Diaper Care and Detergents
One of the most common concerns about using cloth diapers is the laundry. But let’s face it, we’re not out scrubbing our laundry on rocks in the river anymore. It is a little extra work to carry the diapers to the machine, but then all I need to do is toss the diapers in, twist a dial, and my work is done.
Preparing diapers for first use:
All diaper items should be pre-washed before using.
New prefolds and hemp items must be washed and dried about 5 (maybe more) times to strip away the natural oils in the cotton and hemp. Be sure to wash in really hot water (you may want to turn up your water heater for these wash cycles- please be careful) with a bit of detergent. Your prefold diapers, which will arrive looking like fine linen, will shrink up about 5-10 percent and become fluffy, quilted, and absorbent.
Be sure to pre-wash hemp, cotton, and polyester items separately, as the natural oils will coat the polyester. After pre-washing, hemp, cotton and polyester items may all be washed together.
Covers, pocket diapers, and microfiber inserts can be pre-washed once according to care instructions.
Storing diapers until laundry day:
We recommend using a dry pail system (no water in the pail to soak diapers). It is both safer for babies and small children, and easier on parents. You can use a diaper pail, a kitchen trash can, an empty detergent bucket, just about anything with a tight fitting lid. A diaper pail liner makes it easy to tote the dirty diapers to the washing machine and eliminates the need to wash out the pail.
Wet diapers go directly in the pail and you can hang your cover to air dry until it’s needed at the next change. At the end of the day, or if they've gotten messy, covers go in the pail. For pocket diapers, remove the insert and place both the insert and pocket outer into the pail. With exclusively breastfed babies, their messy diapers can also go directly into the pail, as their poops are extremely water-soluble and will wash away easily in the washing machine. Once baby has begun solid food you will want to shake off any solids into the toilet before placing the diaper in the pail- we highly recommend the Diaper Sprayer and Flushable Diaper Liners for this purpose.
A simple wash routine:
1. Cold rinse or pre-wash. No detergent in this cycle. This cycle is mostly to rinse away any poop and can be skipped if you only have wet diapers. Using cold helps deter stains.
2. Hot wash with 1/4 to 1/2 the normal amount of detergent. Detergent buildup is one of the main reasons for diaper problems, including wicking, repelling and rashes.
3. Extra rinse on cold.
4. Your prefolds and inserts go in the dryer. Some covers and pocket diapers can be put in the dryer as well, others should be line dried or dried on low- check your care instructions.
Diapers should be washed about every 2-3 days. Generally it is recommended to not wash more than 24-30 diapers at once. Use the highest water level.
Preventing Stains:
Surprisingly, most parents report that newborn meconium does not stain their diapers. Once the meconium passes, however, diaper stains can be an issue.
Stain prevention measures include using flushable liners in your diapers, using a diaper sprayer to remove any messes before placing in the diaper pail, and using a cold prewash in your laundry routine.
If you are having trouble with stains, the best thing to do is to line dry your diapers in the sun after washing. I didn’t believe it until I tried it myself, but the sun bleaches stains out wonderfully and the UV rays also disinfect your diapers. (This even works in Alaska's weak winter sun, just be ready to thaw your diapers in the dryer!)
Oxygen "bleach" (also known as non-chlorine bleach) can be used with most cloth diapers. In general, it is recommended to AVOID chlorine bleach, as this can eat away at fabrics and elastic and void manufacturer's warranties.
Products NOT recommended for use with diapers:
- Chlorine Bleach. Bleach will eat away at the fabric of your prefolds and reduce their useful life. It can also ruin the elastic in your covers and pocket diapers and void most manufacturer's warranties (bumGenius diapers may be bleached occasionally without voiding the warranty).
- Fabric Softener. Both liquid fabric softeners and dryer sheets will coat your diapers and reduce their absorbency.
- Detergents that contain ‘whitening enzymes’. Whitening enzymes have been implicated in severe skin irritation in some babies.
- Detergents that contain ‘whitening agents’ or ‘brightening agents’. Whitening agents and optical brighteners are relatively new additives in detergents. They are basically dyes that make clothes appear whiter. These additives cause build up on your diapers, especially polyester items like covers and pocket diapers, and cause wicking and repelling. Unlike other types of build up however, it is extremely difficult to remove because these dyes are designed to stay on clothes even after washing and rinsing.
- Pure ‘soap’ products. These will rapidly build up in your diapers.
A note on detergents:
Detergent recommendations vary widely depending on water hardness and the type of diapers you are using. You will need to use more caution with pocket diapers to avoid detergents containing natural oils which can lead to build up. Prefolds are generally fine in most detergents.
Locally available (in Anchorage) 'cloth diaper friendly' detergents include: Country Save and Mountain Green Free & Clear(at Natural Pantry) and Planet (at Fred Meyer). Click here to link to an excellent chart comparing various detergents.
The makers of Happy Heiny's recommend Tide, Country Save, Allen's, Mountain Green, and Planet. Cllick here to link Happy Heiny's diaper care page.
The makers of Bummi's recommend Country Save, Allen's, and Mountain Green, among others. Click here to link to Bummi's article on detergents.
Please note that when trying any new detergent with your diapers there is the potential for an allergic reaction. Discontinue use of any new product immediately if you notice any rash or 'burn'.