So, I have written a lot about our experiences with cloth diapers thus far; how we use them, how we like using them, what brands we use etc. But one thing I haven't shared is how we get them clean. I thought that now would be as good a time as any to air our dirty laundry.
Cloth diapers aren't like your normal clothes. They have to be washed with additive free detergent, washed and rinsed VERY well and dried with no softeners, and then, some covers can't be put in the dryer. All in all, I would say cleaning cloth diapers is probably the biggest deterrent from using them. But once we got the system down it really couldn't be easier. I mean, shoot, I even let Jeff do it- it really isn't that complicated. In fact, I would have to say that diaper laundry is some of my favorite laundry. Nothing beats seeing all Eli's colorful diapers hanging on a clothesline, it makes me feel old-timey and house-wifey (and yes, I'm aware these are not real words). But there are some things to keep in mind before you just throw them into the wash.
I have talked before about how we do cloth diapers in our house: just change 'em and throw the dirty ones into the diaper pail that is lined with a waterproof laundry bag. Elijah is currently exclusively breastfed which makes his waste completely water soluble which means everything can just go in the diaper pail with no extra steps. Once he is eating solids however, we will have to dispose of his waste in the toilet before putting the dirty diaper in the laundry. They make these wonderful things called diaper sprayers that you can use to spray off your diapers, you can also make one yourself with a kitchen sprayer and a little hardware. Or, you can use the old "Swish and Dunk" method. You can find instructional videos on YouTube on how to use a sprayer, how to make a sprayer, and the best swish and dunk techniques. I will be reviewing some of these videos when the time comes for solid food. Since we have such a small bathroom and are renting I think we will be going with the swish and dunk method- I will have to let you know how it works out for us once we get to this point.Other than removing waste if baby isn't breastfed, there isn't much pre-treating to be done to the diaper laundry unless you want to use Bac-Out on the soiled diapers before putting them in the pail. Bac-Out produces enzymes that digest organic waste. The live cultures are great at eliminating odors and stains. I haven't used it, but I know many moms swear by its natural cloth diaper safe cleaning power. This is a product I'm considering investing in to cut down on smell in the diaper pail.
Before you begin washing it is important to have the right laundry detergent. Most detergents for clothing cause build-up on diapers and that causes leaks over time. So, if you want the diapers to work the way they should, get a detergent that is meant for cloth diapers. You can buy special cloth diaper washing soap on-line. I did a little research before Eli was born and found this chart to be really useful. The list isn't comprehensive, but it gives a nice starting point for knowing what detergents are safe to use and what ones are not. I have a homemade mixture, which is cheaper than buying a detergent, that is a blend of equal parts washing soda, borax, and oxygenated cleaner (like oxyclean). There are many different homemade recipes you can find by doing a little research. Just make sure you read washing labels on your diapers before deciding on any one detergent. I haven't had any problems with leaks using my detergent but if leaking becomes a problem I may have to strip them. I will write a blog about it if I have to go through the process of stripping diapers. My fingers are crossed that I won't have to write that blog anytime soon.
Now to start washing. I begin with taking my waterproof bag full of diapers down to the washer and dumping the whole thing, bag and all, in. I use the outside of the bag to maneuver everything around so that I never have to touch soiled diapers. I put around 1-2 Tbs of homemade detergent in depending on the size of the load. And then I begin the wash. Now, there are many different ways to get cloth diapers clean, but the main gist is to have a cold soak or entire cold wash cycle to help remove stains before running a hot cycle with an extra rinse to really clean and sanitize them. The extra rinse is to make sure there is as little build-up of detergent as possible which will help keep the diapers from repelling moisture. And as an aside, running the hot cycle first will cook in stains. For simplicity sake I just put the soap in and run a cycle on cold then run one on hot. By then all the detergent is washed out from the entire second wash cycle. Everyone's washer options and cleaning preferences are a little different so it might take a little experimenting to find what works best for you.
The key to getting the diapers clean is using lots of water. When the washing is done there should be no urine, feces, or ammonia smell and no soap bubbles. If you have smell or bubbles just run another hot rinse. I also like to use the largest load size setting to make sure that the maximum amount of water is used when washing. If you have a high efficiency washer keep in mind that they use less water so make sure you do whatever you can to maximize the water used.
Now it's time for drying! I usually toss my inserts and prefolds in the dryer and let it go. You may be tempted to throw a fabric softening dryer sheet in- but just don't do it! It can cause diaper leaks. Also, if you have microfiber inserts it is important to dry on low heat or just air dry. If it is dried on hot the insert will lock in smells and start to repel moisture. (This is a little something I learned about microfiber from a cleaning supply rep in my janitor days.) Now, for the covers... Some of my covers and pocket diapers are able to withstand 20 min of drying in the dryer but my Cottonbabies brand items (Flips and BumGenious 4.0) can not be dried in the dryer and thus, to keep things simple, I just line dry all my pockets and covers. I figure this will probably increase the life of all my diapers anyway so I don't really mind. Line drying is also a good energy-saving option.
Now, what do I do when I am faced with a really nasty stain? I noticed pretty early on that breast milk poop leaves stains. It leaves big, nasty, mustard-yellow stains. There are actually a few options for stain removal. As I mentioned earlier, Bac-Out helps prevent stains and washing diapers more often also helps prevent stains from setting in. But when I do get stains my favorite stain remover is....The Sun! It's miraculous what sunning can do to wet diapers in a couple hours The sun not only removes stains but also blasts any lingering smells too. Once they are dry, I like to throw my prefolds in the dryer for 20 min to soften them up a bit. I haven't had to try anything else yet because it is summertime, but sometimes the sun just isn't shining what can I do then? I have heard that a soak with a scoop of oxyclean or a 1/4 cup of peroxide in with the wash should do the trick.
 |
| Diaper with stain before sunning |
 |
| Same diaper after a couple hours in the sun! |
Now that you have all the background information let me sum up the process: I put the diapers in the washer and run a cold cycle with soap then I run a hot cycle. I hang up my pocket diapers and diaper covers and put the inserts/pre-folds in the dryer, or I just put everything on the line to dry. And presto! I have nice clean diapers! Now you can have a batch of nice clean diapers too. I will leave you with a pic of Eli and his new pocket diapers that arrived in the mail this past week. Happy Laundry Day!
