How
to Wash
Cloth Diapers
With
today’s efficient home
washing machines, washing cloth diapers is easier than you think.
It
may take some trial and
error to find the routine that works best for your washer and your
water
hardness. Here is a
basic laundry
procedure and guidelines for washing cloth diapers.
Washing
Cloth Diapers
- First, make sure that you have
removed the solids from the cloth diaper.
It is easiest to shake the solids into the
toilet at
each change. A
spatula in the bathroom is great for removing as much as you can. For exclusively breastfed
babies, the soiled diaper can go right into the washer.
Yet another benefit of breastfeeding!
- Take your diaper
pail liner full of soiled diapers to your washer. Dump all the
diapers and the liner into the washer.
Put the washer on a cold rinse. Nothing to add. This
cold water rinse will remove any protein based stains (poop). I often do this step right
before I start dinner.
- Restart the washer on a hot wash
with your diaper
detergent of choice.
If you are using a detergent available at
your local
grocery store, use much less. About
a quarter of the recommended amount.
This will ensure the diapers rinse clean. Set the water level on
your washer as high as possible. Make
sure you don’t overstuff the washer.
There has to be enough space for the water
to
circulate around the cloth diapers.
I put the diapers on to wash, and then put
dinner on
the table.
- A hot dryer will fluff up your
prefolds beautifully. Most prefold diapers are made to withstand these
harsh conditions. Most
covers can stand the heat. However,
you could place the diaper
covers on top of the dryer to capture some of that
escaping heat. Some
cloth diaper manufactures of microfleece products recommend air drying
and others recommend a medium dryer setting.
However, these too could be hung up to dry
overnight
near the dryer. I
start the dryer right before I go to bed.
In the morning, there are fresh clean
diapers.
Or
Use
a clothesline for all your cloth diapers.
The sun will naturally bleach out any stains. Here is a trick for softer
prefold
diapers. Hang
your prefolds so
they overlap. That
is, half of the first
diaper is covered by the second diaper.
And the other half of the second diaper is
covered by the
third
diaper. They will
take longer to dry,
but they will be soft and fluffy.
If
your diapers are a little stiff when you take them off the line, check
how much
detergent you are using. When
I choose
to hang the diapers outside, I hang them in the morning before the boys
are
awake. Our South Florida sun has them dry,
well before lunchtime!
There
are many variables;
baby sensitivities, family diet, water hardness to name a few. This
basic
routine for washing cloth diapers is a great way to start. Tweaking this routine can
be done later, IF
you have a problem.
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