Cloth Diaper Care

We send this cloth diaper care sheet out with each order that includes cloth diapers or cloth diaper covers.  Proper maintenance and care of your cloth diapers will give them a long life, so they may be used for future children or sold to recoup much of your initial investment!

PREPARING YOUR DIAPERS FOR FIRST USE:

Cotton products: Prefold and similar diapers will need to be washed with hot water 3-5 times using a small amount of detergent (~1-2 T). Prefolds will shrink and “quilt up” to become softer and more absorbent with each wash. Drying between the initial washes is not necessary, but will assist in getting the lint out.  Cotton contoured, fitted or all-in-one diapers require one laundering before use, and will continue to shrink, soften and gain maximum absorbency after the first few washings.

PUL, Fleece, Microfiber Terry (Polyester) products : Diaper covers, pocket diapers, AIOs, and microfiber terry pocket inserts need to be washed and dried once.  PUL products may need periodic drying on high heat to regenerate waterproofing; check manufacturer’s instructions.

Hemp products: Must be washed by themselves in hot water and a tiny amount of detergent (~1-2 T) 4-5 times to strip natural oils. Hemp will continue to get more absorbent with each wash, being fully primed after 9-10 washes. Drying between the initial washes is not necessary.  Hemp does not lint as much as cotton.

Wool products: We recommend washing and lanolizing all wool diaper covers before use. (see instructions below)

In general, after your initial washes, all products should to be dried on medium to high heat in the drier to seal any needle holes from the manufacturing process.


WASHING YOUR CLOTH DIAPERS AND COVERS (EXCEPT WOOL):

Normal wash routine for cloth diapers:
• Cold rinse and spin, or presoak and spin.
• Top loading washers: chose a long warm or hot wash.  HE/front loading washers: try 2 short washes in lieu of 1 long wash.
• Rinse.
• Rinse again.  
• Dry in drier on medium-high or line-dry.

Cloth diapers require adequate room to agitate and lots of water to get clean. Fill your washer no more than half-full of diapers, but run it as a full load. Only a very small amount of detergent is necessary, usually less than 2T of detergent, half for HE washers.

Make sure to close aplix hook tabs and unfasten all snaps to ensure diapers are able to fully open during the wash.  Diaper Covers may last longer if washed separately on gentle cycle, hang to dry.

Detergents: Choose a detergent with no fabric softener, no optical whiteners or brighteners, no enzymes. Do not use chlorine bleach (only exception is for BumGenius products, which allow for its use once a month, ¼ cup diluted in large load of wash).  Do not assume that your detergent is suitable because it has “free and clear” in the title.  We highly recommend Mountain Green and Rockin’ Green Detergents, both available at our store.

Rinsing: It is extremely important that all the detergent is rinsed out of the diapers. Failure to rinse well can cause your diapers to perform poorly, retain odor, and in worst case scenarios, irritate your baby’s bottom. While you get used to caring for your diapers, look in your washer on the final rinse. If there are any suds, rinse again. And again if necessary. If you are rinsing more than 2-3 times, you are using too much detergent. When your diapers come out of the washer, they should smell like water. If they smell unclean, then use a bit more detergent. If they smell like your detergent, use less detergent and rinse more.

CARING FOR WOOL DIAPER COVERS:

Lanolizing wool covers:  This is recommended for new covers, and when your wool covers begin to lose their waterproofing, usually every 2 –12 weeks depending on use and wool type.

We recommend the initial lanolization be done with solid lanolin as it gives a heartier treatment than liquid lanolin. Liquid lanolin is fine for normal maintenance, but if you experience a decrease in waterproofing in your covers, a periodic treatment with solid lanolin is helpful. To prepare solid lanolin for the treatment, melt a small amount (minimum pea-sized or a tad more) of the solid lanolin in a cup of hot water or carefully in the microwave.

Rinse the new wool covers thoroughly under cool, running water and gently squeeze out excess. Fill your sink with warm water and add melted or liquid lanolin. For best results, covers should be turned inside-out. Soak the covers for at least 20 minutes or for a really good, robust lanolization, soak overnight. If you have added too much lanolin, your covers may feel a little tacky or sticky. This stickiness will be reduced as the extra lanolin works its way into your covers, which you can help by gently massaging the cover.

Washing wool covers: This only needs to be done when your covers begin to retain odor, usually every 1 – 4 weeks depending on use and type of wool.

Rinse your wool covers thoroughly under cool, running water and gently squeeze out excess. This is necessary to remove the urine salts retained on the wool which dry the fibers and eventually retain odor. Fill your sink with warm water and add a lanolin-enriched wool wash. Gently agitate your covers. Apply wool wash directly to stains if needed. Soak covers as desired. Drain water from sink.

While it is not necessary to rinse, rinsing in cool water will remove soap residue and any grime that didn’t go down the drain. Gently squeeze out excess water and lay flat to dry. You may roll in a towel to remove excess moisture, but you will also be removing any lanolin that was just applied, so avoid this if you can.

Please do not hesitate to contact us for any reason! We are here to help!