Fabric Softener on Cloth Diapers

Skunkdude said:
Yes, tumble drying is key to maintaining soft diapers. I tried drying them on a clothesline and it was like wearing a cardboard box. Absorbent, but not very comfortable. ;) We just bought a new dryer that arrived yesterday.
can you watch them going round and round? 🙂🙃🙂🙃 i love watching them
 
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When I used to wash my diapers at the laundromat I did. Our dryers have solid doors.

Back in my thirties I lived in a Chevy van for a couple years. I wore diapers then because I didn't want to have to get out of the van at odd hours of the night and be seen peeing wherever I had to go (and also because I liked wearing diapers). The diapers would have to sit in the pail for a few days at a time and get quite stinky. So I would normally go to the laundromat about 10:00 pm to wash the diapers. One night a lady came in with her young daughter just after I had loaded the washing machine. The girl said loudly to her mother that something smelled very bad. Her mother made it a point to say even louder that, yes, someone had some very smelly laundry. The expression of their opinions didn't bother me at all. I just thought to myself that they shouldn't be doing their laundry at 10:00 at night and sat there an hour while the washing and drying finished. It is okay to have smelly laundry in this world, and it is okay for others not to like it. :)
 
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Skunkdude said:
When I used to wash my diapers at the laundromat I did. Our dryers have solid doors.

Back in my thirties I lived in a Chevy van for a couple years. I wore diapers then because I didn't want to have to get out of the van at odd hours of the night and be seen peeing wherever I had to go (and also because I liked wearing diapers). The diapers would have to sit in the pail for a few days at a time and get quite stinky. So I would normally go to the laundromat about 10:00 pm to wash the diapers. One night a lady came in with her young daughter just after I had loaded the washing machine. The girl said loudly to her mother that something smelled very bad. Her mother made it a point to say even louder that, yes, someone had some very smelly laundry. The expression of their opinions didn't bother me at all. I just thought to myself that they shouldn't be doing their laundry at 10:00 at night and sat there an hour while the washing and drying finished. It is okay to have smelly laundry in this world, and it is okay for others not to like it. :)
we had a washer dryer which had a glass door like a washing machine, but you cant get then any more because the glass got really hot on the drying cycle and there were cases of children getting burned :(
 
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Cottontail said:
Several months ago, I got my first adult cloth diapers (prefolds) from AdultClothDiaper.com and ChangingTimesDiaperCo.com. It was the first time I'd worn cloth diapers since my youth, and...well, they just didn't seem soft enough! My previous cloth diapers were the ones I'd worn as a baby, and had consequently been washed hundreds of times. Obviously, this wasn't a practical approach to softening my new diapers, but I still wanted crazy-soft diapers more than anything. So, I searched for easier ways to soften diapers.

Fabric softeners seemed like the obvious answer, but conventional softeners have a tendency to reduce absorbency, and coat the diaper in a "repelling" layer, causing liquid to just roll of the fabric like oil on Teflon. However, testimonials from parents on several boards indicated that they had not noticed any such problems when employing eco-friendly "green" fabric softeners with their child's cloth diapers. Of the fabric softeners discussed, Ecover softener seemed to be the most highly recommended.

I decided it was worth a try, bought some Ecover softener, washed my diapers with it, and oh my god - the diapers felt amazing! Just so, so good, I wanted to wear them all the time. They were soft, squishy...I just can't adequately describe how amazing softened cloth diapers feel.

I hadn't spent much time in my new cloth diapers before trying softener on them, and I also tend not to wear wet diapers for long, so I would likely never have noticed any change in their performance had I not gone looking for it. Still, for those who wear cloth and have wondered, it seemed worth testing.



Aim


The aim of this experiment is to observe and roughly quantify the effects of fabric softeners on the absorbency of cloth diapers.



Hypothesis


I expect to see that fabric softeners do harm diaper performance, with the eco-friendly "green" softeners being less harmful than the conventional softeners. After all, mothers can't be wrong about Ecover…right?



Methodology


Subject diapers, both softened and non-softened, are placed on a flat surface that has been tilted to encourage runoff. A predetermined quantity of water is then slowly poured onto the "up" end of each diaper. Runoff is then measured, with lower measurements indicating better performance.



