Washing powder for newborns - which one is better?
Manufacturers of washing powders, in pursuit of profit, often violate the technology of manufacturing laundry detergents. Even baby powders become unsafe in their composition. The question arises, which powder is suitable for washing not just children’s clothes, but the clothes of a newborn baby? After all, the little baby has not yet developed the body’s defenses, and any harmful chemicals can provoke serious allergies and other diseases. Let's try to understand this issue, find out which powder is best suited for washing the clothes of small children.
Powder components and their effect on the child
The search for the best powder for washing diapers and onesies for newborns should begin with studying its composition. Any powder must contain substances that provide foam and soapiness. These substances include surfactants. On the one hand, without them the powder will no longer be a powder, on the other hand, they negatively affect the health of newborn children.
The fact is that surfactants, when rinsed poorly, remain on the item, and after several washes they accumulate in the fibers of the fabric. These substances, when they get on the child’s skin, destroy it, as a result, the child’s immunity decreases. This means that baby powder should contain as few surfactants as possible. There are powders without them, but the washing efficiency of such powders is also reduced.
In addition to active surface substances, the powder may contain:
- phosphates are substances that enhance the washing effects of surfactants and also soften water.Some powders contain about 35% of them, which is a lot, because they are harmful because they affect the functioning of the kidneys and liver and reduce immunity. There should be no phosphates in baby powders at all; they are replaced with zeolites, which are no worse at washing newborns’ clothes.
Important! In European countries it has long been prohibited to use phosphates in the production of powder, which is why many foreign powders are called environmentally friendly.
- Optical brightener is a substance that gives things a snow-white appearance, but at the same time has an aggressive effect on a child’s skin and can cause redness and itching. It is better to use oxygen bleaches, which are not so harmful, or avoid them altogether.
- fragrances and fragrances are substances that most often cause allergic reactions. The pungent smell of the powder indicates their high content.
- Soap is a natural substance that is welcome in baby powder; it washes children’s things well. However, washing powder with a high soap content is only suitable for hand washing; it is not recommended to pour it into a machine.
- soda is also a harmless substance that can be present in powder for children; it softens water and enhances the whitening effect.
For your information! It’s good if the baby powder contains saponins - antibactericidal substances. They also have anti-inflammatory properties.
Variety of baby powders
As part of this item, we decided to present washing powders, which are very popular for washing children's clothes. By citing this or that brand of powder as an example, we are not trying to make advertising or anti-advertising.Our task is to find out the composition and make sure whether the powder is as good as the manufacturer claims, or whether it is hiding something behind the small letters on the packaging.
“Ushasty Nyan” is one of the most popular and discussed children’s powders in Russia. What is it about it that some praise it so much, while others flatly refuse to buy it? As always, everything lies in the chemical composition of the product, it is the most common - there are phosphates (up to 30%), enzymes and a large amount of surfactants. This powder cannot be called environmentally friendly, but it probably washes very well. If you are not prone to allergies, then it may be possible to wash things with it, but do not experiment with the things of a newborn baby.
“World of Childhood” is a washing powder for newborns with a natural composition, based on soap and soda. There are no aggressive phosphates or enzymes. But the powder has a drawback - it is not suitable for automatic washing machines, but it can be washed in semi-automatic machines or by hand. The powder is, of course, hypoallergenic, but it washes satisfactorily.
AOS “I was born” is a Russian-made powder. Despite the name, it is not suitable for washing newborn clothes, because it contains substances that can cause allergies. This powder contains phosphonates, enzymes, optical brightener, and even a fragrance. In general, it’s possible to wash an adult’s clothes, it does it well, but with the health of a baby who is not even 6 months old, it’s not worth it.
"Tide" for children is a powder that is also produced in Russia. Its composition is practically no different from the composition of the previous powder. Therefore, it is impossible to say that this powder is better suited for washing newborn clothes. On the contrary, you should not wash small children’s clothes with it to prevent allergies.Tide has a distinct odor that should alert you.
Persil for children is another washing powder advertised as children's. However, its composition is very aggressive, and therefore it is also not worth washing the clothes of a newborn baby. The powder is very popular on the Russian market, apparently because aggressive chemistry in the form of phosphates and enzymes copes well with stains.
Baby line is a German-made soap-based powder. After washing with this powder, things will not smell, because there are no fragrances in it, but phosphonates, although in small quantities, are present. Therefore, this powder may be allergenic for some children.
