Tips for washing and maintaining cloth diapering products and treating special conditions like stains and odors.
Cloth diapers may cost more than disposables initially, but over time making this investment will save parents a great deal of money. With proper care, cloth diapers can easily keep one child, and sometimes subsequent children, covered through potty training.
Washing Methods:
- Dry Pail: Wet diapers are put into a dry diaper pail. Diapers containing solid waste are first flushed out, removing all solids, and sometimes soaked in cold water before being placed in the dry pail. On washday, all diapers are put in the washer on a cold setting with detergent and a gentle stain pretreater to soak. The length of time diapers soak varies from user to user, and some will skip the soak altogether. The diapers are then run through the longest wash cycle on cold. (Cold prevents stains from setting) The diapers are then washed again on hot, using detergent and sometimes baking or washing soda (neutralizes the Ph). Add ½ cup vinegar to the rinse cycle for a natural fabric softener that won't reduce absorbency. Then dry in the dryer or on a clothesline.
- Combination Pail: Wet diapers are put into a dry diaper pail. Soiled diapers are put first flushed out, removing all solids, and then placed into a pail containing a small amount of stain pretreater. On washday, the wet pail contents are put into the washer and spun out. They are then washed in cold, using detergent. For the second wash, the dry pail contents are added along with detergent and sometimes baking or washing soda and washed on hot. Again, add ½ cup vinegar to the rinse cycle to soften, and dry.
- Wet Pail: The wet pail method combines both wet and soiled diapers into one pail that contains water and a pretreater. The diapers are spun out prior to washing on cold, and then washed again on hot following the steps outlined above.
Special Circumstances:
Some diapers, particularly those made by work at home moms or other fitted diapers, as well as most diaper covers, require a more gentle washing approach.
- COVERS should be washed separately from the diapers, or washed by hand. They seldom require as frequent washings as do the diapers.
- FITTED DIAPERS should be laundered following the manufacturer's suggestions. Usually this means they need to stay out of the dryer, which can shorten the life of the elastic.
- WOOL SOAKERS usually require hand washing on cold, and must be relanolized on occasion to preserve the waterproofing ability of this unique cover.
Troubleshooting:
- STAINS! It is inevitable that at some point a diaper or cover will get stained. Usually, these stains fade away over time, but if stains are troublesome, try putting a bit of lemon juice on the spot and putting it in the sun to dry. This may have to be repeated a few times before the stain is gone.
- YEAST? If a baby gets a yeast infection, the diapers will also carry the yeast and reinfect the child. Using a Dutch oven or other large pot, boil the diapers in water for five minutes, wash as usual, and allow them to dry in the sun.
- ODOR. Typically, by following the laundering instructions listed above, this circumstance should not occur. If it does, try soaking the diapers in a strong vinegar solution for approximately thirty minutes prior to washing. Use baking soda in the hot wash, and finish as usual.
