Finally! I have found the detergent for all our family’s needs. I really did not think it would be this frustrating and expensive.
Until recently I had no reason to find a new detergent. But after seeking allergy tests for my daughter’s eczema on her thighs I discovered that she was allergic to Tide.
Removing Tide from my house was something I “knew” I needed to do. Our house is 80-90% natural and laundry detergent was one thing I hadn’t changed.
I experimented with Ecover laundry detergent but was not happy with it’s performance. My clothes and diapers never seemed to get clean. This is certainly a problem when your laundry contains biological wastes!
I contemplated buying Mrs. Meyers but the cost was a big hang-up for me. A couple of weeks ago, however, I happened upon a post on Diaperswappers. A mom was advertising her natural laundry detergent.
The detergent, Crunchy Clean, is available in regular and cloth diaper formulas. And the list of scents is long! I purchased peppermint regular formula and received in the mail 2 days later.
I can not tell you how fabulous this recipe is. The fragrance is practically edible. And all my laundry smells and looks clean.
Not only is it the best smelling detergent I have ever seen it is gray water safe. That means that it is completely safe to use the water on plants. So if you do a sink/container wash you can recycle the water and not kill your plants! Crunchy Clean is environmentally friendly and….
It has an awesome price tag! This is my favorite part. For 68 loads of laundry it costs $8.00 plus Priority shipping charges. You can buy it with a glass container but that increases the price and shipping. It comes in a Ziploc bag that I keep on the dryer.
I suppose you could also say it takes the place of my artificial room deodorizers, too! If I walk in my kitchen or pantry all I smell is peppermint.
Can I add one more reason why you should buy Crunchy Clean??? It’s made by a work-at-home mom(wahm)! I love being able to support a mom over a massive company any day!
I don’t know the mom behind Crunchy Clean but I know I’ll be ordering some gardenia scent very soon.
Erin says
Which laundry detergent are you using now? I’ve had some samples of Crunchy Clean, and I really like it, but it looks like the ingredients are just sodium carbonate (washing soda), sodium bicarbonate (washing soda), and oxygen cleaner, and essential oils for fragrance. Couldn’t I make my own?
Autumn Beck says
Yes you can make your own. I’m currently in a transition stage with detergent.
Kristin says
Hey Autumn, Have you ever tried Country Save? I have to make as witch in the laundry detergent area and I have heard GREAT things about Country Save. Any thoughts?
Autumn Beck says
Country Save is the only detergent I’ve only heard good things about…which makes me wonder why I haven’t switched to it :)
Stacy says
I am starting CD with my next baby and was wondering if you have tried making your own laundry detergent? I found some recipes and I am thinking about trying it. I have a cousin who has used it for years on her cloth diapers with no problems. Just curious if you have experimented with that and what your success is? Also, I have been searching through the “washing” articles but I have not seen anything on dryer sheet brands that are safe to use. I can do without liquid fabric softener but I NEED dryer sheets! I may give the wool balls a try but the sheets are preferred.
Autumn Beck says
I haven’t made my own :)
Do you “need” dryer sheets for the anti-static? There are fabric softeners that you *can* use that cut down on the static.
I’ve used Seventh Generation dryer sheets. They work fine.
Here are some links I found on Etsy:
http://www.etsy.com/shop/ReFabulous?section_id=7294134
http://www.etsy.com/shop/zJayne?section_id=5913760
T. Zimmermann says
Hello there, I just wanted to say that when I went to the website and looked at the ingredients for the Cruncy Clean, it listed FRAGRANCE. I thought this usually meant artificial rather than natural (i.e. essential oils, etc)… May want to look into that if you’re concerned about allergies, sensitivities, etc…
Trenna says
I’m not sure the best place for this comment, but since I found my way to this specific thread, others may too.
I’m expecting my first so I can’t comment specific to diapers, but I have some extensive experience pursuing the ideal “natural” and “hypoallergenic” cleaning solutions (for my clothes, my house, and myself)!
I was diagnosed with chemical sensitivities, after a stubborn bout of asthma-like crud. A long investigative process suggested salicylates, in particular, and it turned out it was hitting me in several ways: respiratory, digestive, and skin. The skin part wasn’t incredibly obvious until I got rid of it.
