If you’ve never taken any interest in advertisements that claim their laundry product will whiten your whites and brighten your colours, that might change now. When you get into cloth nappies (even just for covering your change table), bibs and food stained clothing (yours and your baby’s) you may start to take more interest in these product claims.

Many powder soakers and whiteners like Napisan and Sard are multi-purpose. As well as being used to soak clothing and nappies to get rid of stains and bacteria they can be used in a more concentrated manner for spot treatment of stubborn stains or in a more diluted form as a wash booster.

Here are some commonly used phrases that you may see on the packaging but have no idea what they really mean!

• Enzyme powered – enzymes are used to help remove protein, fatty and oily stains from clothes. Like all catalysts, enzymes accelerate the rates of reactions but don’t undergo any chemical change.
• Optical brighteners – enhance the appearance of white fabric by causing a ‘whitening’ effect. This makes materials look less yellow by absorbing light in the ultraviolet region re-emitting it in the blue region of the visible spectrum.
• Oxygen based whitener – usually hydrogen peroxide, see below for more…
• Available oxygen - a measure of the active oxygen or hydrogen peroxide in a product. Simply put, the more oxygen available for cleaning the better results.
• Dermatologically tested - any product that has been observed after being applied to the skin.
• Plant-based whiteners are made from mineral salts that are enzyme free. They release oxygen that lift stains from clothing and the product biodegrades converting to oxygen, water and soda ash.
• You may also see some of these active ingredients mentioned on the label:
• Sodium percarbonate - a water-soluble compound of sodium carbonate (soda ash) and hydrogen peroxide.
• Hydrogen peroxide - a bleaching agent that breaks down into oxygen and water. This is an environmentally safer alternative to chlorine-based bleaches.
• Non-ionic surfactants - surfactants are substances that significantly reduce the surface tension of the water. They are used in laundry products to remove stains and dirt.
• Benzalkonium chloride - a fungicide and bactericide that’s the active ingredient in many disinfectants.
• Triethanolamine (TEA) - used as an emulsifier in laundry products to remove greasy stains.

Chlorine-based whiteners are not recommended for baby’s clothes or nappies as they’re harsh on sensitive skins. Non-chlorine whiteners can simply be rinsed and dried – they don’t require washing after use.

Remember to follow all instructions carefully to make sure you use the product correctly and avoid any reaction from your baby’s sensitive skin. Then you too can have stain-free laundry hanging from your washing line, just like in the ads!

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