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Reading
online diaper care instructions may have you overwhelmed. When I saw
long pages & websites online I thought it seemed a bit
complicated. It's rare to find steps less than 5. I want this to be a
quick & easy guide. It's not super detailed on purpose. A friend
said their diapers came with pages & pages of instructions,
sounded more like an overwhelming manual.
When
looking into how to care for the particular diapers you bought, most
companies have a page on their website or instructions come with the
diapers... So my 'disclaimer' is read that first! This is what
has worked for us:
1.
Put diapers in dry bucket/pail [e.g. 5 gallon painter pail] till wash
day. Wet bags are wonderful for traveling.
2. Wash hot, normal or gentle cycle; Use about
1/4-1/2 of the recommended amount of toxic free, baby safe detergent. The companies want to sell more product so are going to suggest a large amount per load; so most people use too much detergent. I use liquid brands that say "free & clear".
3. Optional -Add ½ c. distilled
white vinegar to rise cycle or Downy ball.
4. Dryer on low heat &/or
line dry. Line dry covers.
5. Wool Dryer Balls are wonderful for cloth diapers! Always having them in your dryer is a way to achieve the benefits of fabric softener/dryer sheets without the toxicity.
How often should
they be washed?
It
depends on your child's age & type of diapers. We used to wash
every 2-3 now ~4 days. I only did an immediate spray/rinse of
the individual diaper till DD was a couple months, since then they go
directly in the pail or washing machine. For those of you who gasped & are thinking gross (!) or but they will stain!! When I followed the advice of a friend to leave them unrinsed for days until wash day -They came out of the dryer stained. I was so upset at the lady who told me. But once I put them in the direct sun for several hours as advised, they were bright white again! Sunning diapers saves you time initially by avoiding immediate rinsing... Whether you choose to rinse or not - It makes then look brand new again =)
DONT
Use
detergents with dyes or fragrances
Use
softener - Fabric softeners & dryer sheets reduces absorbency by coating the fabric.
Use harsh chemicals
- Bleach will shorten the life of your diapers, is cancer causing &
can irritate babies skin.
Whitening additives
will cause damage to the waterproofing. So don't use washing/backing soda or vinegar as mentioned above for diaper COVERS or diapers with covers attached.
Removing
stains
I
apply Peroxide or OxiClean spray, not powder, directly to stains
before washing. Peroxide
or OxiClean liquid or powder can also be added to the machine water.
If you use OxiClean too much or too often it will wear through fabric!! Line
drying, clean, washed, but stained diapers, in direct sunlight is the best
disinfectant and stain remover!
After
19 months of use the white diapers look a little worn, but don't look
stained. That's with the above techniques, plus only 2 stain
removing line dries in direct hot FL sun in almost 2 years! Since DD started solids I
haven't had to sun the diapers for stains.
I
have learned much and enjoyed our cloth diapering experience. Please
share your story &/or questions. I'm looking forward to hearing from
you!