Frau Schmidt Ocean Baby is a good powder for baby clothes, one might even say that it is better than many. Made in Denmark. The powder contains no phosphates or flavors. Enzymes are present in small quantities, which means woolen items cannot be washed. The powder copes with many contaminants and is suitable for automatic machines. It may seem expensive, but note that it is a concentrate, and therefore the consumption will be less.
Children's soap “Our Mother” is the main component of this powder, it is soap, and in appearance it resembles shavings of ordinary soap. This powder does not cope with all stains and is only suitable for hand washing. You can wash a newborn’s clothes with it, but the washing result will not be ideal.
Amway for children is an American-made powder that does not contain phosphates. It removes stains well, but the composition of this powder is still questionable, since it contains optical brighteners and enzymes. This powder isn't the best, but it's still good.
Conclusion! As you can see, most Russian powders contain phosphates; they are far from safe.Foreign-made powders are more natural, but also expensive; you won’t find them in all stores.
Reviews from mothers
In our search for the best powder for washing clothes for newborns, we decided to pay attention to reviews from mothers. I was interested in their opinions and advice on washing children's clothes. Here are some of those reviews.
Veronica
I washed it with “Eared Nanny” powder for a very long time and was quite satisfied. The powder does not have a strong odor, removes stains well and is inexpensive. However, after understanding the composition of this powder in detail, I realized that it is very harmful, and therefore is clearly not suitable for washing children’s clothes. I found a powder with a harmless composition in stores, and now I wash all my laundry with a homemade powder based on grated soap.
Nadya Smith
I use Amway powder for children's clothes. The powder is very well advertised and has been credited with “miracle” properties. In fact, there is no miracle. It is not ideal, it contains fragrance, but that is where the harmful substances end. The powder is well suited for washing children's clothes, as it copes well with everyday dirt. But when washing a newborn’s diapers, not everything is so good, the stains remain. It must be said that the powder rinses out well, things are soft after it. This product is concentrated and is used economically. I have used all sorts of Russian powders, but I like this one the most.
Anabel1985
From the first days of her child’s life, she began using Baby line laundry detergent, which contains natural soap. There is no allergy to the powder. The powder does have a downside: it doesn’t remove caustic stains well and requires washing.The powder is concentrated, and therefore a pack of such powder can last for six months if you wash baby clothes once or twice a week.
Aktinia 007
For a long time now I have been washing my child’s clothes with Eared Nanny, but due to the unsatisfactory quality of the washing, I decided to change it. The Baby line powder caught my attention. The powder seems to be fine, odorless, with a phosphate-free composition, but it doesn’t wash any better than Nyanya, So I’ll look for something better, and I’ll continue doing the laundry with Eared Nanny.
Let's summarize: how not to make a mistake in choosing?
So, let’s summarize what kind of powder can be used to wash newborns’ clothes, and how not to make a mistake when purchasing. When choosing a powder in a store, you can only externally check its quality, namely:
- inspect the powder packaging, which should be intact. A crumpled and squeezed box indicates a violation; in a soft package you can feel the product. If you find lumps, then there is no need to take such powder;
- Read the composition of the powder carefully. Look for a powder that does not contain phosphates, least surfactants, fragrances and optical whitening particles;
- look for an inscription stating that this powder can be used to wash children’s and newborn’s clothes, or an indication that hypoallergenic powder;
- please pay attention to the manufacturer. To wash newborn clothes, it is better to buy foreign powder, which contains less harmful chemicals, which is confirmed by standards.
Without opening the package of powder, you can’t check anything else. The quality and declared characteristics will have to be checked at home. First, dissolve the powder and see if the solution is cloudy. If not, then the powder is good. The smell can tell about the quality of the powder. A pungent odor is not typical for powders for children.Lastly, pay attention to how much foam the powder produces. There will be little of it in a high-quality baby powder.
Thus, finding the best powder can only be done through experimentation. Even in this case, the powder will have its disadvantages. The washing effect will not be ideal, but you cannot put everything that washes well into powder, as it is not safe. Decide for yourself what to choose and what powder to wash with.
Interesting:
1 reader comment
"Karapuz." The manufacturer claims that this powder is completely safe and children cannot have any allergies, since the powder is based on baby soap.