@defoehorses I’ve seen that about borax too, but unfortunately the alternative (mineral build up, or diapers not getting clean enough because of such) with water as hard as ours is virtually worse. I sadly learned the hard way, it was burning my poor baby’s skin and it took me quite awhile to figure out what it was because it didn’t smell or look like the typical culprits. My diapers don’t feel the same after having to strip them either so hoping you get yours resolved and don’t end up in my boat!! Let me know if the Charlie’s works for you or what does if it’s something else!
@graceadele Gosh that’s why I’m not continuing with the cloth diapers till I get softeners and better detergent in place tomorrow.
I appreciate you sharing the lesson learned! The Charlie’s will be here Wednesday, but I’m also getting Calgon to try too. I’ll update you if Charlie’s works for us!!
@defoehorses I see! Okay, unless you’ve already tried it and disagree with it i’d say go for tide original. My diapers don’t come out smelling like anything and our clothes don’t have that detergent smell.
I have super hard water (TX) and for a large load i use about a tbsp of each of these : tide original powder, borax, oxi.
I used to do two wash cycles, first cold then hot but now im adding another wash to my routine with a sanitizing bleach because we keep fighting a yeast infection and her poops are getting so lovely with mostly eating solids
Edit: i also get the concern on additives, but i’ve really never found a “green” brand that does the job with diapers. Fluff love university should have some spec info on detergents if you havent already looked there. I just try to find my peace by using clean products where i can like bathroom cleaners, floor cleaners, etc.
@rexcolin I haven’t tried it yet. Currently we use Tide pods for my husband’s work clothes, and I can tell that was used when I move clothes from the washer to the dryer (it’s faint, but I still smell it )
I will consider that! I’ve seen other posts/groups saying how Tide OG powder does wonders. Especially since our boy will be starting solids soon - need to have the wash routine good by then!
@defoehorses You know what, i also wonder if liquid and pods have more fragrance? Or maybe the fragrance holds more? Honestly i haven’t realized this until now but when i used to use liquid i do remember them having a scent.
Anyway, good luck! And if you need more trouble shooting we will all still be here!
@rexcolin That may be a thing! So maybe the OG powder would work great for all laundry for the whole house then.
Thank you, I really appreciate it!! We haven’t had any noticeable issues the few days we’ve used/washed them. But between the hard water & ineffective detergent, I hope we avoid major buildup in the diapers and can continue on our merry way!
@defoehorses Oh! Something else i came across with hard water is not to do an extra rinse cycle. Apparently i can create more buildup because of how hard our water is? Something to look into if you havent already
@rexcolin I did find that in washing w/ hard water guides, so I have only been doing the pre-wash on cold, then the main wash on warm or hot/and usually with other clothes laundry so there’s ample agitation because our stash is small right now.
@defoehorses Just wanted to add the pods definitely have more fragrance. I use the powder tide. I also add borax to every load and do a double rinse and they smell like nothing when I’m done after each wash.
@defoehorses We have 350+ppm as well. I use ALL F&C powder and Charlie’s hard water booster powder. I add some oxy clean once in a while for stains and bleach once in a while for ammonia build up.
That’s it! It took a lot of experimenting but I also was looking for a completely unscented routine, and I’ve found the Charlie’s booster powder is much cheaper per load than calgon.
I didn’t like borax because it’s really rough on fabrics and left a lot of mineral precipitation on the inside of my washer.
@defoehorses Why no Calgon? And what about Borax (even though it’s not going to be enough for your water hardness, I think it would be better than nothing at all) If your water is that hard, I think you’ll need to add a softener no matter what powder you use.
@otu12345 Because I’ve read Calgon is scented - I am very aware of artificial/cleaning scents. But if it means clean diapers and a happy baby, we’ll use it!
@defoehorses Since you live in an area with extremely hard water, I’d check your local stores. There may be an off-brand Calgon that doesn’t contain fragrance.
Otherwise, according to this you can still use borax. I believe you need 1/2 cup in both prewash and main wash.
that’s why I’m not continuing with the cloth diapers till I get softeners and better detergent in place tomorrow. 
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