Each Monday, I answer a reader submitted question and ask my other readers to help out. Don’t miss any posts! Subscribe to our new RSS Feed or subscribe via email.
Questions don’t have to be cloth diaper related, just email maria at change-diapers.com with “Mailbox Mondays” in the subject, or fill out my contact form for readers, which you will always be able to find on my Contact Page.
Tiffany would like to know:
Has anyone had tide ruin their diapers?
I wrote about my cloth diaper washing survey results, which showed that more people with damage to their diapers were using “safe” detergents. Though antecdotal, I have been using Tide for 2.5 years with no damage, and Oxi Clean Free for 1.5 years, also with no damage.
Bummis has released lots of great laundry science info, and while the jury is out on optical brighteners, experts say that enzymes will not hurt your diapers if the detergent is well rinsed before drying. If chemicals/enzymes remain on the diapers, then are exposed to heat in the dryer, that may cause damage.
Tide use is a bit controversial in the cloth diaper “world” and of course, follow your manufacturer’s washing instructions, but some manufacturers actually recommend a detergent with enzymes. I wouldn’t have been able to continue with cloth if I hadn’t discovered Tide!
Has Tide ruined your diapers?
Please note that I recommend carefully following your manufacturer’s washing instructions. Maria and Change-Diapers.com are not responsible for damage or injuries.
Maria wants to live in a world where cloth diapers are the norm and moms can make parenting choices without judgement. When she’s not chasing her 18, 14 and 11-year old kids around, you might find her checking out the latest gadgets, organizing something (again) or exercising in the fresh air. 
I used a few different safe detergents and had stink issues – I switched to Tide a year and a half ago and never looked back! I’m using the diapers on baby #2 now, and no damage so far to speak of! 🙂
I have used Tide for about a year, and it saved me from going to disposables. I tried cloth diaper safe detergents, but they always stunk regardless of how much detergent I used.
I just started using my own homemade detergent and my diapers seem to be getting clean and when I need to strip I just do an extra wash with a tablespoon of blue dawn and an extra rinse. No need to use chemical laden tide or any of the other stuff.
I heard someone say her kid got a rash from using tide, but she did too (as an adult) so I think it was more their skin than anything. I don’t think it hurt the diapers any. we use tide free and clear liquid.
I have been using Tide since shortly after deciding to cloth diaper because my homemade detergent just didn’t cut it. My diapers have been happy and mostly stain-free for the last 6 months!
i used it occasionally, but prefer Charlie’s soap. I always thought that enzymes may hurt bamboo fibers. and that there is an issue with hemp, if it does not get rinsed out well. But no issues with occasional use here.
Tide is my ‘back-up” it is also what I use in conjunction with calgon for stripping. I’ve never had any issues.