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How to Wash Cloth Diapers
The first question many people as me is how to wash cloth diapers. Our mothers had to struggle when it came time to wash cloth diapers. These ain't your mama's cloth diapers! Modern cloth diapers and modern washing machines make washing diapers a breeze.
These instructions will work for most types of diapers. It is always best to follow the manufacturer's instructions.
There is no need to remove breastfed baby poop from the diapers as this will easily wash out. You can shake the diaper over the toilet to remove any solids from older babies before putting them into the diaper pail. Don't worry about removing all traces of messes, the residue will wash out. I recommend a diaper pail liner so you don?t have to scrub the diaper pail. You can also use a flannel or microfleece diaper liner to protect your diapers from stains and make them easier to clean.
On wash day simply use the diaper pail liner to carry the diapers to the washer and then push the diaper pail liner inside out to empty the cloth diapers into the washer. You can wash the diaper pail liner right along with the diapers.
Fill the washer with cold water and soak for 30-60 minutes or so. Let the washer spin out all of the rinse water, then reset it to a wash cycle with warm or hot water. Add just a little less than ? cup of detergent such as Tide, Clout (from Costco), Era, Sunlight or Cheer. You can add vinegar to the first rinse if you wish to help soften the diapers and balance the Ph levels. This can reduce the risk of yeast rashes and diaper rash. A Downy ball works great for this because it will release the vinegar at just the right time.
NEVER use natural soaps or fabric softeners as they leave a residue that will coat the diapers and make them repel water. Do not use any ?Free? detergents, Ivory Snow or Dreft as these will also cause buildup.
You may wish to do a second rinse to make sure that there is no detergent residue to irritate baby?s skin.
You can then line dry or use a dryer. Most diapers and covers do fine in the dryer despite the myths that surround PUL. PUL is actually very resilient and running it through the dryer on hot helps to seal any small holes that have developed in the waterproofing layer. Most pocket diaper and cover manufacturers recommend using the dryer to tighten up PUL from time to time. Some elastics do not do well in the dryer, so it is a good idea to follow the manufacturers recommendation here as well.
If you use wool diaper covers, make sure they are machine washable and dryable or you will end up with doll sized diapers.
If you are using hemp diapers, you will need to wash them alone several times to remove the natural plant oils. You will want to avoid washing fleece or suedecloth lined diapers or covers with hemp as the hemp oils leave a residue.
If your diapers start to smell funny, repel water (causing leaks) or are not as soft as they used to be, it may be necessary to strip them. You can strip the diapers by washing them with a very small amount of dish soap and then rinsing them until the water no longer foams when the washer agitates.