Execution


1) For this test, I bought six Bummis organic cotton 4x8x4-ply prefold diapers, toddler size (because a local maternity store happened to carry them). Cotton diapers require several "prep" washes to remove the natural oils so that they don't repel urine. I ran the diapers through six full wash/dry cycles. They became nice and thick and quilted-looking:

231-1-PreppingDiapers.jpg



2) I then marked the corners of the diapers that were going to be softened so that I wouldn't confuse them. One hatch mark for the Ecover, two marks for Downy, a conventional softener. The unmarked diapers would be the "control" diapers, and would be tested without softener.

231-2-MarkedUpDiapers.jpg



3) Next, each pair of diapers was run through a rinse cycle with the maximum possible volume of its respective softener, according to the directions on the bottle. This is certainly a worst-case scenario (normally, one would be washing more than two baby diapers!), however I wanted to make sure that the effects of each particular softener on the diaper were clearly observed.


4) Three cups of green-dyed water would be used in each test - "fake pee".

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5) To ensure a nice, even flow of liquid onto the diapers, I sabotaged a thin plastic container by poking a 1/8" hole in the bottom with a screwdriver.

231-4-ReservoirCloseup.jpg



6) Each diaper was placed, in turn, into a large serving tray that was tilted approximately 20 degrees. An overturned dish rack was placed over the "up" end of the tray to hold the reservoir of liquid. Note that in some of these pictures, it appears as though the rack is actually coming into contact with the diaper. That is not the case.

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7) The liquid was poured into the reservoir and allowed to run onto each diaper (this is the Downy-softened diaper, and you can see how the liquid is rolling off).

231-6-DownyDiaperUnderTest.jpg



8) Once the reservoir was empty, the diaper was removed and the liquid that had escaped into the bottom of the tray and the underlying pan was poured back into the measuring cup to see how much had run off.


9) The test was repeated for each diaper's twin to check for any anomalies in the process. The repeated tests produced almost identical results.



Results


Not surprisingly, the unsoftened diapers fared best, absorbing 2 of the 3 cups of liquid poured onto them. The Ecover-softened diapers fared worse than I had hoped, absorbing half as much as the unsoftened diapers. Finally, the Downy diapers absorbed only half as much as the Ecover diapers. The dye appears darker on the softened diapers because the fabric didn't wick the liquid as effectively.

231-7-TestResults.jpg




Supplemental Test #1: Washout


So, my Ecover- and Downy-softened diapers were no longer particularly absorbent. The question was: For how long? As a quick test, I decided to run the softened diapers through three back-to-back washes without softener, then measure them again to see if their original performance had been restored. Here are the results, which show that, at least with Ecover, three washes was indeed an effective "undo":

231-8-WashoutResults.jpg




Supplemental Test #2: Larger Load


In the real world, a load consisting of a mere two baby diapers would be ridiculous. Add to that a full dose of fabric softener and each diaper is quite literally bathed in softener! It's a worst-case scenario, at least intuitively. But how does it actually affect absorbency? Anecdotally, my own experiences washing several adult-size diapers with Ecover suggest that a greater diaper-to-softener ratio makes the diapers soft without absolutely destroying the absorbency.

For this final test, I applied the same quantity of Ecover used in the first test to a load of one dozen diapers. These consisted of the original half-dozen Bummis prefolds (pre-washed to eliminate as much of the previously-applied softener as possible), and a half-dozen Green Mountain Diapers prefolds, which I'd recently purchased for stuffers, prepped, but never softened. Admittedly, involving a different brand of diaper poisons the test a little, but this is all about whether or not we see a change, and I didn't want to buy more diapers.

And? Well, see the results below--a big difference! Though the diapers still came out feeling wonderfully squishy and soft, they leaked only about a third more than the unsoftened diapers had in previous tests. The wetness didn't roll straight off, though it didn't wick evenly throughout the diaper core either. Rather, it did something in between, though happily closer to the latter than the former:

231-9-LargerLoadTest.jpg




Conclusion


Should you use softener of any kind on your cloth diapers? It "depends." Some facts to consider:

1) As demonstrated above, the effects of softener vary significantly. Applied in large quantities to very small loads, it clearly hurts absorbency a lot. On larger loads, however, one can reasonably expect to gain softness while retaining a majority of the diaper's original absorbency.

