As new parents, we are faced with many unknowns. From what to feed my baby to what to use on their hair and skin. But did you ever think that you’d also have to ask yourself what the best baby laundry detergent is to use for your baby’s clothes one day? Is my detergent safe for my baby? What are the things to look out for a detergent before washing my baby’s clothes?
Children with sensitive skin have to be very careful with the products they use. This can come down to their skincare routine, including their face wash and body soap. But another big product that children with sensitive skin have to be careful with is what laundry detergent they use. If your little ones are someone with sensitive skin, it may be worthwhile to use a detergent that is non-biological instead of biological. There are 3 things you need to look out for when choosing the best baby clothes detergent:
1. Non-bio vs. bio
When a laundry detergent label says ‘bio’, it contains enzymes. And yes, you guessed it right, ‘non-bio’ means it is without enzymes. But why does this matter? What do enzymes do? And why are we told not to use bio detergents for baby’s clothes?
Enzymes are basically additional ingredients manufacturers put in to have a stronger stain-removing power. In essence, enzymes are not harmful, but they become a problem when it gets trapped and deposited in the fibres of your baby’s clothes. They can potentially irritate a baby’s skin or even a full-grown adult with sensitive skin. However, if your detergent is already formulated well, these enzymes are not necessary anymore.
2. Optical Brighteners
Most, if not all, laundry detergents contain optical brighteners. These things essentially do to deposit on fabrics and make them appear brighter to the eye by making light bounce off strongly. Like magic, a dingy-looking white cloth can look dazzling white when loaded with optical brighteners.
Similar to the enzymes, these optical brighteners are not bad, but they become a problem when it touches and rubs the baby’s skin or even a full-grown adult with sensitive skin. You’re probably already seeing a pattern here. Anything deposited in the fabrics could be an irritant, so it’s best to avoid them. But there’s perhaps one more ingredient that gets deposited that you are not aware of...
3. Fragrance
Sadly, fragrance in laundry detergents does get left behind in clothes. Come to think of it, how would we be able to smell it if it was not deposited in the fabric?
You should stay away from fragranced detergents or fabric softeners. Still, we understand that the fragrant smell of newly washed laundry brings so much delight in this otherwise seemingly thankless chore, so we don’t want to take this simple joy away from you! We would advise that you look for laundry detergents with an allergen-free fragrance. The fragrance is made up of hundreds of individual ingredients blended, and some of these ingredients can irritate when present in high amounts.
Can I really find a baby laundry detergent that ticks all the boxes?
Most commercially available laundry detergents would usually tick just one box, which is the ‘non-bio’ bit. If you find that this already suits your needs, then this is good news.
But in case you still find yourself or your baby having irritated skin, why don’t you try out our solution, Laundry Lover? It is non-bio, does not contain optical brighteners, and has a delightful baby fragrance free from allergens. Von, our founder and in-house chief chemist, developed Nimble Laundry Lover himself with his nieces and nephew as his inspiration and it’s all made in the UK too! Interested to read more about our story? Click here!
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