyme formulas washed in warm water with high-pH formulas washed in hot water, and the hotter wash won every time.

We ran tests for approx 6 months comparing low-ph enzyme detergent formulas washed in warm water with high ph formulas washed in hot water and the latter won every time.

Yes! Our Washing Powder breaks down and is safe for septic systems and HE machines.

Our Washing Powder was made for soft, normal, and moderately hard water. If your water is very hard, we suggest adding Borax or Calgon along with the detergent.

Think you might have extremely hard water? Be sure to check out this blog post.

Liquid detergents are mostly water. Powder detergents are more concentrated, so you can use less and still get the same cleaning power. A small bag of powder will last longer than a big, heavy jug of liquid. That makes it easier to store, cheaper to ship, and more eco-friendly.

As for pods and laundry sheets, the truth is that they mean more plastic. That is the last thing we want in our water systems, ecosystems, or family laundry.

(Check out our friends at Blueland, who have done a great job sharing the facts about the PVA or PVOH found in pods and sheets.)

Our Washing Powder was made to power clean dirty diapers. But it also works well on baby clothes with spit-up, stinky yoga pants, smelly pet beds, sweaty sheets, kitchen rags, and more. Once you try it, it is hard to go back! And subscribing helps make sure you never run out 😉

We do recommend using our Washing Powder for cloth diapers simply because we think it works best.

That said, there is no rule that says you must use it. You are free to wash diapers with any detergent you like. If you choose another one, look for a clean-rinsing formula that is strong enough for heavily soiled diapers.

And even if you use another detergent, we still recommend our 2-wash routine as detailed in this post.

Try to stay away from anything that is not clean-rinsing. Dreft, for example, is loaded with fragrance, greasy fabric softeners, and optical brighteners. The trifecta.

Tide Free + Gentle has optical brighteners but does not contain fabric softeners or fragrance. So while it is not as good as our Washing Powder for cleaning cloth diapers, it is better than Dreft.

We also do not recommend homemade detergent or Castile soap. Both can leave a heavy, soapy residue on diapers, which can cause barnyard stink, buildup, and rash.

For diaper washing, you need a strong detergent and a good wash routine. Here is a quick overview of our recommended cloth diaper wash routine. (You can check out this post for a deeper dive into why each step matters!)

Every 2 to 3 days, load your washing machine half to two-thirds full with all of your cloth diapers, wipes, and accessories, plus your 4 Agitator balls. We explain why we love them in this post.

All Esembly textiles are made to be washed and dried together. Yes, all of them! They can handle hot water, heavy-duty cycles, and a hot dryer. Our materials are also colorfast, so they will not bleed when washed together. That means it is fine to wash our bright Outers with our Inners.

Once the machine is loaded, run 2 wash cycles before moving everything to the dryer:

Cycle 1

Run a normal cycle with warm water and 1 scoop of Washing Powder on top. If you use another detergent, use the amount you would for a "normal" load.

Cycle 2

Run a heavy-duty cycle with hot water and 2 scoops of Washing Powder on top. If you use another detergent, use the amount you would for a "heavy-duty" load.

Drying

Cycle: Timed Dry

If you have a gas dryer, we recommend medium-high heat for 55-65 minutes.

If you have an electric dryer, which usually does not get as hot as gas, use high heat for 65-75 minutes.

We hope you found this helpful! Think of us as your friendly neighborhood cloth diaper experts, here to make diaper care easy. There is science behind it, but you should not have to figure it all out alone or spend a lot of time on it. Our small but mighty team is mostly made up of mamas with busy kids and families, so we know how valuable it is to make things simpler. With the right products and the right instruction, laundering cloth diapers can be as easy as a couple of loads of laundry a week.👍

Q&A

Question: Why do cloth diapers need a stronger or more specific detergent than regular laundry?

Short answer: Cloth diapers hold especially complex soil, including fats, starches, urea or ammonia, bacteria, and colorful poop matter. A good cloth diaper detergent needs enough cleaning power to break down and rinse away that soil, while still being gentle enough for baby skin and mindful of the environment.

Question: What does clean-rinsing mean, and why does it matter for diapers?

Short answer: Clean-rinsing means the detergent ingredients rinse fully out of the fabric by the end of the wash. This matters because lingering ingredients like fragrance, fabric softener, and optical brighteners can cling to fibers and give ammonia and bacteria something to stick to, which may lead to buildup, barnyard stink, and the need to strip diapers.

Question: Can I use a different detergent if I do not use Esembly Washing Powder?

Short answer: Yes. The post says there is no rule that says you must use Esembly Washing Powder, though it is the recommended option. If you choose another detergent, look for one that is strong enough for heavily soiled diapers and as clean-rinsing as possible, and still follow the recommended 2-wash routine.

Question: Why does the wash routine use two cycles instead of one?

Short answer: The first cycle helps start removing soil with a normal warm wash, while the second cycle gives diapers a deeper heavy-duty hot wash with more detergent. Since diapers are heavily soiled, pairing a strong detergent with this 2-wash process helps ensure that fats, starches, ammonia, and bacteria are thoroughly cleaned away.

Question: What should I avoid when choosing a cloth diaper detergent?

Short answer: Avoid detergents or laundry products that leave residue, especially those with fragrance, fabric softeners, or optical brighteners. The post also advises against homemade detergent and Castile soap because they can leave a heavy, soapy residue that contributes to buildup, barnyard stink, and rash.