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Laundry Tips

For most of us, doing the laundry is the biggest challenge of using cloth diapers. I don’t find it to be a very difficult task. In fact, it’s probably one of my favorite chores around the house (okay, maybe I’m just a little bit weird). I get a definite sense of satisfaction after I fold the cute little diapers, and then admire them as I stack them up on the changing table. I love hanging the diapers out to dry on a sunny day, and gaze upon them with a smile as they dance around in the breeze, soaking up the delicious sunshine.

INDEX

THE RULES
THE BASICS

The Diaper Pail
Rinsing Out the Soiled Diaper
Washing the Diapers
Drying the Diapers
Washing Wool Covers

TROUBLESHOOTING

Diapers Smell Bad
Diapers Aren't Absorbing
Diaper Rash
Diapers are Stained and/or Dingy
Diaper Covers have Lost their Waterproofing
Diaper Pail Smells Bad
The Hook-and-Loop Closures (Velcro, Aplix, etc.) on my Diapers are Tearing Up the Wash
I Don't Have My Own Washer & Dryer

THE RULES

If you talk to twenty different people, you’re sure to get at least twenty different methods of washing diapers. And collectively they will probably rule out every possible laundry method known to mankind. But there are a few things that they will most likely agree on:

No Bleach! This will break down the fibers of your diapers and greatly shorten their life span. Some people like to use a tiny bit of bleach occasionally, but go real easy on it if you do!

No Fabric Softener! Not even dryer sheets! This will coat the cloth with unnecessary chemicals and make your absorbent fabric less absorbent, your waterproof fabric less waterproof, etc. It might also make your diapers smell bad.

Use Less Soap/Detergent! This was hard for me to believe in the beginning, I thought the more soap, the better. Not true, the soap leaves residue on your diapers and makes them function less and smell more. You should use about half your normal detergent and do an extra rinse, if possible.

It can be daunting to try to find a laundry method that works for you. Try to start with something simple and change your system only if needed. If what you are doing right now is working, don’t fret it. Just keep doing what you are doing. If you start to notice a problem (diaper rash, your diapers smell bad, etc.), then you’ll want to try something different.

THE BASICS

1. The Diaper Pail
You don't have to buy a special diaper pail, any garbage can with a lid will work. Put your diapers & covers into the pail as if they were already going in the wash (pocket inserts removed, velcro tabs folded, poopie diapers rinsed) so you don't have to do it later while digging through a stinky pail on wash day. Don't put your wool covers in the diaper pail, they should be washed separately!
There are two basic methods for diaper pails: the wet pail and the dry pail. Whichever method you use, be sure to get a diaper pail with a lid.

Wet Pail
Fill the pail with enough water to cover the diapers (you might need to add more water as the pail fills). It’s also a good idea to add some baking soda, and maybe some washing powder, tea tree essential oil, or anything else to help soak the stains out and combat the smell. The advantage with this system is that your diapers have already soaked when you put them in the wash, eliminating the need for a pre-soak. You can also go longer between washings, the smell shouldn’t be as bad as a dry pail. The disadvantages are that it’s more difficult to dump the diapers in the washer (heavy, yucky, diaper soup) and the danger of young ones drowning in the pail (be sure to keep that lid on!)

Dry Pail
This is usually the preferred method. You can sprinkle baking soda, tea tree oil, or pail powder on top to help with the smell. You can also line your pail with a waterproof diaper pail bag. When using a dry pail, you might find it useful to soak your diapers in the washer in cold water before running the wash cycle (I like to soak mine overnight). This helps to keep stains from setting in. When using a dry pail, don’t go longer than three days without washing or it might start to really stink.

Washing Machine as a Wet Pail
This third method works great for some people. If you don’t have a lot of laundry and your top-loading washer has a lot of down time, just use your washing machine as your diaper pail. Fill it with cold water (and any desired potions) and toss your diapers in. Then when you’re ready to wash, spin the cold water out and start a hot wash cycle. If you time it right and do your other laundry immediately after you wash your diapers, this method could be the easiest and your best bet.

