Soap vs Detergent

Tanya's question in the comments of my previous post forced me to do some research. Here's what I found:

First off, Tanya I think that you are ok using your homemade stuff on your dipes because of the kind of dipes that you use(all cotton fitteds/PFs).
Since I'm lazy and going the AIO/pocket route, which are made using inners of fleece, suedecloth and other synthetic materials it's a bit of a different ballgame. Soap, after time builds up on fabrics and will prevent pee from being able to get through the suedecloth/fleece to the soaker. They will actually repell fluid rather than wick it away from baby's skin. This problem is precipitated by hard water, which we have frequently when my husband forgets to feed the softener.

Here's what I found:

There is one big drawback in soaps that seemingly pushed the detergent industry, and that ‘drawback’ is the principal difference recognized between soaps and detergents. Soaps and detergents behave differently in hard water. Soaps form a scum in hard water and this scum will not rinse away easily and is known to turn laundry a grayish hue. The insoluble film it leaves can leave a residue on your laundry much like you would see in a shower stall where hard water is present. Detergents react less to the minerals it comes up against in water and will not leave this same residue. (3) If you live in an area where the water is soft, you will have more success with soaps, but even then, a gradual build-up of calcium and magnesium ions (also called ‘curd’) will be left in the fabric of your diapers or any of your family’s laundry over time. Another disadvantage cited with soaps is that they “…will deteriorate in storage and lack the cleaning power when compared with the modern synthetic surfactants.”(4) Because of this, detergents have steadily become the cleaning agent of choice since World War II, because for all practical purposes (not to be confused with environmental purposes) – synthetic or not, they will leave your laundry cleaner.
Found on The Diaper Hyena

I suppose a person could get away with it if they wanted to strip their diapers w/OxiClean frequently, but yah, we've sufficiently established that I like the easiest route in all things.

I found this in a discussion specifically about the soap/washing soda/borax solution used on dipes:

Pure soaps are not the most ideal for cloth diaper washing as over time they will leave a residue on diapers which may cause leaking. Using the Fels Naptha is probably fine for prefolds but for pocket diapers that have fleece or suedecloth I would tend to shy away as these fabrics are more prone to getting build up. The same would apply for the Ivory Soap as this is a pure soap too.
Found in the comments section here.

The jury is still out on the use of Borax. The SposoEasy diaper I bought came with instructions recommending 20 Mule Team Borax and Cheer, but I've read on other diaper selling sites that you should NOT use any kind of whiteners, which Borax is. I have also read in a number of places that Borax breaks down fibers in both the cloth and elastic and can diminish the water-resistant coatings of the covers. The only thing I can think of is that since the Sposos are all cotton they get to follow different rules.

One other thing I found in my research that makes complete sense but I just hadn't thought about it. Using one thing on your dipes and another on your regular laundry is pretty much doing science experiments in your washing machine. Hmm... So, if you can find one detergent that you love for both that's your best bet. I keep coming back to the Crunchy Clean. It seems really very reasonably priced. Chris especially likes that we can get it in a bagillion different scents. He's weird about that. He wants his clothes to smell like something(and that something is generally not hogs). For some reason he associates clean with the smell of flowers. Silly boy.