Washing Cloth Diapers

What To Do With Dirty Diapers

Remove diaper and diaper cover (if you are using a 2 step system) from baby. Flush away flushable liner or shake off excess poop into the toilet.  If your baby is exclusively breastfed, there is no need to shake excess poop into the toilet as it will wash out easily. If the diaper is messy and you ar not able to get most of the poop off, and your baby is not exclusively breastfed, use a diaper sprayer to spray the rest of the solids into the toilet. Leaving a small amount is ok as it will was away in the washer.

Unfold your diapers, or remove inserts to ensure thorough cleaning and remove liners or inserts.  Secure velcro type tabs by sticking them to the fold back tabs (on the inside back of the diaper cover or diaper).

Put wet or soiled diapers in a pail or a hanging diaper bag. Dirty diaper covers can be stored with your dirty diapers (never soak them!). Wash every 2-3 days or daily depending on the number of diapers you own. Polyester diaper covers can be washed with your diapers; nylon and wool diaper covers should be washed separately.

 

Washing Brand New Products...

New diapers do need to be laundered prior to their first use.  Some items such as pocket diapers, covers, inserts and items made from micro-terry or bamboo only need a quick wash; warm or hot water works best (detergent is optional but recommended).

Organic/Unbleached Cotton and Hemp products...

Organic and unbleached cotton and hemp products (inserts, prefolds, etc…) do require several washes before they will be absorbent; otherwise, leaks will occur.  Generally it can take between 5-6 hot water washes (or more) before the natural oils from the cotton or hemp are removed and allows the fabric to properly absorb.  Items will become more absorbent with subsequent washes.  For optimal results use hot water for the wash and warm water rinses (if an option on your machine).

You will find information everywhere on how to wash cloth diapers, but in the end different things work for different people. The general outline on how to wash is always the same though.  We recommend keeping it simple!

The following routine has proven to work well for most people, regardless of what type of machine or cloth diapers you use:

• 1 short cycle cold water wash with detergent, if you used a diaper sprayer to rinse the pre-rinse may not be necessary. 
• 1 long/heavy duty cycle hot water wash with detergent (use slightly less detergent)
• 1 additional rinse*
  *Warm water rinses, if an option on your machine, work best at removing residue.

A note about washing machines

Top loaders are great for washing cloth diapers!

High efficiency front loading machines are great because they don’t use much water, but they can cause a big problem because of that too. Not using enough water to wash and rinse your diapers can cause serious residue problems.

Set your machine manually to maximum water level to wash your diapers. If this is impossible, call the manufacturer and ask them how to adjust your water level manually. If it is still impossible, use the wet towel trick! Reduce the number of diapers per load and add a wet towel or two to trick the machine into adding more water.

We recommend using a zero residue detergent! If you have a top loader, you can use the full recommended amount of a zero residue detergent (depending on your load size). If you have a front loader or HE machine, stick to the lower end of the recommended amount of detergent, possibly even less than that.

If you are using anything other than a zero residue detergent, use maximum half of what the detergent package tells you to use and one quarter of the recommended amount if you have a front loader or HE machine.

TROUBLESHOOTING

How do I know if I have a residue?

• Stinky cloth diapers and/or diaper covers

• Discolored cloth diapers (in the case of synthetic fabrics) or diaper covers

• Non-absorbing diapers

• Leaking diaper covers

• Diaper rash

What causes residue?

• Too much detergent

• Using a detergent with additives (see list below)

• Not using enough water to wash with

• Not using enough detergent

• Dryer sheets (even if used only in your regular laundry)

Are some fabrics more likely to develop residue?

You can see the signs of detergent residue right away if your diapers and covers are washed with way too much detergent – but more commonly it will take a couple of months before you have any problems. You may even find that one of your  diapers or covers develops problems before the rest.

Here are the problems you may see:

1. Leaking and wicking onto babies’ clothing
2. Repelling liquid (beading)
3. Stinky cloth diapers or covers
4. Skin rashes
5. Yellowing or dinginess of white fabrics

Why do you have this problem?