2. Rinsing Out the Soiled Diaper
Rinsing out a poopie diaper in the toilet is the part of cloth diapering that makes most people decide NOT to use cloth diapers, but it's not really that bad! First, understand that not all diapers need to be rinsed. Wet diapers can go directly in the pail. If your newborn is exclusively breastfeeding, you won't need to rinse those diapers either. Newborn poo is water soluable and rinses off like yogurt in water. Once your baby starts producing more chunky solids, you can just shake anything loose into the toilet without worrying about the rest. You can dunk and swish the diaper in the toilet to get it cleaner, OR you can let your washing machine do the work. Dump your diapers in the washer and run a few rinse cycles before you start the wash cycle. If you prefer to rinse out the diaper before you throw it in the pail (I do), here are some tips that will help make this loathsome task more bearable. Try using flushable diaper liners that can be lifted out of the diaper and flushed (these are great to use when traveling). Another helpful tool is a hand-held sprayer attached to your toilet. No more dunking, just hold the diaper over your toilet and spray it out. And tell your friends! They’ll be amazed to find out that this job is not as bad as they think.

3. Washing the Diapers
Our ancestors had to wash their diapers by hand; aren't we lucky to have washing machines?
It's a good idea to start your wash with a cold soak (unless you use the wet pail method). Fill your machine with cold water and let the diapers soak for an hour or more (I like to throw them in at night to let them soak all night long). Then spin out the water and start your machine on a hot wash cycle. Your detergent goes in at this point. Remember to use about half the suggested amount! Try to use a laundry detergent that has as few additives as possible (we want to wash the diapers clean, not add weird chemicals). Many detergents have additives of dyes, perfumes, enzymes, fabric softeners, and optical brighteners. All of these should be avoided when washing diapers! If you are unsure about the additives in your laundry detergent, check out this excellent detergent chart at PinStripes and PolkaDots. It's a good idea to add an extra rinse on your wash cycle, if possible.

4. Drying the Diapers
I like to dry my diapers on hot in the dryer. Remember, do not use dryer sheets! A good alternative to using fabric softener is to use dryer balls, if you feel the need. They are bouncy balls that bounce around in your dryer and soften your clothes without using chemicals. Try Nellie's Dryer Balls . Although dryer balls fluff up the diapers, they don't do much to control static. If you want your diapers to be static-free, try reusable Static Eliminator Dryer Sheets or Non-Toxic Dryer Sheets. They both are chemical free and can be used 500 times before they need to be replaced. (Tip: if your diapers are made from all natural fibers like hemp and cotton, you shouldn't have any static problems in the drier.)
If you use waterproof covers, check the washing instructions before you put them in the drier. Some are line-dry only, and some should be dried on low heat. I use PUL covers and dry them with the diapers, they don't need any special care.

One of the best ways to dry diapers is on a clothesline in the sun. This will lengthen the life of your diapers and helps to remove stains and odors naturally. It also lowers your utility bill. Your diapers might feel kind of crunchy after drying outside; a quick tumble in the dryer (on the no-heat setting) will soften them up.

