Washing Cloth Diapers
Cloth Diaper Care and Washing Instructions
Caring for and washing cloth diapers will not be a whole lot of extra work, like so many people think. You will not be slaving over a washing machine, I promise. Putting away my stash of fluff is one of my favorite past times. For each child expect 2-3 extra loads of laundry a week. Washing routines will vary greatly depending on preference and each family.
These are our recommendations for a basic wash routine:
-Put your soiled diapers in a dry pail. Be sure to spray off with a BumGenius diaper sprayer or swish and flush in the toilet any solids. Exclusively breastfed baby bowel movements do not need to be washed off, unless that is your preference. Using a wet pail is not recommended for a couple reasons, it can be very messy, and more smelly for you. A wet pail is recommended if you are having smell issues though.
-
Washing every 2-3 days helps to keep your diapers from developing diaper stink and is more sanitary.
-
A pail liner is your choice. If you use one be sure to wash it with each diaper wash. Take it out before the rinse cycle, because it can hold water and cause your diapers not to be fully rinsed. I have never used one, I have always just rinsed out my pails after each wash. Pail liners can help when traveling.
Click here for safe detergents list. Hosted by the Diaper Jungle
Make sure you only dry the absorbent diaper parts. For example: prefolds, aio's, inserts, doublers, liners, and fitteds or contours. Dry on High heat for about 60 minutes. Microfiber will stay absorbent longer if line dried or dried on low heat. Make sure to also line dry the pocket part of the diaper, PUL, covers, wool, pail liners, wetbags. Drying in the dryer shortens their life, can make them crack, and become less waterproof. If the weather is not permitting a line dry, then a simple drying rack will do. Usually these can purchased at your local department for well under $20. Drying the waterproof items in the dryer on medium heat can be done when illness occurs. This will sanitize them, it should not take longer than 30 minutes at the most.
-
Laundry Detergents
Many laundry detergents have so many chemicals added to them that don't react well with cloth diapers. Click here if you want to see if your detergent will work well with cloth diapers. You will want the detergent with the least amount of ingredients, many times this will be the cheapest one on the shelf.
Make sure you avoid these ingredients –
-
Optical Brighteners—they leave a chemical residue on diapers
-
Fabric Softener-- leave a residue that causes repelling, This obviously defeats the purpose of a diaper.
-
Bleach-- Will eat at the fibers of your diapers. This will cause them to have an extremely short lifespan. If you are wanting to give up on cloth though this may be an option though. By using only 1/4-1/2 cup in the wash can really bring diapers back to life. PLEASE use less than 2 times a year. This is not a normal recommendation, only for desperate mommas. I have cloth diapered 3 children and have never needed to use it.
-
Enzymes-- Many can be allergic. This is a brightener and helps to loosen stains.
-
Fragrance-- No need for it and can cause allergic reaction to baby's' skin. Many just give off harmful chemical smells that no one in the family needs to be exposed to.
High Efficiency Washers
Extra points to consider
-Make sure you fasten all the Velcro tabs before washing. Diaper chain is not fun and can make your diapers become very worn looking.
-Use the highest water setting available to you from your washer.
-Be sure to remove all inserts and stuffins from pocket diapers. This will ensure they will become very clean.
-Smell your diapers after drying. If they smell stinky or like detergent wash again. This is because they are not fully clean, have detergent build-up in them, or the detergent has not fully rinsed out of them.
-Please don't use fabric softener, bleach, or baby free and clear. Baby free and clear has oils in it that can build-up on your diapers.
New Diapers
All new diapers need to be washed at least once prior to use, especially organic fibers. The fibers contain oils that need to be stripped, washing 2-3 times will usually get you started. You will find your diapers becoming more absorbent with each new wash up to about 6 washes or so.
Hemp Diapers will need about 8-10 washes before maximum absorbency is achieved. They may also shrink up to 10%.
Do not wash microfleece and hemp or unbleached prefolds together. The oils in the prefolds and hemp can stick to the microfleece and cause it to repel liquids.
Stains and Odors
For diaper pail odor try deodorizers or just sprinkle baking soda and a few drops of essential oils at the bottom of your pail.
Many people expect stains on their diapers because of the nature of this product. But believe me, you do not have to live with them. Laying your diapers in the sun for 2-3 hours will rid them of most all stains. You can even lay them out on cloudy days and any season of the year. Just make sure it is not raining. After sunning you can throw them in the dryer for about 15 min. for some added extra fluffiness to them.
Ammonia smell is a frequent problem with cloth diapers. (Urine will turn to ammonia as it sits for a day or two.) The first thing to check is your detergent you are using and maybe switch brands. Make sure you are using enough to get the diapers clean, you are using hot water. You can also start using an extra rinse cycle, adding 1 cup of vinegar to the rinse. Vinegar will cut the ammonia smell.
-
Stripping is also an option. This means just washing your diapers on hot water Only until the water remains suds free. Usually this will need to be done 2-3 times. Boiling is also an effective method. You can use a stock pot and boil them for about 10-15 minutes. Be careful though this can ruin elastic and your covers. So be sure to not do this too many times a year. Some parents also throw their cloth diapers in the dish washer. This can also do the trick.