Cloth Diaper Washing and Care Instructions

Cloth diapers are easier than ever to care for.  We recommend the "dry pail" method for your soiled diapers.  The pail is left dry.  No water is added to it.  A standard diaper pail or even a covered wastebasket or laundry hamper will do.  Place a diaper pail liner inside for ease of use.  A bit of baking soda added to the diaper pail will help eliminate odors. 

After changing baby, wet diapers or soiled diapers from babies fed breastmilk or formula only (no solid foods) can be placed directly in the diaper pail.  Dunking or rinsing is unnecessary.  Pocket diapers may be un-stuffed prior to placing in the diaper pail (this will reduce urine odors).  Older babies who have begun solid foods will have more solid stools and these should be disposed of prior to placing soiled diapers into the diaper pail.  Solids should be shaken or scraped off into the toilet or rinsed off using a handheld bidet sprayer.  If desired, flushable rice paper liners may be placed inside diapers to make disposal of solid wastes easier.

Diapers should be washed every 2-3 days.  Choose a detergent that is free of additives, UV brighteners, enzymes and fragrances for the least amount of potential skin irritation for your baby and residue buildup in the diapers.  Run a pre-wash or rinse cycle with cold water to remove any remaining solids.  Then wash on hot with about half the amount of detergent recommended by the manufacturer.  A second rinse is recommended. 

We recommend use of "Sport Wash" or "Sensiclean" detergents for our diapers, as these contain no additives to cause buildup on diapers.  "Wind Fresh" is another suitable option (available at Sam's Club).  Buildup of detergent or fabric softener additives may result in the following problems:  wicking inner linings may begin to repel fluids, waterproofing treatments may be impaired, diapers may develop unpleasant odors, soaker absorbency may be diminished  and babies may react to residues by developing rashes and skin irritation.  Some individuals use a few drops of Tea Tree oil in each wash-load as a disinfectant and deodorizer. 

Clean diapers may be dried in the dryer or hung on the line to dry.  Pocket style AIOs dry very quickly, however fitted and true AIO styles may take much longer, especially if line-dried.  NEVER use fabric softeners (liquids or dryer sheets) on your cloth diapers.  The softening agents coat the diaper fibers causing reduced absorbency.  If desired, you may use 1/2 cup of vinegar in the rinse cycle for softening. 

To remove stains, one of the most effective methods is simply hanging wet diapers out in direct sunlight.  The sun whitens diapers very effectively.  For tough stains, a bit of lemon juice may be added to water and sprayed on the stains prior to sunning.  For added whitening and stain removal in the laundry, a non-chlorine product such as Borax, Oxi-Clean, BIZ powder or Oxy-Boost may be used occasionally (test first to make sure your baby is not sensitive to these products).  We do not recommend the use of chlorine bleach because it causes more rapid fading and breakdown of the diaper materials and is also less environmentally friendly.

You will find that pocket AIO diapers wash and dry most quickly.  Line-drying these is very fast.  However, fitted diapers and true AIOs will take longer to dry, both in the machine and on the line.  True AIOs often require two dryer cycles to completely dry.  If drying time is an important factor for you, you may prefer to use a pocket style diaper or alter your fitted or true AIO diapers to allow for more rapid drying.  Creating diapers with snap-in or flap style soakers (rather than soaker layers sewn internally) can speed drying time.