5. Washing Wool Covers
You might think that using wool in a diapering system would be a laundry nightmare, but the extra care you need to give wool is not that bad because you don't have to wash it as often. Wool has special anti-bacterial properties that neutralize the smell. After a cover is used once, just hang it up to air out and you can use it again a few hours later. Some people claim to go a month or more before they need to wash their wool covers! I will put a wool cover in the wash pile (not in the diaper pail!) for one of three reasons: if it gets soiled, if it starts to smell like a wet dog even after being aired out, or if it starts to leak (time for more lanolin).
For best results, follow the washing instructions that came with you cover. If you have no instructions (or you made it yourself), follow this routine. Wash the covers by hand as you would a wool sweater. Fill a bucket or sink with hot water and some gentle soap (hot water will not damage wool if you don't agitate it, but it could cause colors to bleed if your cover is not colorfast). Some people like to use Dawn dish soap or shampoo (wool is hair, right?). An excellent choice would be soap made especially for wool, like Sheepish Grins wool wash bar or Lana Care Lanolin Soap. (Most yarn stores will carry wool wash, call your local yarn shop to see if they have some.) These soaps add lanolin to the wool while they clean. If you use a lanolin soap, DO NOT rinse the covers!
Toss the cover(s) in the water to soak for a half hour or so, then swish them around gently and rinse in lukewarm water (unless you are using lanolin soap, then skip the rinsing). Roll up your cover in a towel and gently squeeze to remove water. Or you can gently place your cover in the washing machine and spin out the water (this is easier and more effective).
Your cover now needs lanolin to be waterproof. (If you used a lanolin soap, you can skip this part too, unless you want your cover to be REALLY waterproof.) Lanolin occurs naturally in wool, but it eventually wears away as urine combines with lanolin to chemically create a new product called wool soap. Pretty cool, eh?
There are a few different ways to lanolize your wool.
The Dry Method: Put a small amount of lanolin on your hands and rub to coat your palms evenly. Take your freshly-washed cover and massage the lanolin into the fibers. Repeat with more lanolin until the entire cover is evenly coated. Continue to massage the wool until the lanolin has soaked in as much as possible. Lay the cover flat to dry completely.
The Spray Method: Use a spray-on lanolin, like Creamy Spray Lanolin from Sheepish Grins. After you wash a cover, evenly spray on the lanolin and gently massage it into the fibers. Lay the cover flat to dry completely.
The Soak Method: Mix half a teaspoon of lanolin and a few drops of baby bath or wool wash in about two cups of boiling water. (The soap will break up the lanolin, spreading it evenly through the water.) Stir to combine. (Alternatively you may mix lanolin and boiling water together in a jar with a tight lid. Close the jar and shake vigorously until the water is cloudy.) Add this mixture to a bucket or sink filled with enough warm water to immerse your cover. Soak your cover in the water for at least 15 minutes. You may also let it soak overnight if you wish. Do not rinse the cover after you treat it with lanolin. The more lanolin you add to your wool, the more waterproof the cover will be, but if you use too much it will make the wool sticky. Roll up the cover in a towel and gently squeeze to remove excess water, then repeat with second towel to squeeze it as dry as possible. Alternatively, you can gently lay the wet covers in the washing machine and spin the water out. (I've started to do this because I was tired of using every towel in the house when I washed covers! You might not want to spin your hand-knit soakers, but wraps and covers that have already been lightly felted should be just fine.) Lay the covers flat to dry, away from heat and sunlight.
About Lanolin: There are two different types of lanolin: solid & liquid. Liquid lanolin is not as sticky because it has had the waxy portion removed. Both will work for lanolizing wool, but the solid lanolin makes it even more waterproof. If you are using liquid lanolin, I would suggest using solid lanolin every once in a while to make your covers more waterproof. Lansinoh is an example of solid lanolin. You can also find liquid lanolin at health & nutrition stores like GNC. The best price I have found for solid lanolin was at iHerb.com.
For more information about lanolin, read Diaper Ware's Use & Care Guide.
For more information about washing wool covers, read e-bay's comprehensive guide to wool cloth diaper covers or this article from Natural Family Online.

TROUBLESHOOTING

1. Clean Diapers Smell Bad
This is one of the most common problems with cloth diapers, but it is easily solved. First, make sure you are not using too much detergent (and that your detergent is free from additives) and that you are not using any fabric softener. Make sure that your diapers are getting properly rinsed. You might want to use more water in your washing machine and run an extra rinse at the end. If you can tell that the diapers smell bad after the wash cycle, try running a second wash cycle in hot water, this time with very little or no detergent. Another good way to remove odors from diapers is to dry them in the sunshine. You might also try a cold soak with 1/2 cup baking soda before you wash the diapers. If you use baking soda in your pre-wash, make sure you use vinegar in the rinse cycle. You can pour vinegar in the fabric softener dispenser of your machine, use vinegar in a downy ball, or just make sure you pour some in the water during the rinse cycle. The vinegar restores the Ph of your diapers, otherwise they may cause diaper rash. Vinegar also helps to whiten and soften the diapers. If you try all these steps and your diapers still stink, you may need to try a new detergent.
If your baby's diaper smells unbearably strong in the morning (after being wet all night), you probably have build-up in your diapers. Strip your diapers (see below) and make some changes to your washing routine (hotter water, extra rinses, switch detergents, etc.) to avoid build-up in the future.