1. You may be using too much detergent. If you are using the correct amount of detergent for the size of load you are washing but if there is not enough water in your machine, it will be too much detergent.

2. Or you may be using a detergent with additives that leave residue in the fibers. Detergent companies put additives into their formulas in order to attract us with cleaner, brighter, whiter, softer, etc. promises. This can cause problems for people with sensitive skin as well as causing residue on your laundry. Below is a brief outline of what to watch out for when you shop for detergents.

Fabric Softeners are usually clearly marked on detergent packaging, thus easy to avoid. They will cause wicking and repelling of liquid on most fabrics.

Optical brighteners are added to many detergents. Words like “brighter, “whiter,” or “cleaner” on packaging are signs that a detergent might include them. Optical Brighteners (also called optical bleaches or fluorescent whitening agents) are fluorescent chemicals that absorb ultraviolet light and emit back visible blue light. This gives the impression that clothes are brighter and cleaner – but these particles can build up on fabric causing leaking and wicking and sometimes eye or skin irritations.

Optical brighteners have also been identified as being toxic to fish and other aquatic life – and some are even capable of causing mutations in bacteria. In addition, they are very slow to biodegrade. So far, science does not know the full impact of their presence in our environment, and how they affect animal health …

Stain Guards are usually easy to spot in detergents, since brands use them as a selling point. Phrases to look out for on packaging are “stain repelling” or “stain protection.” Stain guards will coat fibres.

Natural Additives usually show up in detergents in the form of oils. Like chemical additives, they do not always cause a problem- but with time, natural oils can build up and lead to wicking, leaking and repelling of liquids. Examples include orange oil, citrus extract, and grape seed extract.

Soaps are naturally derived (this is what sets them apart from detergents) and can react with the minerals in water to create a film on whatever you wash. This film can leave a residue and turn clothes grey. Castile soap is an example of a natural soap that can cause a residue problem.

Detergent residues can easily be solved!

If the residue is not too extensive, you can usually get rid of it by doing several hot water washes with no detergent, then throwing the diapers and covers in the dryer. Make sure you are washing with enough hot water!!! If you cannot adjust your machine manually to the highest water level, call the manufacturer. If they cannot instruct you on how to adjust the water level to the highest water level, use the wet towel trick! Decrease the number of diapers you wash per load, and add wet towels to your load in order to trick your machine into adding more water.

Multiple rinses will not work – you must increase the level of water used to wash and rinse your diapers.

URINE RESIDUES

As more and more people replace their washing machines with high efficiency front loader models, we have seen more of this type of residue

Your diapers should smell clean after they are washed. If they smell like urine, then it is clear that they have a urine residue. If they smell clean after they are washed and then like ammonia after the first pee, then it is probable that they have a urine residue.

How do I know I have a urine residue?

• Strong odor of ammonia

• Bad diaper rash

Where does the “stink” come from?

When a wet cloth diaper smells really bad, it is most likely due to an overproduction of ammonia.  In the body, ammonia is converted to urea and excreted.  Once the urine is released, the urea begins converting back to ammonia, so some ammonia smell is perfectly normal. 

Lingering urea in the diaper and certain types of bacteria can speed up and increase the production of ammonia.  So if you smell an unusually strong odour of ammonia after your baby pees, you most likely have a biological residue in your diaper. 

This residue is most commonly caused by not using enough water to wash and rinse diapers clean. It can also be caused by not using enough detergent. Detergent is what enables water to enter the fibers of the cloth and release its soil (by decreasing the surface tension of the water). If there is too little water (or detergent), the urine is diluted, but not rinsed away. It is recycled in the wash and dries onto the fabric, remaining there in the form of residues.

Why does my baby have a rash every time I put them in cloth diapers?

You should definitely suspect a urine residue.  Ammonia in the diaper will burn tender baby skin!

Urine residues can easily be solved!