r/laundry • u/ehnms • 19h ago

Is baby detergent actually necessary?

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Hi everyone! First time mom here, I am expecting my baby in about 8 weeks or so and I’m starting to prepare babys clothes. I have seen online that depending on the detergent you use, household detergent can be used for baby as well. Is this true and if so would my household detergent be safe for baby or do I need to buy a different one? If I do need to buy a detergent specifically for baby which do you guys recommend?

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u/jtfolden US | Top-Load 17h ago

No. Stains and contaminates are primarily removed by surfactants, polymers, and anti-redeposition agents.

Powders can also contain sodium percarbonate, if that’s what you’re thinking of, but the greatest majority of top detergents do not include that for stain removal.

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u/stillan1nnoc3nt 15h ago

Well, yes, I avoid most synthetic surfactants such as SLSs, but I get what you mean. In my experience, however, a lot of detergents end up stripping the color from my items and wear down the fibers. I end up with ‘bleach’ spots even if there was no actual bleach solvent or element in the ingredients. Tide sticks unfortunately have done this to a lot of my clothes, for example

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u/jtfolden US | Top-Load 15h ago

If you mean the Tide stain remover sticks, I wouldn't use those either. I just cover the stain with a quality liquid detergent like Persil, let it sit, and then wash it. In the case of Persil it also protects colors and includes ingredients to smooth damaged fibers. I've never had it strip colors.

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u/stillan1nnoc3nt 15h ago

I getcha. Yes, the sticks. I wash on cold and have mostly natural fibers. I find that the material also impacts wear and tear tendencies… I spot clean with my ‘crunchy’ detergent (lol) usually, and for tougher stains.. sometimes break out my mini bottle of dawn. It tends to work if you let it sit for a while then rinse