2. Diapers Aren't Absorbing
Build-up of chemicals and soap can cause the diapers to be less absorbent (it can also cause smells and rashes). If you think you have build-up, try stripping the diapers. Most people need to strip their diapers every six months or so. To strip diapers, wash them without detergent in HOT water (you might want to turn up your water heater, or boil a pot of water on the stove to add to the wash). Do repeated hot rinses until there are no suds in the water. You might also try adding a little bit of dish soap or Simple Green to the initial wash to help strip the diapers. Or add ½ cup baking soda to the first rinse and ½ cup vinegar in the last rinse.
Another way to strip diapers is to boil them; this can be a messy and time-consuming. I've also heard of people that run them through the dishwasher. After you wash your diapers, arrange them in the dishwasher racks and run a cycle with the hottest wash setting available. The diapers will be dripping wet when they are finished, just run them through a spin cycle in your washer before you dry them.

3. Diaper Rash
Rashes are not a normal part of diapering, they are a problem that should be solved. A rash on a cloth-diapered baby usually results from a problem in the laundry department. If your baby experiences a rash, try the following steps to help it clear:

-Change your baby often, as soon as he/she is wet.
-Use a breathable cover (like wool) or no diaper cover.
-Strip your diapers thoroughly (see above); detergent build-up is the most common cause of diaper rash.
-Try changing detergents. Be sure to use one without harmful additives. (See this detergent chart)
-Pay attention to your child’s diet. Certain foods like citrus and dairy can cause rashes.
-Some babies are allergic to polyester or other man-made fibers. Try using diapers (or liners) made from all natural fibers.
-Sometimes the baby wipes or the wipe solution is the culprit. Use cotton washcloths moistened with water.

4. Diapers are Stained and/or Dingy
Again, the best treatment for stained diapers is some good sunshine; it will bleach out the stains naturally. Soaking your diapers in cold water before washing in hot will also help to lift some the stains. Although bleach is a no-no for diapers, some people like to use a small amount (1/4 cup or less) every once in a while in their wash. This will quickly remove most stains. Bleach shouldn't cause a big problem if you don't use it very often. The best advice I can give for diaper stains is to ignore them. After all, it's just a diaper, and the stained part is usually not visible. Most of my badly stained diapers have eventually come clean after several washings.
If your diapers are getting dingy, try using vinegar in the rinse (always paired with a baking soda pre-soak to maintain proper Ph balance). Your problem might be that you have hard water: try using White King water softener in the wash. Look for White King in your grocery store on the laundry detergent aisle.

5. Diaper Covers are Leaking
If you find that your PUL covers are leaking, you may not be washing them correctly. PUL should be washed without baking soda, vinegar, fabric softeners, etc. You may re-waterproof a leaky PUL cover by using Nikwax TX-Direct Wash In. I used to have some leaky Bummis covers, I treated them with Nikwax and they haven't leaked a drop since! The wash in product will only work on covers; do not use it on waterproof pocket diapers or all-in-ones, this will ruin the wicking and absorbing layers of the diapers. Nikwax makes another product called TX Direct Spray On, use that instead and spray it only on the outer layer of the diaper. Both of these products can be found at stores like REI or at Sportsman's Warehouse. Note: some people refrain from using Nikwax because of the chemicals of the product, I will leave that up to you.
One way to avoid the cracking & leaking of PUL is to use the thinner kind of PUL. Many people have noticed that their diapers & covers that are made with the thicker (2 mil) PUL will start to crack with age. On the other hand, the thinner (1 mil) PUL tends to stay more flexible and refrains from cracking. When buying diapers & covers made from PUL, find out what kind they use and try to stick with 1 mil.
Another leaking problem can be caused when diapers or covers have cotton outers. Cotton fabric can be sewn on the outside of boring PUL. It looks much cuter, but can wick moisture to the outside. Some PUL fabric is actually made with cotton (instead of polyester), this kind may also wick. I have one cotton-outer PUL pocket diaper, it has to be changed quickly to keep the wetness from wicking to the outside.
If you have wool covers that start leaking, you need to lanolize them. See the section above called Washing Wool Covers for more information. Wool and fleece covers can also have compression leaks if a baby is in a sling or carseat.