2) The effects of softener are easily undone, especially in the case of Ecover. Diapers no longer absorbent enough? Restore their original absorbency with a few normal, no-softener wash cycles.

3) Softened diapers feel frickin' amazing.

So what will I do? I will absolutely continue softening my diapers with Ecover. The feel is just too awesome to pass up, and when applied to my normal loads of 2-3 adult prefolds (equivalent to about a dozen toddler ones), Ecover has left enough absorbency to handle a couple of wettings. Further, if I ever needed maximum absorbency, I could either stuff my diapers or "unsoften" some of my diapers with a couple of back-to-back washes.

Final verdict: Go forth and experiment fearlessly. There is no lasting harm in trying.
Wow, that’s some experiment !!
Respect 🫡
NASA will be in touch with you later to ask if you’ll help out with their Mars missions !😁
 
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carrielg said:
we had a washer dryer which had a glass door like a washing machine, but you cant get then any more because the glass got really hot on the drying cycle and there were cases of children getting burned :(
The glass door dryers are still out there. I might have bought one if we had this conversation a week ago. Until you brought it to my attention, I didn't realize how much I enjoyed watching the diapers tumbling in the machine.
 
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Skunkdude said:
The glass door dryers are still out there. I might have bought one if we had this conversation a week ago. Until you brought it to my attention, I didn't realize how much I enjoyed watching the diapers tumbling in the machine.
you will have to settle with watching them wash instead, not as exciting as they just plop about or stick to the sides on the spin cycle, not seem to float about and look like clouds , yes tv is really that bad in th uk !!!
 
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Skunkdude said:
I did some more research based on the ingredients of Ecover available in the USA. The same ingredients in Ecover are found in another product called Seventh Generation fabric softener. You can buy it online from Walmart at a fraction of the cost of Ecover. I'm going to give it a try.
Go slow with it and report back! :)

I should probably mention that in the time (11 years!) since I made this post, I've relocated and am now on a private well with very hard water. I do have a water softener, but the result is still hard enough to be problematic for cloth diapers. I seldom use Ecover anymore, just because everything now has a tendency to build up quickly. I've instead gone to using a wet pail and presoaking in borax (and using borax in my washes). If I'm ever back on city water though, I'll resume my periodic uses of Ecover (or perhaps I'll try the Seventh Generation stuff). I really like the scent of the "Morning Fresh" Ecover.
 
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on the talk of washing , i have been busy as my folks are away and i have managed to lose my new pair of care bear knickers and matching socks,, the are cool the have grumpy bear on the front and silver text saying "these are my grumpy pants" i hope to find them by tuesday as my folks are home then
 
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Warm, tumble dry, makes them softer.
Even better, get gauze cloth diapers.
 
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Cottontail said:
Go slow with it and report back! :)

I should probably mention that in the time (11 years!) since I made this post, I've relocated and am now on a private well with very hard water. I do have a water softener, but the result is still hard enough to be problematic for cloth diapers. I seldom use Ecover anymore, just because everything now has a tendency to build up quickly. I've instead gone to using a wet pail and presoaking in borax (and using borax in my washes). If I'm ever back on city water though, I'll resume my periodic uses of Ecover (or perhaps I'll try the Seventh Generation stuff). I really like the scent of the "Morning Fresh" Ecover.
For the past twenty years or so, I have taken a shower in the morning and pre-rinsed my diapers then. Oddly enough, the reason I started this was to treat carpal tunnel syndrome in my forearms. After about a month, and feeling like my hands were ready to fall off, the strength returned to my arms, and the carpal tunnel was gone for good. I have been wringing diapers in the shower ever since. It also keeps my forearms strong.

