Cloth Diaper Washing 101

So now you got the diapers, ok great but how do you wash them? In this guide we will help guide you through our recommended wash routine. 

The wash routine for your reusable diapers may seem daunting at first, but it's really rather simple. We promise!

Your wash routine will depend somewhat on what kind of washing machine you have. You want to wash your diapers TWICE. Both washes are the same but the first round is more like a prewash and the second your main wash. Think of it like this: the prewash gets a large part of all the nasties out and just preps your diapers and inserts so that they can get rinsed and clear all the yuck out. Since anything yucky and any pee or residual waste has been washed out, the second wash actually cleans everything really good so your diapers should come out smelling clean (or like nothing if your detergent is unscented).

Everybody finds a routine that works for them, but in the interest of keeping it simple, here’s one example for both front and top loader washing machines.

WASHING

MAIN WASH - How you load your machine is quite important. It’s all about achieving the perfect balance of agitation - too full and your diapers can’t move around enough to clean each other, too little and there’s not enough friction. Not good! Ideally you want to have your machine about 3/4 full when wet, or loosely full when dry. If you don’t have enough diaper laundry to wash, you can add some other items like towels, or whatever isn’t big enough to wrap around your inserts and diapers and prevent them from being cleaned properly.

We recommend washing on the highest soil level your washing machine has, adding a pre-wash and extra rinse and using the hot water setting to ensure your diapers are getting properly cleaned. (If you know you have hard water extra rinses may not be the best option as they could lead to build up you can skip them and your diapers will still get clean).

DETERGENTS - When finding the right laundry detergent, (DETERGENT is a big key word here) it needs to have surfactants these are what penetrates the fabrics and get the nasties out so your diapers are clean. We also fully recommend using a detergent enzymes, they help break down waste so the detergent doesn't have to work as hard and it makes for an easier and more through clean. Enzymes also are great for removing stains as when they break things down on a molecular level they also often remove or drastically lighten and stains that are present. Surfactants and enzymes together are the best way to ensure your diapers are properly washed and fully clean and ready for their next use.

Please note all homemade options are soap and not detergents and lack the ability to break down human waste. There are no homemade remedies you can concoct at home that will properly clean soiled diapers and using them fully voids any warranty we offer with our diapers as they lead to damage and weakening of the diapers and they also often cause other issues such as skin issues from using improperly washed diapers. We can fully understand the want to do so, there just is not a safe way to do this. We know trying to help the environment is important and its something we too are passionate about, It would be nice to be able to go with a less manufactured option but for human waste a better option does not exist unfortunately. We have extensively researched this particular topic and have not found a single shred of scientific data that shows it being possible, as surfactants and ingredients needed to break down and clean human waste are not sold in small quantities to the general public.

DRYING - We recommend drying pockets either by air or in the dryer on low, but they dry pretty fast so after 20 to 30 minutes we recommend removing them from the dryer if you use it. For inserts only you can dry on whatever heat you would like but using higher heat can lead to extra shrinkage for certain materials such and hemp or bamboo cotton.

TREATING STAINS - Hang diapers out to dry in the sun. Place them so the inside of the diaper inside is facing the sun. PUL (the outside fabric) doesn’t like too much UV, so don't leave it to long. Always place diapers out side to sun when wet, if placed out side dry it will damage the diaper and likely lead to shorter life expectancy of the diapers.