6. Diaper Pail Smells Bad
I guarantee that your cloth diaper pail smells much better than a pail full of disposables!
To freshen the smell of your pail, try sprinkling baking soda in the bottom of your pail, then sprinkle a little more after every 3-4 diapers that get deposited. Some people like to sprinkle a few drops of tea tree oil instead. Or try using special pail deodorizing powder found at many cloth diapering online stores. You can also try lining your pail with a wet bag. Make sure you thoroughly clean your diaper pail every time you wash your diapers, that will also help with the smell. I like to drop a few drops of tea tree oil on a wet washcloth, then wipe the pail inside and out. The washcloth goes in the wash with the rest of the diapers.
If you let more than three days go by without washing the diapers, your pail will start to really stink! Wash your diapers more often to control the smell.
Another Tip: Try to keep the pail in a cool place. If your diaper pail is too warm, the smell intensifies. I found this out when I moved the baby's furniture around and put the diaper pail right next to the heating vent on the floor. Bad idea!

7. The Hook-and-Loop Closures (Velcro, Aplix, etc.) on my Diapers are Tearing Up the Wash
The hook side of hook and loop is always a challenge in the laundry. If you leave the hook exposed, it will create havoc in the washer and dryer, ripping up the diapers and forming a "diaper snake" in the dryer. Besides being annoying, little pieces of fuzz and thread will collect in the hook side and eventually render it useless and non-sticky. For this reason, it is very important to keep the hook covered in the wash. Many diapers and covers with hook and loop closures have special fold-back tabs to make sure the hook side stays firmly covered when it is not being used. If your diapers do not have this feature, you can always make sure that you fasten the diaper shut before you throw it in the wash. This isn't always effective; sometimes the diapers unfasten in the wash as they are thrashed about. A good solution is to cut a small tab of loop to place over the hook side for each diaper. You can purchase hook and loop at any fabric store, or buy it online at Very Baby; it's much less expensive there. Buying it this way also means you can get just the loop side so that the hook side will not go to waste. Just remember to cover the hook side with the tab before you throw the diaper in the pail. Otherwise, you'll have a really stinky job on wash day as you sort through the diaper pail looking for renegade diaper closures. Not fun!

8. I Don't Have My Own Washer & Dryer
This is an obstacle that usually sends parents right to the disposable diapers, but washing diapers at a laundromat can be done! Although the cost might seem prohibitive, try weighing out the costs to see how much money you will save. Examine your grocery bill to see how much you are actually spending on disposable diapers and wipes. The usual estimation is about $15.00 per week, though you may spend more or less depending on what brand you use and how often you change your baby. When using a laundromat to wash diapers, it's a good idea to run two wash cycles. First, run a cold wash with no soap for your preliminary rinse, then run a hot cycle with soap. If it costs a dollar for each wash and a dollar to dry, you will be spending about $6.00 per week if you wash your diapers every three days. You also need to figure in a trip to the laundromat. It might be easier for you if you have a convenient community laundry room in your apartment building. If you have to haul your diapers to the laundromat, you are probably going there once a week anyway to wash all your other clothes. Some people stock up on a larger supply of diapers so that they only have to wash in the laundromat once a week. Whatever you decide to do, you will most likely save money with cloth diapers, even if you have to wash in the laundromat!
You can also try using a diaper service that delivers clean diapers to your door!

For more information on washing diapers in a laundromat, see the following articles:

Washing in a Laundromat
Washing Cloth Diapers in an Apartment