"Detergent residue" refers to the small amount of leftover soap or cleaning product that remains on surfaces, such as dishes, clothes, or countertops, after they have been washed.
Full definition
In this case you will need to strip your diapers to fix the problem (see question on how to get rid
of detergent residue).
At first we thought we could just use detergent to make it better, but we soon found out that
detergent residue allows moisture to escape the diaper before absorption could take place.
Except however, if you can get a warm rinse that is nice to have, because warm water helps
rinse detergent residue easier than cold water.
If you
suspect detergent residue or build - up to be the culprit of your leaks, odors, rashes, etc. than try stripping your diapers.
Detergent residue on cloth diapers that are not rinsed properly can irritate your baby's bottom so make sure you don't use too much detergent and that you rinse your diapers properly.
I wonder: If the clothes were heavier after 8 washes, could they continue accumulating
more detergent residues in later launderings?
Simply dump the powder into the wash load and watch the magic happen — it may release a lot of
trapped detergent residue, so you might see a lot of white suds even if you didn't add detergent.
If the problem is
un-rinsed detergent residue from previous washes, it might be enough to just wash your diapers in very hot water a few times, rinsing well each time.
The best way to
prevent detergent residue is to use detergents that are free of any additives as well as to use only 1/4 of the amount of detergent recommended.
Thankfully, soapnuts don't dirty your washing machine and leave nasty
toxic detergent residue like most traditional detergents instead they keep your washing machine clean so it can do it's job.
Castile Liquid Soap may be neutralized
by detergent residues in the machine so use enough to get the barest start of foam on top.
The most important part of washing your diapers is making sure they've rinsed very clean — you don't want to irritate baby's bottom
with detergent residue, or worse — stale urine that didn't get out in the wash!
Ecover powder is low sudsing and rinses easily, which I like since I hate having
detergent residue left on our clothing.
Household cleaning solvents,
detergent residues on clothes and chemicals from the bath or shower water also affect the skin.
The only drawback is, because I deal with extremely hard water, is that microfiber seems to hold
more detergent residue.
I just saw a summary of research about
laundry detergent residues — it looks like a lot of standard «baby» detergents don't rinse away fully in the laundry — they actually accumulate in clothes:
It's so effective a cleaner that it will remove old
detergent residues from your machine, which can then re-deposit on whatever you're washing.
Detergent Residue is Recognized by Industry Organizations The AATCC (American Association Textile Chemists and Colorists), is a professional organization that provides test method development to it's industry.
This article doesn't address the issue of repelling because I don't think (and like you said, there's little evidence outside of conjecture) that it is related to
detergent residues.
We have accumulated a great deal of third party research showing that
detergent residue is a fact.
I mean what could be better at washing out
detergent residue than good old hot water?
If you suspect that your pocket diapers are leaking due to
detergent residue, try to strip wash them by throwing the pocket diapers into a hot wash without any detergent.
If you use too much detergent,
detergent residue can build up on the fabric, keeping the diapers from absorbing properly.
You should also always be on the look - out for any diaper rash that might be caused by a particular kind of detergent,
detergent residue, or any extra ingredients you may not have noticed your detergent contains.