General Cloth Diaper Laundering Information
Laundering Cloth Diapers
Every diaper manufacturer gives slightly different instructions on laundering their diapers. Does this mean you have to wash all diaper separately? Absolutely not! As long as you follow some basic principles, you will quickly figure out what works well for your particular situation.
After taking the diaper off of your child, you will want to make sure you have removed any solid waste before putting the used “nappy” in the diaper pail or bag. This is more of an issue after six months when your baby is eating solids, as before that, the poops do not have to be removed prior to washing. The solid waste can be dealt with by removing the disposable line or spraying or swishing the diaper. Most manufacturers do not recommend soaking soiled diapers in a “wet” diaper pail while waiting to be laundered. Apparently, this can cause a break-down of the waterproof layer on some diapers. Most advocate dropping the diapers into a “dry” diaper pail until it is time to wash them.
After dumping your diapers into the washing machine, do a cold rinse followed by a hot wash. Use a low residue, additive free detergent (see list) and no fabric softeners. Some parents choose to do a second rinse to make sure all the detergent is out of the diapers. Detergent residue in diapers can cause decreased absorbency, repelling of urine, stinky diapers, and diaper rash. (See tips form Bummis for dealing with detergent residue).
Diapers can be dried on the line or in the dryer. Of course line drying is the most cost-effective and environmentally friendly mode of drying. If some of your diapers are not dry after a dryer cycle, you can hang them for the remaining time. Waterproof covers can be washed out in the sink in between wash loads, if necessary, and hung to dry on your shower bar.
Simplified, your washing routine will look like this:
· Dump diapers into your washer
· COLD rinse
· HOT wash using the highest water level setting and maximum agitation
· COLD rinse (sometimes repeated)
· Hang to dry or machine dry on medium
Choose a detergent that is:
· Bleach-free
· Phosphate-free
· Additive-free
· Enzyme-free
· Free of optical brighteners
· Dyes-free
· Fragrance-free
Do NOT use soap based detergents (ie: a “pure soap” rather than a “detergent”). Do not use detergents with fabric softeners
My number one stain remover is good old sunshine! It works particularly well on those bright yellow newborn poop stains! Sunshine will also brighten up grungy looking diapers. After laundering, make sure that the diaper is hung so that the stained area faces the direction from which the sun is coming. If your child has been eating a particularly colourful food prior to decorating the inside of their diaper, it often helps prevent setting in of the stain to rinse the diaper out before putting it into the diaper pail. In conclusion, stains happen, but let’s face it; these are diapers we’re talking about! Did you know that sunlight is also a natural disinfectant?! (Trivial tip: Sunshine is also extremely effective at removing tomato based stains from clothing!)
The most common cause of diaper stink is detergent build-up. See the Bummis section at the end of the booklet on detergent residue. Detergent build-up can be smelly and annoying, but it is totally correctable! The method for correcting it involves “stripping” the diapers of the residue. Please contact us if you need help!
In general, most oxygen bleaches and bleach alternatives are safe for use with diapers. DO not use chlorine bleach.