Nappy washing help

Hi
Before I bought my nappies I bought a packet of PHP nappy soak, thinking I was going to wet bucket. I dry bucket so to use it up I've been using a spoonful of it in the wash with my nappies. I stopped using it two days ago and now my nappies are soft and lovely again! They've been quite stiff and I assumed it was because I line dry, but it was this nappy soak I was using.

What I wanted to ask was is there a stain remover/nappy sanitiser that I can add to the wash that doesn't cause this? I use liquid ecover - 1/2 - 1/3 of the recommended amount. Without the sanitiser the nappies come out with some yellow stains which do sun out but if its not sunny they don't look so good. (we have a few relatives who think cloth nappies are disgusting so i like to have unstained nappies when they're about just so it doesn't start off the cloth napppies are dirty comments...)

We've been using the liquid ecover for years and as it doesn't smell of anything its really put me off using the mainstream brands as clothes that are washed in them now smell really strong to me and it makes me sneeze so I don't really want to change washing liquid.

Any ideas. I'm so gutted I've had stiff nappies for 2 months and I didn't need to!
Jenny

We found that nappy sanitisers caused horrendous rashes with Isabelle and stopped using them altogether...

I find Ariel biological doesn't really smell of anything and turns out it's not so bad for the environment as you'd think (means you don't need to replace your washing machine as often for a start!!) and it's pretty good with stains too...

Other than good old sunshine I'm not really sure I can help with the stains issue tho' sorry

i have just bought something new
i bought it in waitrose but it is this http://www.simplywashing.com/laundry/simply_active/
i havent tried it yet, and tbh am getting on well with soap nuts on any non-whites atm, but its got good reviews from good housekeeping and ITS NOT EXPENSIVE!!!! i never usually by the eco friendly stuff as i just cant justify it, i will happily use soda crystal and vinegar etc etc, but resent paying a milliuon pounds for something to wipe my table with...and this is cheaper than what i usually buy, and eco friendly, and in a pretty packet...and surely it would have been wrong not to try it!!!!
might be worth a try for you?

another idea is buy some fleece and make some cheap liners to prtect your nappys from staining and then wash them inwhatever you like!

ps. the [pure one says it has NO perfume

I don't know if ecover do any stain remover powder stuff, but I would definitely recommend their liquid stain remover - it has a brush head you can scrub the stains with and was the only thing I found which would remove tomatoey stains from Katie's clothes

Hiya

I find Ariel biological doesn't really smell of anything and turns out it's not so bad for the environment as you'd think

Thanks, pre baby work was researching enviro/human rights records of companies & Ariel's Procter &Gamble, so I know I'm being bloody minded, but I just won't buy it, even if the product's not so bad. And I know, you can't help some people

i have just bought something new
i bought it in waitrose but it is this http://www.simplywashing.com/laundry/simply_active/
i havent tried it yet, and tbh am getting on well with soap nuts on any non-whites atm, but its got good reviews from good housekeeping and ITS NOT EXPENSIVE!!!! i never usually by the eco friendly stuff as i just cant justify it, i will happily use soda crystal and vinegar etc etc, but resent paying a milliuon pounds for something to wipe my table with...and this is cheaper than what i usually buy, and eco friendly, and in a pretty packet...and surely it would have been wrong not to try it!!!!
might be worth a try for you?
another idea is buy some fleece and make some cheap liners to prtect your nappys from staining and then wash them inwhatever you like!

I've made some fetching pink fleece liners and they're not so bad, we're still at explosive poo stage though and it does tend to get beyond the liner. Also ds takes nappy changing as a cue to do 1-3poos on the change mat EVERY change (my mum says this should be good news for potty training!) so I usually have alot of terries and muslins absolutely blasted yellow, I spose its better than the nappies though
I've been given some soapnut samples to try out I'll have to dig them out! My ecover gets delivered in 5 litre refills and we've just been filled up so it'll be a while before I try another detergent, but I'll bear the other stuff in mind.

I don't know if ecover do any stain remover powder stuff, but I would definitely recommend their liquid stain remover - it has a brush head you can scrub the stains with and was the only thing I found which would remove tomatoey stains from Katie's clothes

I've got their liquid one - use it when dh dribbles olives down his front I think they do a percarbonate powder (oxygen bleach) so I might give that a go. Percarbonate is one of the ingredients (not the main) in the php nappy soak so I'm hoping its not the one that causes reactions, it shouldn't be I think. Fingers crossed, that or I'll just stick to sunshine and hide the yellow ones at the back!!

Funny I was just coming back to say they do a laundry bleach, which I used ages ago and was really god. I've just bought some in the health food shop.

...so I usually have alot of terries and muslins absolutely blasted yellow, I spose its better than the nappies though

What about dying them a darker colour that doesn't show up the yellow stains - like purple?

I find Ariel biological doesn't really smell of anything and turns out it's not so bad for the environment as you'd think

Thanks, pre baby work was researching enviro/human rights records of companies & Ariel's Procter &Gamble, so I know I'm being bloody minded, but I just won't buy it, even if the product's not so bad. And I know, you can't help some people

Heh no that's absolutely fair enough I wouldn't argue with you there!! Tis for similar reasons that I don't buy maccy D's (well that and they just don't appeal) despite people's insistance that that's all in the past and they 'don't do that anymore'

What about dying them a darker colour that doesn't show up the yellow stains - like purple?

Good idea! Although I went to work with blue hands for 2 weeks last time I used the hand dye (who needs gloves )!!

Heh no that's absolutely fair enough I wouldn't argue with you there!! Tis for similar reasons that I don't buy maccy D's (well that and they just don't appeal) despite people's insistance that that's all in the past and they 'don't do that anymore'

well thats what their highly paid pr's would like everyone to think

If there are a few poopy nappies I use 2 capfuls of my Ecover - I find it works better then as it's a fairly mild detergent anyway sometimes it just needs a little more in the wash. Also I won't put more than 12 nappies in the wash as otherwise they don't get clean properly anyway as they don't have so much room to agitate

I found the liquid stain remover stuff by ecover totally pants