I was asked to review Crunchy Clean detergent for cloth diapers. I have heard of Crunchy Clean, they are a leading brand recognized by many as a very cloth safe detergent.
From the website:
This cloth diaper detergent special blend of naturally occurring minerals, detergents, oxygen releasing agents that have proven to clean diapers in a safe way that does not harm your precious baby or your diapers. It does work to kill bacteria, and works great in any temperature wash and any type of machine. You can use it to soak your diapers to kill germs or get rid of stains as well as wash your diapers regularly.
No optical brighteners, fillers, dyes, or enzymes.
Great for military use!
Clean rinsing – an extra rinse isn’t necessary!
No soap to build up in your diapers.
HE compatible.
Great for all of your family’s clothing and diapers.
When I opened the package my first thought was how adorable the packaging was. Their logo of a sketched front loader washer is oh so cute. The bags are brown with the logo and are resealable. Since powder detergents tend to get clumpy, especially in my damp basement, this was perfect.
I set about washing my diapers as soon as I could to begin trying it out. I started out using Cherry Almond. After opening the bag I was greeted with a delicious sweet scent. That made me even more excited to try it. I have used a few other cloth diaper detergents which have worked great, and like one I have tried, Rockin’ Green, it smelled so awesome!
The two small bags I received also came with a wooden scoop. I used 2 scoops for my diapers, not heaping, level to the slant of the scoop. I do relatively an average size load of diapers, about 10-12.
When I took the diapers out of the washer they smelled nice and clean. My diapers didn’t smell like cherry almond much but clean is what matters. Other scented detergents never left my diapers smelling the same scent either, after rinsing and drying it just hasn’t happened. Keep in mind that this detergent is cloth diaper safe for a reason.
I used Crunchy Clean exclusively for about a month on my diapers. I also used it to wash my sheets because it smelled so great. Cherry Almond was my favorite scent. The other scent I had the opportunity to try was Lavender Vanilla. It smelled very strong out of the bag but again, after rinsing and drying there wasn’t a scent left on the diapers, they were just clean smelling. I never had any issues with repelling, which is awesome. It is always scary trying a new detergent when you have a routine that works for you. The first load you are waiting for a disaster, for wet sheets, for anything. None of those things happened.
I have been battling ammonia smell (the buildup of ammonia salts in the inserts from urine) in my microfiber for a long time. It has been worse than right now and it has been better. Unfortunately the only solution that has worked (and for a limited time) has been bleaching. It isn’t recommended for every wash, maybe once a month. I don’t even do it that much. Crunchy Clean didn’t cure my microfiber stink but no detergent has so far. I wasn’t expecting it too. Ammonia is a complex issue, probably the most complicated problem with cloth diapering.
As for the packaging, the re-sealable bag worked great. My basement is very very damp. While the powder seems to thicken up just a tad, it didn’t get super clumpy or hard like my boxes of detergent do. I also am at fault for leaving it unsealed a couple of times!
The biggest benefit of using Crunchy Clean is that it is made with cloth diapers in mind. There should be no residue. Now that modern cloth diapers have modern materials like PUL, elastic, velcro, and man made fabrics, it is no longer acceptable to use a wet pail filled with bleach. That worked for flats and prefolds, but will ruin your PUL and elastic. We need modern cloth diaper detergent as well! Crunchy Clean has even come out with a Hard Water Detergent. She also has sprinkles for your stinky diaper pail (which are awesome, I was sent some to try as well) and linen spray. Mmm… lovely!
You can also save 15% on your entire order at CrunchyClean.com with the coupon code DirtyDiaperLaundry. Pretty cool!
To enter first:
I was not paid to perform this review however the samples sent to me were free of charge.
