WASHING CLOTH DIAPERS

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I hope this page answers most of your questions about how to care for your diapers and slings. If there is something more you would like to know, please email me and I will try to help. If I don't know the answer to your question I will find someone who does. . . So, here goes. .

Cloth Diaper Washing Instructions:

No need to soak any of these diapers. Place soiled diapers, insert, and cloth wipes (if you use them) in a dry diaper pail with a lid/liner or in a drawstring waterproof diaper bag. I recommend that you separate the liners from the Fuzzi Bunz and Wonderoos and you separate the DSQ Chinese Prefolds from the covers. I usually put the covers in a separate little bathroom sized covered pail or bucket. I recommend washing diapers no less than every 2-3 days. This prevents the diapers made with man made materials (like Fuzzi Bunz and Wonderoos) from absorbing odors. If your baby is breastfed exclusively (and not on solids yet) there is no need to even shake off poop into the toilet yet. Breastfed baby pooh washes out like yogurt. If your baby is like mine, is breastfed and poops nuclear yellow, green, purple (just kidding) poohs that tend to stain, you can do what I do. If my baby has a huge poop that gets all over the cover, I either wash a load right away so the diaper and cover won't stain. . . or if I just did a load and then he poops, I rinse the cover in cold water and place the nuclear green/yellow poop stained diaper in a Ziploc-type bag, add a couple of tablespoons of Arm & Hammer Baking Soda, add just a tiny drop of detergent, and enough water to cover the soiled diaper so it won't stain. I zip the bag up and toss it in with the rest of the dry diapers for wash day. You can use the same method if your baby is on solids, just make sure to shake out the major part of the poop into the toilet. I am a little particular about my diapers in that I like them to not only smell clean, and be clean, I like them to look clean and stain-free.

At wash time I place all the diapers and covers in the machine. I fill the machine with Cold Water, add ½ cup Arm & Hammer Baking Soda and let it swish a few minutes and then pull the knob out and soak the diapers for about 20 minutes (or overnight if I forget about them as I often do). Then I pull the knob back out, let it swish around for another few minutes or so, then forward it to spin long enough to get a majority of the water out. Then I turn the knob back and fill the machine with Hot Water and add some more Arm & Hammer Baking Soda and a very small amount of whatever detergent I happen to have on hand at the time. I have a front-loading high-efficiency model, so for me, about a tablespoon of detergent or less does the trick. Right now I am using Allen's Naturally, but I have also used Gain, Shaklee brand, Tide (although this is really too strong for everyday use in my opinion), and others. I recommend Allen's Naturally for any diapers or covers made with synthetic materials--it is exceptional at removing odors and will not leave detergent residue. If you have a regular top-loading washing machine, you will probably use about ¼ cup detergent or less. The amount of detergent you need is very subjective. The hardness/softness of your local water supply will affect how much detergent you need. My machine has a 2nd Rinse cycle button, so I activate that and always double rinse my diapers in cold water. An option to help keep your diapers detergent residue-free is to add ¼ to ½ cup plain white Vinegar to your final rinse cycle. I have a compartment in my machine for fabric softener, so this is where I add the vinegar. I've heard that a Downy ball works well for this also. If you find that there are suds in the rinse cycle then you are probably using too much detergent. You should rinse them again and use less next wash. You definitely want to err on the side of caution with making sure your diapers are well-rinsed as some babies are sensitive to detergent reside. Again, using a vinegar final rinse will also help prevent this.

After my diapers have washed and rinsed two times, I either place them on the clothes line or in the dryer on a medium (not the hottest) setting. Using the medium dryer setting will ensure the plastic snaps won't melt. I have never had a problem with plastic snaps melting, but everyone's dryer is different. Only you know what works for you and if your dryer is super duper hot. I usually (unless I need them right then) place the covers on top of the machine to dry via residual dryer heat (this is not necessary, but definitely extends the life of the covers as they are laminated).

Special Considerations:

If you find your diapers have stains, simply hang them in the sun. . . or if you are really desperate to whiten them up, use a little OxyClean (sodium percarbonate, which is biodegradable and won't destroy your diapers like Chlorine Bleach) powder once a month or so during the Hot Wash cycle with the detergent and baking soda. And, please, no matter how tempted you are, never use Clorox or any Chlorine Bleach on your diapers or covers. . . it will destroy the fibers and make them disintegrate. Not to mention how bad Chlorine Bleach is for the environment and our health.

Elan Cotton Diaper Covers (and any 100% cotton diaper covers): Should be washed in a cold only load or hand washed with mild detergent. I place my cotton covers in with a load of regular towels or clothes in a cold wash. They should also be air dried. If you take care and follow these instructions, the covers should retain their waterproof-ness (is that even a word?) a long, long time. If you don't follow these instructions, your covers will be ruined. (Don't let this scare you or deter you from using the cotton/breathable covers. . . it's really not a big deal. . . just make sure your husband, Mom, or anyone else helping you knows how to care for them also or to let you wash the diapers. . . or you can post a copy of these instructions by your washing machine. The only times my diapers have been destroyed were when other people were helping me with laundry.)

If you want your diapers to smell as sweet as your baby, you can put a few drops of lavender essential oil on a small washcloth or piece of fabric and toss this home-made dryer sheet in with your diapers as they dry.