A strong cloth diaper wash routine is just as important as a well-fitting cloth diaper when it comes to keeping your baby comfortable, clean and most importantly, rash-free. Diaper rash in cloth diapers can often be traced back to a bad wash routine—especially if diapers aren’t getting completely clean. When urine and stool residues remain trapped in diaper fibers, even small amounts of leftover waste can lead to odor, redness and irritation for your little one. 

The Connection Between Dirty Diapers and Rash

Human waste contains bacteria, ammonia, and enzymes that can irritate skin on contact. If your cloth diaper wash routine isn’t effectively removing all traces of these irritants and bacteria, it can linger in your reusable diapers, leading to persistent redness or even rashes when your baby is wearing cloth diapers.

You may notice:

• A strong unpleasant odor, called “barnyard” or ammonia, after washing or when a diaper is freshly peed in.
• Rash that clears up with disposable use but returns when cloth diapers are reintroduced. 
• Diapers that feel stiff or less absorbent than usual.

These are signs your wash routine may need attention.

Choosing an Effective Laundry Detergent

To ensure your diapers are fully cleaned, it’s important to use a true detergent that’s designed to remove human waste from textiles. Not all laundry products are created equal—many “gentle” or “free and clear” formulas simply don’t have the cleaning power necessary for cloth diapers. 

At Kinder, we strongly recommend starting with Tide as we find that most (over 80%) of our customers have success using Tide laundry detergent. Tide is a top-performing detergent that is reliable and universally available. Tide provides the necessary surfactants, enzymes, and builders to thoroughly clean soiled fabrics without buildup.

Kinder-approved detergents include:

• Tide (Except Tide Simply which does not include the necessary enzymes)
• Seventh Generation Power+
  
• All Free and Clear Powder (The liquid free and clear does not contain enzymes)
• Arm and Hammer (The Free and Clear does not contain enzymes)
• Gain
• Persil
• Up and Up

These options have strong cleaning power and have been proven effective for washable diapering textiles.

Our Policy on Non-Approved Detergents

We understand every family makes choices based on preferences and sensitivities. However, Kinder cannot provide personalized wash routine support if you intentionally choose a non-approved detergent. Because many alternative detergents lack adequate cleaning agents for human waste, we cannot ensure that results will meet hygiene and safety standards for cloth diaper use.

If you’re experiencing ongoing irritation, odor, or buildup issues, we recommend returning to one of our approved detergents before adjusting other parts of your routine. Clean diapers are the foundation of happy skin.