Cleaning Clothes Diapers

There are many ways but this is what I do. Soak in cold water for 10 minutes. If you smell ammonia, add 1 cup vinegar (I don't do this every time.) Then wash on HOT/COLD with 1 TSP of Seventh Generation baby detergent. Then extra rinse with spin, and dry on low. Depending what brand you have, they usually have instructions. I really found a difference once I started using the seventh generation baby detergent.

I use Fresh Laundry and Basic G. Fresh Laundry detergent can be used for the entire family. The Basic G (just a little works wonderful) takes care of the germs and bacteria. Both are non toxic, biodegradable, concentrated (1/8 cup front loaders and 1/4 cup top loaders for a full load), and when thinking about using a separate detergent for baby's things and then everyone elses the "other" detergent still lingers in your washer.

If you would like more information, email me or call me at ###-###-####.

check out www.pinstripesandpolkadots.com it has a lot of helpful info about which detergents are better than others. Also, contact the manufacturer of the diapers to see what they specifically recommend as veering from their recommendations can void the warranty (if there is one). :o)

Cloth diapers are cleaned just as you would clothes. But you can presoak them first. Then use warm to hot water, use a detergent without any perfumes. Seventh Generation is good. No dyes, perfumes, or any additives. Non-chlorine bleach if needed. Store them just like you would disposable diapers.

there are LOTS of resources on the subject of cloth diapers ~ the art is just narrowing down what system works best for you.

I love the following cloth diaper sites:

www.jilliansdrawers.com
www.diaperswappers.com
http://www.diaperjungle.com/detergent-chart.html
www.nickisdiapers.com
www.cottonbabies.com

I use a dry diaper pail (cheap kitchen trash can with swinging lid) w/no liner (pail gets washed on wash day), and not a lot of rinsing/fuss. I have 3 small boys, so less is best :)
I also use Allen's Naturally soap, with a touch of Arm & Hammer Washing Soda in the hot cycle. There are lots of ways to do wash, it's just finding which detergent & methods works best for you.

Enjoy your growing family!

There are probably as many ways to clean diapers as there are moms :) The right answer will at least in part depend on your water (hard or soft) and your washer.

I have heard wonderful things about Rockin Green soap, which was designed specifically for diapers; the down side is having to order it online.

I'm too busy to do that, or to manage a crazy routine.

We use a dry pail - we have a bit wet bag in a trash can. Diapers go in there when dirty (we're working on adding in solids; when the poop is fairly solid, we shake it off into the toilet, if not, we just throw it all in the pail. We wash every other day, so nothing has time to really sit and get smelly.

First, I throw everything into the washer on a cold rinse - our washer does an extra rinse as an option, so I always put that on too.

Then I do a hot cycle with the extra rinse on. We use a mix of equal parts baking soda, oxyclean, and plain old Tide - largely because I'm allergic to a lot of other soaps. We use about half a scoop of this mix in the load, and 1/2-1 cup of white vinegar in the softener dispenser.

That's it - when the wash is done, either into the dryer or out on the line.

I would say to use the baby detergent i don't remember the name but its exspesive. I do know they make one thats cheaper and is similar the same as the baby one there both for babies its from dove. My dr. recomended it for one of my kids who had a rash at one time. Good luck!! Congrats

A.; i used cloth diapers, and i used to store them in a diaper pail, at first i would put water in the pail, but that got to be messy, i would rinse them out in the toilet and dump the soil in the toilet, then i would put them in the pail, as they were, they fill up fast, in two days before they stink you will be washing them, i would first wash them in hot water and bleach, and then another wash, in dreft, and add borax, and then i would wash them a third time with just water, this got them bright white again, and cleaned them and rinsed them well with no residue on them, to irritate babies skin, then i dried them, and folded them and put them on shelf, i loved my cloth diapers, i felt they were clean, and they felt nice, i did not use fabric softner on them, due to too much fabric softner, they repel liquids and water and urine run right off it and out the leg, so have a fun and enjoy the cleanliness of your child, D. s

Check out the clothdiaperwhisperer.com
full of info and ideas about soaps, routines, etc. plus they have a lot of give aways.

We cloth diapered for a year with my son and we washed them in a small load by themselves (with their wraps) with just a little soap (we used Purex, but you could use anything without dyes), and I do mean little, and about a half cup of baking soda (very cheap at costco or sam's). We did a second spin/rinse cycle after the first run was over then put them in the dryer. DO NOT USE FABRIC SOFTENER. Every couple of weeks we air-dried them in the sun and that really whitens them back up. Good Luck!

Hi A.-
Make sure the detergent you use is free of brighteners, fragrance, and softeners. Those things can make the cloth diapers less absorbent, and you really don't want that! I use Purex Free and use only about 1/2 the detergent I normally would. Wash once in cold, again in hot (with 1/2 the normal amount of detergent, and a final rinse in hot (no detergent). If you have new diapers, you'll want to wash them several (5-7) times in hot water to remove any residue left over from the manufacturing process. CottonBabies.com is a great resource for cloth diapering supplies and info. Their customer service department is happy to answer any questions you might have. Hope this helps!

U sound so sweet. I would suggest getting some see through containers. They were 6$ at walmart last week. With each messy diaper change I would dip them in soapy water. Using a drop or two of johnsons baby bath. Then I used baby magic baby lotion. I always had perfect sweet smelling babies. Tide is great. Some people swear by amways loc.

I raised 4 children and used a LOT of cloth diapers...I would rinse the diapers if needed in a clean toilet then put in a diaper pail with just a touch of bleach and enough water to cover the diapers. Every other day (I had 2 in diapers) I would wash the diapers by themselves as if washing a tub of white clothes...with regular laundry soap (Tide) and bleach. I would rinse them with fabric softener, then rinse again and hang them on the line to dry. I hung them out year around (brr) but my boys never had diaper rash as the sun is one of the very best anti-bacterial things going. and the diapers smelled so clean & fresh! I would just fold them & stack them in a diaper holder hanging in the closest of the boy's room. Clean & handy!

Basically it's a cold wash & extra rinse with a very, very small amount of mild detergent (I use Allen's Naturally). Follow with a hot wash & extra rinse, again with very, very little mild detergent. I air dry covers, wet bags, and dry inserts/prefolds/wipes on high.

Tree City Diapers (now Little Seedling) web site used to have good directions, which I have printed by my washer.