Pre-rinsing slows the mineralization due to diapers sitting with urine in them. Working with your suggestion and the feedback from Claude, I'm devising a system to pre-soak my rinsed diapers while they wait for the washing machine. My wife should then be able to just dump the full bucket of pre-soaking diapers straight into the washing machine along with whatever vinegar, baking soda, or borax is in the water.
 
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Cottontail said:
Go slow with it and report back! :)

I should probably mention that in the time since I made this post, I've relocated and am now on a private well with very hard water. I do have a water softener, but the result is still hard enough to be problematic for cloth diapers. I seldom use Ecover anymore. I've instead gone to using a wet pail and presoaking in borax. If I'm ever back on city water though, I'll resume my periodic uses of Ecover (or perhaps I'll try the Seventh Generation stuff). I really like the scent of the "Morning Fresh" Ecover.

Anyway, I hope it goes well. As I mentioned in the original post, if you find the absorbency is impacted too adversely, a few no-softener washes will fix you,.
Very happy that you stated that what water one is using has a major effect regarding washing diapers. We live in Michigan and the water here runs from truly magnificent to ugly, stinky, heavy iron mineral, Hard Water! At our home we have Lake Michigan sourced water from a pipeline to the cities distribution center. At our cabin, we are on our own private well, which is set in Lake Michigan sourced water. That means we have super soft water! Using a softener is something we do in very limited amount and fully agree that Ecover w/ Morning Fresh scent is great.

We line dry, outside, every chance we get, targeting bright Sunshine and a light to middle wind. Dry quick, smell wonderful and nice and soft. Line drying inside or outside with no wind, demands a short tumble in the dryer as state far above, they are like cardboard.

Yup, also pre-rise in the shower!!
 
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chuck said:
Warm, tumble dry, makes them softer.
Even better, get gauze cloth diapers.
Most of my diapers are flat cotton gauze diapers from adultclothdiaper.com. I grew up in Whitingham, Vermont, which was just over the border from the old Curity cloth diaper factory. I got to see how they made their diapers so soft. It wasn't just the cotton gauze, they treated all their cotton gauze with a dip in sulfuric acid solution and then rinsed. The sulfuric acid creates micro-frays in the fabric that make it soft. Unfortunately, it also makes the diapers wear out faster.

The constant washing and drying of un-sulfured cotton gauze will eventually create the same effect. I have a new shipment of Purity cotton gauze diapers coming this week, and they will all be prewashed before use.
 
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If my memory serves me correctly, a lot of fabric softeners use micro plastics that coat the fabric, thus making them less absorbent. Worse though is having micro plastic in the environment and in your body as they can cause harm.
 
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dogboy said:
If my memory serves me correctly, a lot of fabric softeners use micro plastics that coat the fabric, thus making them less absorbent. Worse though is having micro plastic in the environment and in your body as they can cause harm.
That may be the case with big companies, but the ingredients in the eco companies come from natural sources. Today, I looked at the products now on the shelf at Walmart, and although the big-name products are still present, there are several all-natural products there, too. The big-name brands even produce some of the natural products.

We bought a new bucket to use for pre-soaking diapers before washing them. Also, my wife reminded me that she has been making our own laundry soap for the past ten years, from Fels-naptha, borax, and baking soda. It is very inexpensive compared to commercial soaps and without harmful chemicals.
 
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OmiOMy said:
The softening agent in most dryer sheets is lanolin, so I assume given a balanced load it'd be about the same.
Lanolin is what is used to re-waterproof wool diaper covers when it’s applied to them so I would expect the use of dryer sheets to adversely affect diaper absorbency.
 
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carrielg said:
can you watch them going round and round? 🙂🙃🙂🙃 i love watching them
My wife used to dry our kid’s diapers on the clothesline on the farm. On the days when there wasn’t enough wind to keep them flapping while drying they became stiff and she would take them down and bring them in to put them in the clothes dryer with a damp diaper with them for about 5 minutes. That would soften them back up again. As far as I’m concerned you can’t beat fresh diapers off the clothesline except with diapers that have been line dried and then run for about 5 minutes in the dryer to make them soft and toasty. They smell great after line drying and they’re nice and warm against the tushie making for a great diapering experience.
 
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