Keeping Cloth Diapers Soft

there are dryer balls that you can throw in your dryer that will soften them up. i don't have them as i think (not having used them) that they soften your clothes by beating them up and would therefore make your clothes ages faster. but since it's for diapers, it can't hurt. i think i've seen these in grocery stores or asian markets:

http://www.norwex-healthy-cleaning.com/catalog/item/44435...

I just discovered WalMart is carrying a biodegradable UNSCENTED fabric softener sheets - and they were only about 20 cents more than the bounce unscented sheets. It is worth it to me. The have scented available to.. but they are biodegradable which was a big plus.

we just invested in a water softener too... I think that is going to help a great deal..we've only had it two weeks.. so only time will tell if my newer clothes (like sweatshirts) will stay softer longer.

I use BioKleen as well and Borax. I soak the diapers in hot water with Borax using my machine's presoak cycle. Then I wash them in hot water with more Borax and the BioKleen. Then I dry them on high. Works for me. Yes- you shouldn't use mainstream fabric softener- it's coats the fibers and prevents absorbency (same with towels).

Hi D.,

I don't have any good advice for how to make your diapers stay soft (sorry!) but I just wanted to comment about the fabric softener.
When My son was about 9 months old, one morning we discovered his arm was Bright red oozing, with skin peeling and hot to the touch as though he had gotten a severe steam or chemical burn.(It was horrifying because it was a really severe sore covering his whole forearm, and we had NO idea where it could have come from) He had on long sleeve pajamas all night,and you could see where the burn stopped at the same place the pajama sleeve stopped..We took him in immediately and The doctor said it was most likely a reaction to fabric softener. (I had not heard of them being unsafe prior to this)After hearing this I checked the pajamas and I noticed they smelled especially strong of Downy.
Why it effected just his arm I do not know,(maybe more softener somehow was concentrated on the arm??) but it was the most awful thing to see on his chubby little baby arm!! baby skin is so delicate and the reaction he had was really terrible. It was like it was literally eating away at his skin. So Yes, Mom's out there who have not heard to be careful with babies and fabric softener (Like I had not!) Be Safe and stay away from it until your baby is older!
Good luck with finding a solution to your cloth diaper issue. I know there are a lot of resourceful moms out there, someone is bound to have a handy trick! ~warm regards, D.

I agree with Crystal G, the vinegar in the rinse really helps keep our cloth diapers soft. Both the prefolds, and the AI1's we have. The vinegar also helps keep cloth diapers from odor (because it helps keep the residue off of them).

I usually dry our dipes on a low/medium setting. Depending on where you're located in the area, water hardness can also affect your dipes... But I'm pretty sure the water company can come and test your water fairly cheap or free if you aren't sure, and there are websites that have tips on how to help depending on water hardness!

Hope that helps!! Good luck with those dipes!

Most fabric softeners build up on the diaper (leaving a waxy residue) and therefore actually make the cloth diaper repel instead of absorb. HOWEVER, I've used (and heard others use) the 7th Generation Lavender/eucalyptus fabric softener and no repelling (seems to help absorbancy) and it's "natural".

Ideas that have worked for me:

Vinegar in the rinse

Not drying on high heat too long-our old dryer was failing so I had to dry a load of clothes/diapers 2 times before they were dry and they were hot and stiff....we now have a newer dryer with "moisture sensor" that gets the job done in one load and everything is softer (without any different laundry product).

Changing your soap can sometimes make a difference.

Hope any of these help!

Hi D.,

Check to make sure that your detergent is as natural and basic as possible -mostly importantly- has no optical brighteners. I ruined a set of prefolds by using a non-bleach whitener on them. They ended up very scratchy and not very absorbent at all. I have front load supposed high efficiency washer/dryers. Which actually don't do very well with diapers which need a LOT of water to rinse any poop out. I now do a first wash with lots of soap and then a second with just a bit and then a final one with just vinegar. Sometimes I throw in baking soda for good measure. This keeps my prefolds and wraps smelling nice and soft. Hope this helps!

I don't use cloth diapers, but do use vinegar as part of my regular laundry routine. It is the acidic nature of vinegar that does the softening. It works wonders!! It can be used in your rinse cycle or wash cycle. My husband HATES the smell so I use it in my wash cycle and my towels come out fluffy soft with no vinegar smell. The best part is it is so inexpensive!

I use a Seventh Generation Fabric softener, natural and bio degradable. I get is through Azure Standard Co-op but I know most Fred Meyer's would carry it.

put a cup or 2 of vinegar in the rinse cycle. it will rid it of all the detergent/softeners that get left behind. this works with fleece blankets too!

D. ~

There are natural/biodegradable fabric softeners available in the grocery store. I can't think of the brand name right off hand, but I have purchased them before ~ I know QFC carries them ... they have a whole line of natural laundry products, including the softners. Hope this helps! :)

We use shaklee products they are eco friendly and have a fabric soften, whitener, and laundry soap that work great!!
Oprah gave some away as one of her favorite things.. we've been using shaklee ever since I was little... http://www.shaklee.com/index.shtml Let me know if you are interested I'll help you get started... I don't sell it I just buy it, but I can get you signed up to purchase at a better price than you might see on the site. Plus! our sponsor pays 1/2 of our shipping cost.. so it is usually only 3 bucks when we place orders! :)

Yes, definitely do not use fabric softeners - they clog the cloth diapers so they will not absorb. I find that if they are dried completely on high heat, they stay soft. If I hang them to dry, they get really stiff. I use the BioKleen laundry powder. Let me know if you have more questions - I have been using cloth diapers for both of my kids - so for 3 years now!

D.,
You could try white vinegar in your rinse cycle, it whitens and freshens your whites and it might soften too. I use Fuzzi Bunz cloth diapers which have a fleece liner and are always soft no matter how much you wash them. They are a bit of an investment but are easy to wash and are well worth it!

For my cloth diapers (chinese prefold with a cover) I do a cold/hot soak and wash with just baking soda. Then I do a hot/hot wash with a small amount of detergent and a small amount of white vinegar in a downy softener ball. Then in the dryer I don't have to put anything in with them and they are always pretty soft and clean. Hope it helps. It's nice to know other people use cloth diapers too.