Diaper Washing

I always use a wet pail and keep the poopy ones in there so it doesn't set in. I"ve also tried lemon juice on the stain (sometimes with baking soda) and then put it in the sun. The sun works the best.

I use the dry pail method. We aren't yet to the stage where the poopy ones won't dissolve in the washer, and since I wash every or every other day it's not a big issue. I sun the stains out if they're really hideous. I do a hot wash, cold rinse and use the extra rinse feature on my washer. I use about half the detergent that it says to on the bottle and put white vinegar in the softener dispenser. We use 7th gen free and clear most of the time and soap nuts otherwise. About every 6 months or so I'll add three capfulls of bleach to the wash to strip the residue off of them. I don't have time to do the hand stripping method with the blue dawn dish soap. You can also get flushable diaper liners if you're wanting convenience. Fleece or raw silk are also good for reusable liners to just shake out or swish. Swishing is just too gross to me, but if you can tolerate it, go for it. Some good online forums are at diaperswappers.com or mothering.com.

Hi P.,
I have always used a dry pail. I hate the thought of all my diapers soaking in icky water until I wash. Plus water is super heavy & I don't want to lug a heavy pail full of poo water through the house to the washer.

Once I remove a poopy diaper, I swish it really well in the toilet to get all the poo off it before I put it in the pail--soaking is not generally required if it is done right away. Wash every other day at least. Don't use bleach on your diapers. It is very hard on the fabric & will ruin them. The only time I bleach my diapers is if ds has been sick & then I add 1/4 cup to a full wash cycle just to disinfect & rinse like crazy so none of it is left when I use them again.

You don't say what kind of diapers you are using--prefolds & covers, fitteds, pockets, or AIO's? This wash routine should pretty much work for all of them:

1) Start by not overloading your washer--if there are too many they will not agitate well. I keep it right at 20, including the stuffers & liners for pocket diapers.
2) Do a cold rinse with no soap.
3) Do a hot wash with very little soap--you do not want the wash to be all sudsy & no fabric softner. You need to be careful what types of laundry detergent you use. There are many chemical additives that will coat your diapers & make them less absorbent. As much as I hate to send somebody to a competitor, see the chart on Pinstripes & Polka Dots: http://www.pinstripesandpolkadots.com/detergentchoicesata... . She has done her research & has great information. If you have really stained diapers, I have added an oxy cleaner to the wash cycle with no problems & it will take out the stains (just not on every wash).
4) Do an extra cold rinse cycle & look while it is agitating & make sure that there are no soap bubbles left in the diapers. If there is still soap, you used too much during the wash & will need to keep rinsing until the soap is gone. Extra soap retains odor & you can get stinky diapers. Clean diapers should smell like wet cloth, not any kind of perfume.
5) Throw everything in the dryer. As long as you don't dry on high heat (which will damage the elastic), the dryer is fine for diapers. Do not ever use dryer sheets with your diapers.
6) If you still have stains, put your damp diaper out in the sun (this may take several applications) and the sun will bleach it out naturally. Adding lemon juice to the stain before putting it in the sun is supposed to help as well, but I've never tried it personally.

The best way IMO to keep your diapers from getting stained is to use a fleece liner. You just cut fleece into strips that will cover the inside of your diaper (fleece doesn't fray, so no sewing required). This also makes less to swish & poo just rolls right off the fleece.

I know many people add vinegar to the rinse cycle. It can disinfect & acts as a fabric softener. Other people use baking soda, tea tree oil, borax, etc. The more complicated your wash routine is, the more likely it is that you will get a repelling residue on your diapers. Keep it simple.

Another big tip that I wish someone had given me when I first started using cloth is to never use any diaper cream that contains any kind of fish oil like Desitin (make sure to check the ingredients). It will get on your diaper & does not wash out easily. Once you put them in the dryer everything will get this awful, stinky fishy smell. If you need to use a diaper cream, get some Grandma El's. It does not cause your diapers to repel.
Hurray for using cloth diapers!

Have fun! My youngest is now 3 & is refusing to wear my cloth diapers so I'm currently stuck with sposies. Very irritating when I probably have about 50 pocket diapers taking up space in my laundry room =(.

hi P.... i don't really have answer for your question but just wanted to say that I totally agree with you regarding the home birthing. we have 3 children and 2 were born at home delivered by my husband (who is not a doctor) and it was the most beautiful experience, a true gift! It just goes to show that we really don't need all the hype they give you at the hospital...

My sister is using cloth diapers...not sure what she uses to get the stains out. I'll check. But...I buy all my cleaning products from Melaleuca. They are "green" products and do not contain any toxins or bleach. Safe for my family & our environment.

S.