Caring for Cloth Diapers
Cloth diapers are cost-effective, but they require some tender-loving care. Here is how to keep them healthy and looking brand new for years to come!
The manner in which one cares for their cloth diapers will dramatically affect the life, smell, and absorbency of the diapers.
Basic Daily Care
- Shake feces into the toilet. Newborn feces will not be stiff, so rinsing the diaper off in the toilet, spraying it down with a diaper hose, or utilizing a pre-wash on the washing machine is helpful.
- Collect soiled and wet diapers in a lined diaper bin or plastic pail. You can add baking soda to help diminish the smell. You may wish to implement a soak or non-soak storing method.
Where to Begin
- Wash and dry your new cloth diaper 5 to 10 times before use. These preparatory washings help increase the absorbency of the cloth diapers and remove any chemicals that may be found within your diapers. Your diapers may begin to “bulk up” during this process – this is normal.
- Select the proper diaper detergent. The detergent you use will indefinitely affect the life, absorbency, and smell of the cloth diapers. For additional information, visit the Diaper Detergent Chart.
Washing Your Diapers
- Limit the size of wash loads to 24 diapers. The fewer the diapers, the cleaner they will be.
- If you soak your cloth diapers in baking soda, wash your diapers with vinegar, thus helping to restore the pH balance of the diapers. DO NOT use vinegar if your diaper is made from synthetic textiles as this fabric hangs on to the vinegar smell. Most diaper covers and some cloth diapers are made of this textile.
- Avoid washing the diapers with regular laundry detergent. Regular detergents create a waxy build-up, affect the absorbency of the diaper, and cause a “stinky” build-up. Dreft and Ivory Snow are excellent detergents that are very friendly to the life of cotton diapers. For more information about detergents, visit the Diaper Detergent Chart.
- Only use 1/2 of the suggested amount of detergent for top-loaders and 1/3 for high efficiency and front-loaders.
- Do not use any form of borox or bleach on the diapers – these products are rough on the fibers found within cloth diapers and are also very harmful to your baby’s skin. If you wish to whiten the diapers, baking soda is an excellent product to use.
- A prewash cycle or short cycle prior to washing is helpful in removing stools and urine.
- After the prewash or initial wash cycle, use warm or hot water and then a cold rinse.
Drying Your Diapers
- Hang dry your diapers when possible. The dryer can damage the diapers and decrease their durability and life. If you do choose to hang dry, it is helpful to place the diapers in the dryer for 10 – 15 minutes to soften the fibers.
- Sunlight is excellent at removing smell, preserving the textiles, and whitening your diapers.
- If you do dry your diapers in the dryer, add a dry towel to speed up the drying process. Occasionally using a high heat setting will help with sterilization and resealing the lamination of the diapers.
- Hand wash all wool covers.
Diapers Hanging Onto the Smell
If you are having a hard time removing the smell from the diapers, replace your regular detergent with ¼ cup Calgon water softener or 1-2 Tbsp Dawn dish soap. Use Calgon and Dawn as often as needed, but not with every wash cycle.
Diapers in need of a deep cleaning? Use a little bit of Oxyclean Baby in place of your regular detergent. NOTE: Only do this when necessary.
Soaking Methods
To store soiled diapers, place them in a large lined pail. The following is two soak methods that assist in removing build-up, stains, and smell. These soaking methods can be used when necessary, but should not be done routinely as they can wear down the diaper fabrics.
Prior to utilizing these methods, note that vinegar should not be used on diapers with a vinyl covering (AIOs).
Overnight Soak Method
- Pre-wash your diapers in cold water.
- Refill the washer with cold water and a ½ cup of baking soda. Allow your machine to agitate for a couple minutes. Turn the washing machine off and let the cloth diapers soak several hours or overnight.
- Drain the water.
- Begin a hot wash with detergent and ½ cup Arm and Hammer Washing Soda.
- Double Rinse – add ½ cup vinegar during first rinse. You may add the vinegar in the fabric softener compartment when starting the hot wash.
No Soak Method
- Cold wash your diapers with baking soda.
- Hot wash with detergent and baking soda.
- Rinse diapers with cold water and vinegar.
- 2nd rinse – rinse cloth diapers with cold water.
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