I don’t want to run on too long but salicylate sensitivities aren’t a true allergy: it’s not the immune system reacting, but the metabolic system being unable to break down the chemical (so it builds up and gets sorta toxic). So allergy tests and allergy meds often don’t help. I’ve *never* had allergies of any kind.
Salicylates are everywhere: Aspirin, Pepto-Bismol, many foods, herbs (aloe, willow), Beta-Hydroxy acid (cosmetics), benzoates (sodium benzoate, benzoic acid), yellow and red food dyes … they are common preservatives in foods and cosmetics – Even the natural ones! Often the reaction accumulates slowly over time.
In fact some of the natural detergents were the worst offenders. I will be using cloth baby wipes too, because the natural ones bother my skin as much as the rest (it’s the aloe). Seventh Generation, several of the “Free and Clear” brands … Simple Green is a big problem.
I can’t wait to try some of the detergents mentioned here, but I also want to see how my other discoveries work on diapers: Biokleen liquid detergent has been my saving grace on my own laundry, and it is cheap. I “boost” laundry with Oxi-Clean, or with Nature’s Miracle. Nature’s Miracle (an enzyme cleaner with a nice scent) I get at the pet store, it’s amazing on pet messes. I use it to remove perspiration from my polyester shirts, and in a spray bottle instead of Febreeze. Bleach and ammonia don’t always get my litterbox smelling nice, but Nature’s Miracle always does, and it’s non-toxic. I plan to try to prespray diapers with it; I’ve heard of this being done.
Yes it’s great to go cloth to avoid chemicals and go all-natural — but natural things are technically chemicals as well!
Sarah says
Autumn,
Why do you like the Rockin Green better than the Crunchy Clean? I can’t decide which one to try. I like that CC is cheaper, but I wanted to get someone’s personal opinion. Thanks!
Autumn Beck says
Sarah, I have some Crunchy Clean on order and can’t wait to try it out again! You may want to try a sample batch of both to see which formula works best with your water type.
Mary Michaud says
I am so excited to try this laundry soap!! I ordered both the regular & cloth formulas. I am looking forward to receiving it in a few days.
Autumn Beck says
Hi, Mary! Since writing about Crunchy Clean I have been introduced to another brand of natural detergent that I like even more. It’s called Rockin Green. Kim designed Rockin Green to bust through buildup, especially mineral buildup from hard water. Her link is in the upper right of the blog.
Stacy says
I’m ready to buy some crunchy clean. Autumn, you state no allergy issues with the scent. With the newborn would all recommend I go with unscented or should I take a chance with another scent? Worst case use it on all the other laundry :) and have a reason to buy unscented for baby.
Autumn Beck says
I would go with unscented and for a nice scent order some pail powder. I use Pail Pardner from lil’ outlaws. Great scents.
beth says
i love crunchy clean!!!! i’ve only tried baby bee, but it smells fabulous.
Cyndy says
Yes, I have used Shaklee…a friend of mine uses it exclusively so I started with it. However, after ordering dipes from a company, they did not recommend it. I was brand new to CD, so I switched back to Tide free and clear. I haven’t really noticed a difference between the two, and I have been using Shaklee with my reg. wash. It may depend on the type of diapers you are using.
Rachel says
Have any of you used Shaklee detergants on your diapers?
Kira =] says
Oooh! That sounds awesome about the scents. We’ve just started using Charlie’s and my husband biggest complaint is the lack of clean smell. I don’t really care, but I will definitely try out this stuff next. I love supporting WAHMs! Thanks! =]
Mese says
I’ve got to try it! For just $8, who can lose? After all these years, I’ve GOT to make some changes in my wash routine. :-( Micah has started saying “she’s wet” because she smells like pee even if she is just sweaty. Gotta be the dipes. Need to look at that section of your Ebook on stripping, I guess. LOL! Think I should strip prior to starting this?
Sonia says
Covers with PUL lining can trap perspiration. For this reason I’m looking into wool interlock covers. Something to consider
Autumn Beck says
for HE machines it’s actually 136 loads!! you half the recommended amount.
Cyndy says
oooh…really? No build up on diapers? that would be great…I’ll have to check it out see how it works for HE machines. THANKS!