Cloth Diaper Care 101
Cloth Diaper Care 101
It is best to store wet and dirty diapers in a dry pail or wet bag. *We do not recommend the use of a wet pail due to potential drowning hazards!
***You MUST prep ALL diapers, soakers and inserts prior to first use!
Follow the steps listed to prep your cloth diapers, soakers and inserts:
Wash all diapers, soakers, and inserts 3-4 times with complete wash/dry cycles (in the order, listed below) to remove all of the natural oils and buildup from the fabric. If this is not done, your diapers, soakers and inserts will repel moisture and will not absorb! Also, please remember to use cloth diaper safe laundry detergents and cloth diaper safe diaper creams!
- Short cycle- Wash on the Cold/Cold setting with a recommended, cloth diaper safe detergent. (Our hands down FAVE is Stinkle Suds Diaper Detergent! You can find Stinkle Suds products here: www.lyonsdenboutiques.com. Also, make sure to check out Chubby Mama’s Magic Butt Balm and Summer’s Chubby Cheeks Balm for some GREAT cloth diaper safe cream choices!)
- Long cycle- Wash on the Hot/Cold setting with recommended detergent.
- Extra rinse cycle- The warm setting is best if your machine has this option. (This removes any leftover detergent residue.)
Drying: Cloth diapers can be line dried as well as machine dried. If you do decide to use a dryer, dry on high heat. The heat from the dryer will help sanitize your diapers and keep them functioning like new!
After you have fully prepped your cloth diapers, soakers and inserts, follow the 3 steps above, EACH time you wash your diaper stash! It is very important to stick to a consistent, effective wash/dry routine to protect your fluff from staining, smelling like ammonia, and housing bacteria and buildup!
*Here are some additional steps to take if you are experiencing some issues as stated above:
**The following steps are only to be performed occasionally if needed.
Oxygen Bleach: Chlorine bleach should never be used on cloth diapers! It is too harsh on the fabric and will eventually break down their fibers and elastic (decreasing durability, lifetime, and absorbency). More importantly, they tend to be rough against your baby’s delicate skin. Baking soda and oxygen bleach are great whiteners to use in its place!
Baking Soda: If you decide to use baking soda to brighten, here are a few tips—
Use in place of detergent in the initial cold water wash. (Use only about 1-2 tablespoons.)
Baking soda is a big help with neutralizing acids and orders, but we recommend also adding a Downy Ball of Vinegar to the wash cycle. This will restore the pH in the fabrics, help rid any remaining urine smell, reduce lint, and naturally eliminate static cling!
Vinegar: (Distilled white vinegar.) –We recommend using a Downy Ball because it releases the vinegar at the right time.
*If you are looking for a completely natural whitening alternative, turn to the SUN! Yes, we often overlook the suns tremendous ability to brighten up more than just the sky. It does wonders on cloth diaper stains too! After a normal wash routine, just lay your inserts, diapers, and covers outside for a few hours (stain facing up). If the stains are still visible, you may have to repeat this a few times before they are completely gone. If you can still detect a lingering odor in your diapers, you should wash them again. This odor most likely means that there are bacteria still present in your diapers, which could cause potential problems to your baby, like irritation and/or diaper rash.
Looking for extra ways to get rid of yucky bacteria? Here are a couple of tips:
- Add a few drops of Tea Tree Oil to your wash cycle
- Boil your diaper soakers and inserts (Only boil soakers and inserts that do not have snaps! Snaps can melt.)
*Please contact us if you have any further questions!
xoxo, The Mamas of Baby Naturals, Lyon's Den Cloth Diaper Naturals, and Chubby Cherubs LLC.